Hedley runner qualifies for state
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Broncos dig deep to beat Irish, 23-20
The Broncos kept their perfect district season alive last Friday night as they edged out Shamrock 23-20 in a hard-fought game.
Both teams battled the entirety of the game, but the Broncos’ quickness and speed gave them the advantage when they needed it. Once again, senior Jmaury Davis turned up the heat with 235 yards rushing, 22 yards passing, and two touchdowns.
He also racked up five tackles on defense.
Davis was joined in the backfield by Lyric Smith who consistently plays a solid game. Smith carried the ball nine times for 46 yards and threw a strike to Brown for a touchdown. Howard was three of eight passing for 32 yards.
Both teams came out strong on both sides of the ball and each went four and out before Shamrock put the first points on the board late in the first quarter. The Broncos went to work and put several good defensive and offensive plays together and got back on track. They were able to execute a nice little trick play after Smith broke loose and took it down inside the 20-yard line. Davis was then able to beat the clock and score a touchdown with Wilson Ward adding the kick for the bonus.
The second half was a battle as well with both teams digging in on offense and defense. A mishandled onside kick by the Irish allowed the Broncos good field position and a chance to find the endzone, but a weak series of downs caused Clarendon to give the ball back. They were able to find the endzone one more time, however, with nine minutes left in the game. Shamrock would score one more time early in the fourth quarter, but it would not be enough, and the maroon and white held on for the win.
The Broncos have one regular season game left this Friday against Wellington. They are looking to be the spoiler for the second year in a row to send the Skyrockets packing and claim the District Championship once again. Senior recognition will be during the pre-game and kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. Online tickets are available at https://bit.ly/3DQoplN.
CC Bulldogs win Texas Tech rodeo
The Clarendon College men’s rodeo team is reeling off victories like the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s.
Riding the backs of its bronc busters and bareback riders, the Bulldogs have won three events in a row, most recently at Texas Tech University this past weekend. With that, Clarendon College moved to within 60 points of Southwest Region leader Western Texas College.
“We’ve been building every week, and it’s shown the last three weeks,” said Bret Franks, the team’s coach. “Our goal is to be the top team in our region when the season ends, and we’re making the right moves to be in that position in the spring.”
The Southwest Region consists of 10 events through the 2022-23 campaign, and half the rodeos took place during the fall session.
“We have five rodeos left in the spring, so we’ll get a chance to take a little break and come back next semester fresh and ready to roll,” Franks said. “It’s been fun to watch these kids come out and find success. Now, we just want to build off that.”
As has happened in their victories at home two weeks ago and at Vernon (Texas) College a week ago, the Bulldogs earned the most points in saddle bronc riding. Slade Keith of Stanfield, Arizona, won in all three phases – the first round, the championship round and the aggregate – to win the overall title. Dylan Hancock of Golconda, Illinois, placed fourth in the long round, third in the short round and third overall.
Weston Patterson of Waverly, Kansas, rode two broncs for a cumulative score of 142 points but didn’t place.
Sam Petersen of Helena, Montana earned his second bareback riding victory in three weeks. He was 81 points to finish second in the long round, then won the short round and the average after scoring 79.5 points Saturday night. His two-ride cumulative score of 160.5 was a point and a half better than the field. Fellow bareback rider Clayton Moss of Wheeler, Texas, advanced to the short round but didn’t place.
“We have a lot of talented people on this team,” Franks said. “They will all have an opportunity to contribute for us. I like the direction we’re going right now, and I can’t wait to see what we can do come the spring semester.”
By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo
Lady Broncos win district XC title
The Lady Bronco cross-country team competed in the Regional Cross-Country Meet on Monday, October 24, and finished fifth as a team.
The fifth-place finish was one spot out of the top four teams that earned the right to advance to the State Meet in November. There were 164 runners in the event.
Madi Benson finished in the 18th spot out of 164 runners with a time of 13:27.6.
Benson, who was only just under a minute off the first-place time, is a freshman and has been running solid all season long.
Berkley Moore ran the course in a time of 13:54.3 for 34th place, and Presley Smith was 38th with a time of 13:55.6.
The rest of the team were fairly close together at the finish line. Avery Sawyer was 40th at 13:59.9 with Kenidee Hayes right behind her in 41st with a time of 14:00.4. Gracie Ellis crossed the finish line in a time of 14:20 for 51st place and Aliyah Weatherton was 133rd at 16:09.8.
Bryce Williams was the lone qualifier for the Broncos and finished 51st out of 162 runners with a time of 19:42.5.
Williams and the Lady Broncos qualified for the Regional Meet by placing high up in the district meet on October 12. Williams ran fourth in the district meet with a time of 19:15, and Kaleb Mays ran 15th at 22:09.
Hayes was third in the finishers at 12:40, and Benson was right behind her at 12:45. Moore ran the course in a time of 12:50, and Smith was 13:00. Ellis turned in a time of 13:05 for seventh, Sawyer was 14th at 13:45 and Weatherton was 16th with a time of 14:00.
Taking the top spots in the junior varsity division were Tandie Cummins with a time of 12:40 and Makenna Shadle in second at 14:28. Kennadie Cummins was third at 14:38, Gracie Wilkins was fourth at 14:51, and Trystan Brown was fifth at 14:53. Gracie Clark ran sixth with a time of 15:01, Kimbrasia Ballard was eighth at 15:25, and Laney Rummel was 10th with a time of 15:58.
Hayden Elam was 11th at 15:58, Finley Cunningham was 14th at 17:14, and Courtlyn Conkin was 15th with a time of 17:18. Kashlyn Conkin was 16th at 17:22, and Millie McAnear came in at 22:02.
Broncos run by Memphis
The Broncos reigned supreme over the Memphis Cyclones in a district matchup last Friday night on the road.
The 6-2 Broncos are perfect in district play with two games remaining.
The Bronco defense made a huge showing in the 48-14 win as they stopped the Cyclones all game long. Their solid play allowed the Bronco offense great field position on nearly every possession. Colton Benson made the most tackles with 12 and recovered a fumble in Memphis territory and Colton Caudle posted eight tackles and a fumble recovery.
Mason Sims had seven tackles, Quay Brown snatched two interceptions, and Wilson Ward fought hard for two tackles and added one fumble recovery and one interception.
Offensively, the Broncos stuck to their game plan using senior Jmaury Davis throughout the game both rushing and receiving. Davis scored a 57-yard touchdown with only one minute off the clock to give the Broncos the first score of the game. Lyric Smith hit Davis in the endzone for the two-point bonus after the TD. The Bronco offense had one big play after another throughout the game with a variety of players getting into the action. Their speed and quickness impeded the Cyclone defense and is something they will carry into their final two district games.
Harrison Howard was 11 of 15 passing for 139 yards and four touchdowns in the game. Howard leaned on receivers Davis and Smith for big yardage and TD’s but also hit Ward twice for 29 yards and one touchdown.
Davis had 18 carries for 201 yards rushing and two catches for a total of three touchdowns. Smith found the endzone three times as well and racked up 48 yards receiving.
The Broncos’ early scoring gave them the definite advantage in their win as they held a 28-8 lead at halftime.
CC men win Stampede Rodeo
Led by a couple of event victories and several other top placings, the Clarendon College men’s rodeo team won its home event October 13-15.
“We had a lot of people step up and do good for us, and that’s what it takes to win in our region,” Clarendon College rodeo coach Bret Franks said. “I think the Southwest Region is the toughest in college rodeo, so any time you can win in this region, it’s a big deal.
“Winning at home makes it even better.”
Sam Petersen of Helena, Montana, won the bareback riding title, scoring 82 points to win the first round and 77 points to finish second in the championship round. His two-ride cumulative score of 159 points was good enough to claim the overall title. Petersen is now in second place in the Southwest Region’s bareback riding standings.
Fellow bareback rider Weston Patterson finished fifth in the first round and also placed in fourth in steer wrestling. He earned two spots in the short round but was unable to finish because he was in a battle for the saddle bronc riding title in ProRodeo’s Prairie Circuit, which had its finals this past weekend. Patterson finished the season as the circuit’s champion and will advance at the national circuit finals rodeo, called the NFR Open, in July.
“When you have pro athletes that are competing at the college level, you realize they have some goals they want to meet,” Franks said. “This was a good opportunity for Weston to win a PRCA championship and set himself up good for next season, and I didn’t want him to miss out on that.
“I was worried our chances to win this weekend would be hurt by him not being here for the short-round, but everybody else stepped up big and helped us pull through.”
Dylan Hancock of Golconda, Illinois, also walked away with a title, scoring 159 cumulative points to win saddle bronc riding. He was 75 points in the long round to advance to the short go-round, where he had the highest-marked ride of the rodeo, an 84, to win the final round and the average title.
Teammate Slade Keith of Stanfield, Arizona, won the first round and finished in a tie for second in the championship round; he finished second, just a point behind Hancock in the aggregate. With the points he earned in Clarendon, Keith moved regional lead in the saddle bronc riding standings.
“I was really proud of how many kids we had in the short round,” Franks said, noting that bull rider Hadley Miller of Boyd, Texas, competed in the final round but didn’t place. “I think it says something to see that many black vests in the short-go at our hometown rodeo.”
For the women, Quincy Sullivan of Peralta, New Mexico, stopped the clock in 2.3 seconds to finish as the runner-up in the first round of breakaway roping. She placed fifth in the final round and finished fourth overall. She is eighth in the regional standings.
The Bulldogs men finished with 495 points to outlast Southwest Region leader Western Texas College. That helped Clarendon College move up to third place in the Southwest Region with seven events remaining on the 2022-23 schedule.
“We’ve made some good strides, but we need to keep putting ourselves in position at every rodeo if we want to win the region,” Franks said. “I think we have the ability to do that.”
By Ted Harbin, TwistedTed Rodeo
Broncos roll by Quanah
The Clarendon Broncos suffered a couple of early losses in their 2022 football season but have since turned it around as they move closer to a District Championship with only three games remaining in their season.
The Broncos’ 48-6 win over the Quanah Indians put them at 5-2 for the season as they prepare for a road trip to Memphis Friday night to take on the Cyclones.
Junior quarterback Harrison Howard had a good game in the air as he posted 133 yards passing. Howard hit his favorite receivers for three of the Broncos’ seven touchdowns.
After an opening 28-yard kick-off return by Quay Brown to put the Broncos at Quanah’s 46-yard line, Lyric Smith grabbed a 14-yard pass and bolted into the endzone nearly untouched for the Broncos’ first score and then fought off a defender to add the bonus. After Quanah went four and out, senior Texas Tech recruit Jmaury Davis snatched a pass from Howard and dodged several defenders for six more points and set the precedent for the remainder of the game. Davis looked impressive as later in the first quarter he returned a Quanah punt 65 yards for six.
The Broncos scored four more times before time ran out in the first quarter with touchdown runs from Davis and Anthony Brown who picked converted a fumble into six points. Wilson Ward kicked four extra points in the game.
The Indians were only able to manage one touchdown right before half time.
Davis carried the ball once for 21 yards and had 79 yards receiving and Smith carried once for five yards and caught two Howard passes for 79 yards. Brown had three carries for 23 yards and Josiah Hearn carried three times for 12 yards and one TD.
The Bronco defense was solid once again with several players racking up tackles. They did a great job of containing the Indians behind the 50-yard line for all of the first quarter and several minutes of the second.
Davis leads Broncos to homecoming win
Clarendon senior standout Jmaury Davis led the Broncos to a big 48-21 Homecoming win last Friday night before a big crowd in Bronco Stadium.
Davis’ 272 yards was a big night for the Texas Tech commit, who also found the endzone four different times to add to Clarendon’s point total.
Lyric Smith played solid football the entire way and finished with 108 years on 17 carries and one rushing touchdown. Smith also was on the receiving end of two Harrison Howard passes for 77 yards and another touchdown.
Defensively, the Broncos stayed in the battle the entire game and several players racked up great stats. Wilson Ward, Colton Caudle, and Mason Sims all had eight tackles each with Ward forcing a fumble, Caudle grabbing one interception, and Sims recovering a fumble and sacked the QB once. Colton Benson and Smith was in on six tackles each, and Dalton Coles finished with five.
The Broncos will have an open night on September 30 before starting their district schedule on October 6 on the road against Wheeler.
Broncos get second win
The Broncos evened up their record with a huge win over Smyer last Friday on the road. The 55-8 win gave the Broncos a 2-2 overall record as they knock on the door of their District season start.
The Broncos ended with 429 yards with 374 of those yards on the ground and 85 yards in the air. Senior Jmaury Davis ran the ball five times for 205 yards that include three touchdowns. Quay Brown found the endzone one time and went 93 yards on four carries, and Lyric Smith added one touchdown carrying the ball seven times for 48 yards.
Smith also was on the receiving end of three passes for 63 yards and another two touchdowns. Harrison Howard was five of nine passing in racking up 85 yards that included the two touchdown strikes to Smith.
The defensive effort by the Broncos was solid as they only allowed Smyer to find the endzone once. Wilson Ward did a solid job on defense as he put himself in a position to grab a pass from the Smyer offense and go nearly the length of the football field for six points. Ward also posted six tackles in the game. However, Colton Benson led the way on defense with 15 tackles and one QB sack. Mason Sims grabbed eight tackles, and Grant Haynes stepped up and had seven tackles against the Bobcats.
The Broncos will host Tulia on Friday, September 23, for their homecoming game beginning at 7:00 p.m. in Bronco Stadium. To purchase tickets for Friday’s game, visit https://clarendon-cisd.ticketleap.com/bronco-football-vs-tulia/
Albany stops Broncos in Semi-Finals
The Broncos’ stellar baseball season came to an end at the hands of the Albany Lions in two games in the three-game series at Hays Field on the campus of Lubbock Christian University last week.
The Lions were able to win the first game 11-4 and took the second game 16-3. The Broncos advanced to the Regional Semi-Final game for the first time since 2016. They finished with a 21-7 overall record.
In game one last Thursday, the Broncos had a good showing in the early parts of the game according to head coach Yancy Molloy.
“I thought the boys played really well up until the fifth inning,” Molloy said. “We had a couple of things not go our way, and Albany was able to capitalize.”
After four innings, the Broncos only trailed by one run behind the pitching of senior Brock Hatley who threw for five innings, before leaving the mound to Wilson Ward for the remainder of the game.
Offensively, the Broncos were shut out until the fourth when Easton Frausto got ahold of a pitch for a single. Ward was able to knock down and RBI single and two RBI doubles by Jared Musick and Frausto to take the lead 4-1.
Albany was able to match the Broncos’ fifth inning runs to go back on top and this time for good to take the first win.
Frausto had a single, double, and two RBIs and Wilson had a single, an RBI, one run, and one stolen base. Jared Musick added a double, RBI, and one run. Overall, the Bronco team posted four runs and four RBIs with two stolen bases by Wilson and Lyric Smith.
Game two on Saturday was “win or go home” for the Broncos and despite playing hard, Clarendon was defeated 3-16. The Broncos struggled to get anything going in the second game, and the Lions came on strong. Harrison Howard was on the mound for four innings allowing 11 hits for 11 runs but threw three strikeouts. Senior Aiden Caudle came in for one and a half innings and had two strikeouts and allowed four hits and five runs.
Offensively, the Broncos’ bats were cold, and they were only able to score two runs by the fourth innings compared to 11 for Albany. The Broncos scored another in run in the fifth, but it was not enough to put any pressure on the Lions.
“This was a once in a lifetime team with once in a lifetime boys,” Molloy said. “There is something special about a group that gives you their all no matter the day or the situation. A team that doesn’t quit regardless of the odds, a team that leads by example, and (one) that boys everywhere should strive to emulate. These boys achieved incredible things day in and day out and we could not be more proud of you. To you seniors; go be awesome, we know you will.”
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