Sports

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos’ stellar season was cut short by a ranked Farwell team in Bushland last Thursday evening. Just out of the Lady Broncos’ reach was a coveted Regional Championship that had eluded the team for the last 11 years.

They are a team that had the ability to get it done if a couple of plays would have gone in their favor. The 40-46 loss was a painful one for the team especially the three very strong seniors that are graduating.

A slow start put the Lady Broncos playing catch up, but they were able to come back at the end of the first quarter to tie the game at seven all. The Lady Steers turned up the heat before the break to lead 23-15.

The Lady Broncos never gave up and worked their way back to come within three points, but stumbled a bit which allowed Farwell to hold the edge and force Clarendon to foul at the end. Free throws made the difference in the game as Farwell shot twice as many as the Lady Broncos, who hit 10 of 11 while Farwell was able to hit 14 of 22.

Inside player Kate Shaw led the way with 12 and Kenidee Hayes and Kashlyn Conkin helped with 10 points each. Hayden Elam put in four, Tandie Cummins and Kennadie Cummins finished with two each.

In the big 52-41 win over Roscoe for the Regional Semi-Final game, T. Cummins pumped in 12 big points and Elam and Berkley Moore added eight each. Gracie Ellis put in seven, and K. Cummins and Conkin put in six each. Hayes finished with three and Shaw had two.

Good luck to seniors Kennadie and Tandie Cummins and Hayden Elam on a job well done for the past four years.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Broncos began their 2025 season with a 2-12 loss to Sanford-Fritch before coming back to defeat Highland Park and Sudan in the Hornet Tournament last week.

The Broncos took the field behind the pitching of Colton Caudle who threw 79 pitches that included 38 strikes thrown. Caudle went the distance and got the win striking out eight batters and walking six.

Bryce Williams, Mason Allred, and Braylon Rice had three runs each in the win and the team racked up seven RBI’s. The Broncos were spot on with stolen bases as the team stole a base twenty times in the game. Rice and Shane Hagood posted four each and Mason Sims recorded three stolen bases in the win. Rice, Allred, Hagood, and Hayden Moore had doubles in the game and Kreed Robinson and Dakotah Jameson hit singles.

The Broncos defeated Sudan 9-4 on seven hits and recorded no errors in the game. Moore pitched for three innings and Sims came in as relief for two. Moore had five strike-outs and Sims was able to strike out two hitters. The Broncos had their bats going and Rice and Allred slammed a triple apiece and Williams had three stolen bases of the team’s eight.

The Broncos will participate in the Hawley Tournament February 28 – March 1 with games and times to be announced. They will play at home March 6 against Valley beginning at 4:30 p.m.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Broncos had high hopes of causing an upset of the Gruver Greyhounds Monday night in Pampa, but things did not go in the Broncos’ favor. Despite playing hard, the Broncos fell short 34-68 and Gruver earned the right to advance.

A slow start for the Broncos hindered them offensively and they struggled to put points on the board. A 13-point deficit after one turned into 18 at the break. The Broncos did all they could do against the Greyhounds, but they could not stop them. As a team, the Greyhounds pumped in fourteen three-pointers, which accounted for 42 of their 68 points.

Mason Sims, who is normally strong inside, was quiet against the Greyhounds which hindered their aggressive offensive plan. Gruver was able to shut down the Bronco offense in the win.

Kaleb Bolin hit three big shots and finished with 13 and Michael Randall added nine. Colton Caudle put in four and John Weatherton connected with a three. Kyler Bell and Caleb Herbert each helped with two and Bryce Williams added one.

Overall, the Broncos had a good season and they will miss the seniors next season.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos grabbed another gold ball in their Area win over New Home last week at the Waylon Baptist Gym in Plainview. The ladies persevered in a defensive matchup and earned the 43-31 win.

Juniors Kashlyn Conkin and Kenidee Hayes teamed up for 27 points that included four three-pointers and hitting eleven of fourteen from the bonus line. Conkin led all scorers with 15 points.

The Lady Broncos jumped all over the Lady Leopards out of the gate and earned an eight-point lead in the first eight minutes. A slow-shooting second quarter only allowed the Lady Broncos five points, but did not hinder what they had planned offensively to maintain their lead to get the win. Hayes drained a three in the third and Berkley Moore converted all four of her free throws, and Kate Shaw hit both shots from the bonus as well to secure their lead.

The final period of play saw only two field goals from Hayes and Shaw, but the Lady Leopards sent Conkin to the line six times where she was able to add nine points to the Lady Bronco lead.

Shaw finished with seven points and Moore and Kennadie Cummins put in four each. Gracie Ellis added one free throw to the win.

By Sandy Anderberg

Four Lady Bronco powerlifters are headed to the Regional Meet to be held in Big Spring on February 27. All of the ladies had a great qualifying meet in Childress last week and brought home two district championships.

Elliot Frausto took first place in the 105-pound weight class with a lift total of 555 pounds and Zane Cruse nabbed first place in the 142-pound weight class. Cruse lifted a total of 605 pounds.

Frausto posted 195 pounds in the squat and bench-pressed 105 pounds. She was able to dead lift 255 pounds. Cruse was able to squat 235 pounds, bench press 115, and deadlift 255 pounds in the meet. Rounding out the qualifiers was Shelby Christopher in the 193-pound weight class lifting a total of 660 pounds. She had a dead lift 275 pounds, bench press 130 pounds and marked 255 pounds in the squat. Josie Murillo lifted in the 118-pound weight class and finished with a total lift of 485 pounds for second place. Murillo had lifts of 200, 85, and 200 pounds to advance to the regional meet.

Shelbi Coles also took second place in the 144-pound weight class with a lift total of 555 pounds. Coles posted 215 in the squat, 105 in the bench, and 235 in the deadlift. Lexi Jantz qualified in fourth place in the 131-pound class with lifts of 175, 95, and 210 for a lift total of 480 pounds.

The Broncos took on the Panhandle Panthers at home last Friday night and gave them a run for their money. It was the second time the teams met this year, with the Panthers taking both wins.

The Broncos were in control of the game until the end of the third quarter when mistakes got the best of them. Panhandle went on to win the match-up 55-47 in a closer game than the score revealed.

The Broncos led by one point after the first eight minutes, but turned it into five in a hard-fought first half. The Panthers came out with the edge after the break and 16 points to only 11 for the Broncos. Free throws were the difference in the game as the Panthers converted 15 of 18 and the Broncos made four of 11.

Panhandle also hit four big shots from the arc and the Broncos were off their three-point game finishing with only one.

Mason Sims was strong inside once again and put in 18 points. He posted two of four from the bonus line. Michael Randall finished with 15 points and Kaleb Bolin added seven that included the lone three-pointer from the Broncos. John Weatherton converted of two from the free throw line and finished with five points, and Colton Caudle added four points in the game.

Despite the Broncos fought hard and never gave up and are preparing for post-season play which will begin next week.