Sports

By Sandy Anderberg
With a win seemingly in hand, the Lady Broncos only had to hold on through one more at-bat from Abernathy to earn the right to advance to the next level. They were sitting in a good spot, with two outs against their opponent. But according to head coach Gary Jack, ‘one little mistake’ took the win away from the Lady Broncos.
“Our softball season came to an end Wednesday night in Canyon,” Jack said. “The girls played a tough game and with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, we were still ahead 4-3. One little mistake allowed Abernathy to score the two runners on base and squeak out a 5-4 win.”
Jack cited several players with great defensive play in the game.
“We played really well defensively all night,” Jack said. “Taylor DeGrate, Taylor Gaines, Sterling King, Briley Chadwick, and Allyson Hogan made some great defensive plays throughout the game. Sterling pitched the best game I’ve ever seen her pitch.”
As good as the Lady Broncos played, they struggled to hit Abernathy’s good pitcher.
“We did have trouble hitting Abernathy’s pitcher,” Jack said. “Brooke Martin, DeGrate, and Hogan hit the ball very well, ripping several hits to the wall. It wasn’t enough as a couple of mistakes allowed Abernathy all five of their unearned runs. Our girls did play a very inspired and emotional game. We just didn’t get the little breaks at the end we needed. I am very proud of how our girls competed.”
The Lady Broncos finished their season in second place in the District race.
“I’m very proud of how our girls competed,” Jack said. “Overall, it was a good season.”

By Sandy Anderberg
The Clarendon Broncos are the District Champs yet again, going perfect at 8-0 in their District schedule and 14-5 overall.
Their last victim was the Kress Kangaroos on last Tuesday night at home. The Broncos started strong and only used five innings in their 14-4 win.

Clarendon got their bats going strong in the fourth inning, after putting three on the board in the opening inning, when they scored on an RBI single by Kade Hunsaker, an RBI double by Chance Lockhart, a two-run single by Clay Koetting and RBI single by Izzy Osburn. Caleb Cobb was in on the action in the first inning when he slammed an RBI double. Hunsaker posted a good game from the plate with five RBIs on just two hits.
Lockhart was on the mound for the duration and struck out 11 hitters. He allowed no earned runs, only four hits and no walks.
“Chance pitched a great game,” coach Brad Elam said. “We made a few too many mistakes in the field, but that is correctable. We hit the ball well. I am very proud of the way the kids have played in district.”
Earlier in the week, the Broncos only needed six innings to state their case against the Memphis Cyclones on the road Monday in another district match up. The Broncos scored six runs in the fourth inning that set the tone in their 15-2 win. They were able to add seven more in the final inning to seal their victory.
Kade Hunsaker was on the mound and threw 11 strikeouts and allowed no earned runs. Memphis did manage two hits and three walks over the five innings Hunsaker threw.
“It took us awhile to get going; but once we did, we were hard to stop,” Elam said. “I thought we hit the ball well, and Kade pitched a good game.”
The Broncos really got thing rolling in the fourth when Cobb hit a two-run single and Charles Mason slammed a two-run triple to add six runs to the board. Osburn and Koetting connected in the sixth with an RBI single each and Zack LaRoe made good on an RBI double.
Before the scoring ended in that inning, Caleb Cobb turned up the heat with a two-run homer. Overall, the Broncos racked up 14 hits from eight hitters, 13 RBIs and 13 scored runs.
The Broncos will play at home on Tuesday, April 28, against Nazareth beginning at 4:00 p.m. to wrap up their regular season.

By Sandy Anderberg

Clarendon High School’s Charles Mason out jumped and outlasted every other opponent in the long jump at the Area Meet last week at West Texas High.

Mason posted a distance of 22’2″ in the contest, outdoing his closest competitor by 10 inches.

Sprinter Amelia Weatherton ran for gold in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.90 to earn the championship in that event. Weatherton will also compete in the long jump due to her third place finish in the Area meet with a distance of 16’2 ½”, and Mason will be running in the 100-meter dash, also. He finished fourth with a time of 11.44 and earned the right to advance. Both athletes will compete at the Regional level in Odessa May 1-2 along with other athletes who finished in the top four of their event. Both the Broncos and Lady Broncos finished seventh in the final team standings.

The Bronco 400m relay crossed the wire just out of the top four, finishing fifth with a time of 45.16 and was run by Keandre Cortez, Steven Johnson, Cedrick McCampbell, and Mason. The 1600m relay took eighth place with a time of 3:54.64. Running the mile relay was Caleb Cobb, Cortez, Bryce Grahn, and Colt Wood.

The Lady Broncos’ sprint relay finished eighth at 54.45 and was run by Taylor DeGrate, Taylor Gaines, Weatherton, and Jensen Hatley. The mile relay took seventh place with a time of 4:42.36 and members were Hanna Howard, MaRae Hall, Carlee Johnson, and Abby Johnson.

Caleb Cobb will advance to the next meet with a second-place finish in the 800m run with a personal best time of 2:02.22. Cobb also competed in the 400m dash and finished sixth at 57.69. Bryce Grahn will advance in two long distance events. He ran a time of 10:24.68 in the 3200m run for second place and took third place in the 1600m run with a time of 4:51.12. McCampbell finished seventh in the triple jump with a distance of 39’7″ and was seventh in the 200m dash at 24.47.

On the Lady Bronco side, senior Abby Johnson finished second in the 400m dash with a time of 1:00.66 and fourth in the 200m dash at 27.76. Carlee Johnson ran a 2:38.66 in the 800m run to advance and Taylor DeGrate had a good run in the 100m hurdles to finish second with a time of 16.76. Berkeley Alexander took sixth in the discus with a throw of 98’10″ and seventh in the shot put with a distance of 32’6″. Allyson Grahn took eighth place in both the 1600m and 3200m runs with times of 7:01.47 and 14:51.96 and MaRae Hall ran seventh in the 400m dash with a time of 1:10.28.

“All of the athletes competed very well and I am very thankful and proud for the way they competed,” coach Johnny Nino said. “Caleb Cobb dropped his time in the 800m a full eight seconds from a personal best of 2:10 to a personal best of 2:02. He made up his mind he was going to run with the Canadian runner and it was a two-man race to the finish.

“The last time he raced the Canadian runner, Caleb lost by about 120 meters. He ran a really good race. Charles Mason is moving on in the 100m and long jump and he is getting better at both events. Bryce Grahn is moving on in the 3200m and the 1600m. I appreciate the hard work that all the track athletes have put in this year,” Nino said.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

Excitement was the name of the game in the Lady Broncos’ duel to the end with the Claude Lady Mustangs last week.

After shifting the lead back and forth for the duration, the Lady Broncos came out on top 11-9 in the seven-inning game. Allyson Hogan came to the plate with Clarendon trailing by one run at 8-9. Her count was two balls and one strike and on the next pitch, Hogan slammed the homerun beyond the fence to drive in two runners and herself to give the Lady Broncos the win.

“We came to the last bat trailing,” head coach Gary Jack said. “Our first player made an out and the next two walked and then advanced to second and third on a passed ball. Then Allyson was up to the plate, and she hit it over the cars parked outside the fence for the three-run walk off.”

Jack gave credit to Sterling King for her job on the mound.

“Sterling pitched the first five innings and did a great job,” Jack said. “Taylor DeGrate pitched the last two innings and did well.”

According to Jack, Brooke Martin, DeGrate, Taylor Gaines, Hogan, and Brittney McAnear hit the ball well.

“Brooke made some good catches in the outfield, while both Taylors, Briley Chadwick and Sterling played good defense in the infield,” Jack said. “This (win) puts us at 7-2 in District and in second place alone, one game behind Follett.” The Lady Broncos are looking to begin post-season play next week.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos hosted Booker April 14 and easily defeated them, 20-10.

Briley Chadwick was on the mound and pitched for four innings, before Taylor DeGrate took over to finish the game. Allyson Hogan was behind the plate and according to head coach Gary Jack caught a good game. Jack also noted that Brooke Martin, DeGrate, Chadwick, Hogan, Brittney McAnear, and Taylor Gaines all hit well.

On Friday of that week, the Lady Broncos lost a close game in Gruver at 7-10. The ladies were tied for first place going into the game, but the loss put the Lady Broncos alone in second place.

“We hit the ball well,” Jack said. “Brooke, Taylor D. Briley, Allyson, Brittney, and Taylor G. all getting some really hard and deep hits.”

Jack felt too many mistakes allowed Gruver to win the game that he attributed to limited practice time due to all the other activities going on.

“We were a little rusty,” Jack said.

The ladies will be on the road to Follett on Momday, April 27, which will end their regular season.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

Senior Zack LaRoe racked up several impressive stats in the Broncos’ win over Valley in five innings on the road Tuesday night. The 16-2 win put the Broncos in a great position in the district race.

All in all, there were four huge home runs in the game with three of them belonging to LaRoe. Bryce Hatley slammed the other home run for the Bronco team.

“We hit the ball extremely well today,” coach Brad Elam said. “All four home runs were monster shots and would have been out in most places.”

The Broncos posted twelve runs in the first three innings. Hatley and LaRoe scored two each on their home runs, and Chance Lockhart and Joshua Cobb each hit an RBI single in the first inning. LaRoe hit another two-run homerun in the second inning and Izzy Osburn added an RBI single to get runs on the board early.

LaRoe earned the win from the mound where he pitched two innings with no hits. He struck out five hitters with no walks in the game.

The Broncos will have a big game with Memphis on Friday, April 17, on the road beginning at 4:00 p.m. They will host Kress on Tuesday, April 21, at 4:00 p.m.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

Junior Ceniceros and Chance Lockhart were named the champions at the District tennis tournament in Wellington last week. The win gave the doubles

team the opportunity to advance to the Regional Tournament April 20-21 in Odessa. The team were awarded a bye in the first round and won their second round match against Quanah’s number two team at 6-1, 6-0. They then defeated Wheeler’s number one team 6-0, 6-3 in the finals.

“They are the Boys Doubles District Champs,” coach Brandt Lockhart said. “Junior and Chance were dominating all day long and played their best tennis of the year.”

Zack LaRoe and Nick Shadle won their first match 4-6, 6-1, and 7-5 against Quanah’s number two team, but then lost in the semi finals to the Wheeler number one team 2-6, 6-2, and 3-6. The duo then defeated Quanah’s number two team 6-2, 6-2 to win third place.

“The boys team are district champions,” Lockhart said. “Zack and Nick played very well and with a few different shots were very close to making the finals.”

On the Lady Bronco side, the team of Kendra Davis and Sterling King lost their match 4-6 and 3-6 to Wheeler. “I felt like they improved throughout the year,” Lockhart said.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

Five Broncos and Lady Broncos were named 2-2A District Champions in the District track meet held last week in Wellington. Those athletes placing in the top four of each event has earned their spot in the Area Track Meet to be held April 22 at West Texas High.

Charles Mason captured the long jump championship with a leap of 21’2 ½” and Caleb Cobb was the 800-meter dash champion with a time of 2:10.87. Taylor DeGrate dominated the field in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.95 to claim first place and Amelia Weatherton outran the other participants in the 100-meter dash for the number one spot with a time of 12.65. Abby Johnson was a double winner bringing home championships in the 200 and 400-meter races. Johnson’s time in the 200 was 27.19 and her 400-meter time was 1:01.20.

Cedrick McCampbell finished fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 39’1″ and was third in the 200m at 23.81. Bryce Grahn finished second and will move on in the 1600m and the 3200m. Grahn’s time in the 1600m was 4:53.15 and time in the 3200 was 10:20.10. Mason will also compete in the 100m dash as he finished fourth with a time of 11.62. Colt Wood placed third in the 400m dash at 53.35, and Caleb Cobb was fourth in that event with a time of 56.10.

The Broncos 400m relay will advance as they finished second with a time of 45.89 and members are Keandre Cortez, Wood, Steven Johnson, and McCampbell. The mile relay finished third at 6:26.31 and was run by Cortez, Wood, Cobb, and Grahn.

On the Lady Bronco side, Berkeley Alexander finished fourth in the shot put with a distance of 32’4″ and third in the discus at 99’2″. Amelia Weatherton won second in the long jump with a distance of 15’7 ¾”, and Carlee Johnson was third in the 800m run with a time of 2:41.48. Allyson Grahn will advance in the 1600m and the 3200m after finishing third and second, respectively. Grahn’s time in the 1600 was 6:26.31 and 13:39.26 in the 3200. Shaelyn Owitti will also compete in the Area meet as she placed fourth in the 400m with a time of 1:09.25.

The Lady Broncos’ 1600m relay took third place at 3:54.64 and will advance. Members of that relay are Abby Johnson, Owitti, Carlee Johnson, and MaRae Hall. The 400m relay also placed third with a time of 54.05 as members are DeGrate, Gaines, Jensen Hatley, and Weatherton.

Individual results:

Broncos: shot put: Marshal Johnson 6th 38’5 ½”; 800m: Lee Buckhaults 6th 23:30.10. The Bronco team finished fifth with 86 points.

Lady Broncos: long jump: Taylor Gaines 6th 15’ ¼”; high jump: Allyson Hogan 5th 4’2″; 400m dash: Hall 5th 1:10.18. The Lady Broncos finished third as a team with 110 points.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Wellington Skyrockets never saw it coming as they were demolished by the Broncos in Clarendon’s 17-7 win. The Broncos set a precedent in the first three innings of play scoring nine runs early in the contest. Offensively, the Broncos took charge. Caleb Cobb got things rolling with a two-run double and then stole home plate to go on top. Izzy Osburn and Zack Laroe each earned an RBI single, Cobb blasted an RBI double, and Nick Shadle singled in the second inning keeping the Broncos’ rhythm going. Osburn was credited with three RBIs on two hits.

LaRoe was on the mound and got the win for the Broncos, allowing only three runs over four innings. He was able to strike out seven, walked three, and gave up five hits.

The Broncos were able to hold the momentum in the final innings as Kade Hunsaker earned an RBI single when he hit Clay Koetting home. In the fifth, Osburn hit a two-run double and Joshua Cobb hit a two-run single.

“I thought we hit the ball really well,” head coach Brad Elam said. “Charles Mason and Izzy Osburn both scored four runs from the 8 and 9 hole. When you do that, it is going to be a good game.”

On Friday, the Broncos took care of the Swifts in Nazareth 16-1. Once again, the Broncos struck early scoring 11 runs in the first three innings. Hunsaker was on the mound and did a good job striking out seven hitters. He allowed only one earned run on five hits and walked two.

Chance Lockhart hit a single and scored Shadle in the third inning and Bryce Hatley turned up the heat with a triple, bringing home J. Cobb, Clay Koetting, and Lockhart. Osburn and Shadle scored again in the fourth when Hunsaker slammed a single.

“We are 5-0 after finishing the first round of district,” Elam said. “Played really well today and hit the ball well. Defense played great. Ray Jaramillo made a ton of plays in center and we turned a 6-4-3 double play. Kade Hunsaker pitched well.”

The Broncos will continue their dominant play in Memphis next Friday, April 17, beginning at 4:00 p.m. and will play Kress at home on Tuesday, April 21, at 4:00 p.m.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

Golfers Zach Watson and Riley Shadle shot a qualifying score at the District Golf Meet at Stoney Ridge in Childress to qualify for the Regional Meet to be

held in Odessa April 15-16 at Ratliff Ranch Golf Course.

The Broncos finished third overall as a team.

“Our boys golf team did very well,” coach Gary Jack said. “The team finished third overall, just missing out a few strokes from second place and going to Regionals.”

Watson turned in a score of 81 and he was the third place medalist overall. It is Watson’s third time to qualify for the Regional Meet.

Shadle turned in an 87, which tied him for the other place that would qualify him. According to Jack, Shadle was in a play off and he was able to win it on the second hold to earn his spot.

Other medalists on the team were Zach Caison, Clayton White, and Eastin Goodpasture. Raylyn Shelton, Blaine Ellis, and Jacob Hewitt completed the Bronco team.