Sports

Hamilton Junior High students put on the burners this past week at the District junior high tract meet in Hico.

Hamilton’s Lady Bulldog and Bulldog 4x400-meter relay teams qualified for and were invited to compete last Friday in the prestigious 98th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays hosted by the University of Texas at Mike A. Myers Stadium, home of the annual UIL State Track and Field Championships. The four-day event featured some of the nation’s top collegiate athletes and the best high school talent from across the state. Squaring off in Division I versus some of the fastest teams out of the 1A-4A classifications, Hamilton’s quad squads both turned heads by posting the fastest 2A times during the meet held in Austin. Fresh off a fifth-in-state finish last year where the Lady Bulldogs posted a time of 4:04.35, sophomore Emma Ensor and seniors Presley Long, Kaitlyn Walton and Anna Pearcy returned to Austin on Friday and bettered a previous season best 4:07.57 posted in Clifton the week before by clicking a 4:07.14. The time marked the 23rd best effort out of the 68 1A-4A teams who earned an invitation to the event. The Lady Dogs were bettered by only Midland Greenwood in Heat 7 of 8, who turned in a time of 4:03.55. MG and Hamilton finished ahead of Cisco, Midland Christian, Liberty Christian, Pleasanton, Blue Ridge, Port Isabel and Shallowater, respectively. A quartet from Texarkana Liberty-Eylau clocked a best 1A-4A time of 3:54.75 during the prelims on Friday and returned on Saturday to beat a nine-team field in the finals with a time of 3:56.29. Waxahachie Life took second, Salado third, St. Johns fourth, Fort Bend Christian fifth, Corpus Christi Calallen sixth, Bellaire Episcopal seventh, and though both Dallas Lincoln and Brownwood qualified in the top nine for the finals, neither team showed on Saturday. As for the Bulldogs, brothers Morgan and Myles Henkes teamed with Colton DeLaGarza and Pierce Summers last season to earn a perch on the state 4x400-meter relay stand for the first time in Hamilton High School history, stamping a state bronze medal winning and school record time of 3:20.11 in Austin. The foursome also placed seventh at the state meet last season in the 4x200-meter relay. This year, the Dog squad qualified for the Texas Relays in the 1600-meter relay by recording a season best time of 3:26.24 during the local Extraco Relays. Due to recent injuries sustained by the Henkes brothers, a pair of freshmen, including Oliver Summers and Madden Weaver, were thrust to the forefront of perhaps the biggest stage in carrying the baton on Friday for Hamilton’s storied 1600-meter relay team. Like the Lady Bulldogs, the Dogs entered last Friday’s contest still undefeated on the season, and despite the last minute substitutions, still posted the fastest time of all 2A teams competing. Joining his senior state-veteran brother Pierce, seasoned state competitor DeLaGarza and classmate Weaver, Oliver Summers and the Bulldog 4x400-meter quartet proceeded to stake the 20th fastest time of all 62 1A-4A teams that qualified to compete during Friday’s Texas Relays’ prelims. Like the Lady Dogs, the Bulldogs placed second in their heat and cemented a second-placed time of 3:28.36, finishing behind only Van Alstyne at 3:25.92 and ahead of TMI Episcopal in third, St. Domonic Savio fourth, Hico fifth in a time of 3:34.27, Pleasanton sixth, Beeville Jones seventh, Woodville eighth and Southwest Christian ninth. 4A Goliad topped all 62 qualifiers on Friday with a winning time of 3:18.76 and returned on Saturday to defeat eight other teams in the final, to include John Cooper, Midland Greenwood, Glen Oaks, Holy Cross of San Antonio, Lytle, Kinkaid, Dallas Carter and Cathedral in respective order, with a Texas Relays’ gold-medalist time of 3:19.62. Hamilton’s high school track teams were scheduled to compete in the District 11-2A Track and Field Championships this week in Hico with running prelims and field events scheduled for Tuesday and running finals set to begin at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Pictured, l-r, taking a break from warming up on the UT Campbell-Williams Field at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, HHS 4x400-meter relay competitors Presley Long, Emma Ensor, alternate Berkley Lengefeld, Kaitlyn Walton, Anna Pearcy, Colton DeLaGarza, Madden Weaver, Oliver Summers, Pierce Summers, Myles Henkes and Morgan Henkes. Not pictured, alternate Anna Claire Cooper. Photo by Coach Andrew Heers

Photos by Grant Lengefeld

The Hamilton Bulldogs are 7-10-1 after a district match up against Valley Mills stumped some momentum. The Eagles’ defense was stout, only allowing two runs from 10 hits from the Bulldogs.

On the heels of suffering a one-run loss the previous Friday at Horton Park to Bruceville- Eddy, Hamilton’s Lady Bulldog softball team began the second round of district competition at Horton Park on Tuesday of last week and surrendered a heart-breaking one-run decision to the visiting Valley Mills Eagles. It took the Lady Eagles an extra inning to complete the comeback.

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AIR DIXON

Seniors Morgan Henkes (left) and Ryder Coker (right), pictured executing masterful backhand returns, will pursue regional tournament bids this coming Monday through Wednesday as Hamilton’s tennis program competes in the District 11-2A Tennis Championships at Weatherford High School. Match-play is set to begin each day at 8:30 a.m. During their final pre-district tuneup on Wednesday of last week in Waco, the pair of Bulldog seniors met in a competitive varsity singles’ match for third place, and Coker prevailed 8-6. Harper Lengefeld, who placed third at the regional tournament two years ago as a freshman in varsity girls’ singles and was sidelined last season due to injury, also had a successful final pre-district outing at the Waco Tennis Center. Fresh off a tournament victory the week before, Lengefeld cruised past her first two opponents and earned an opportunity to face rival Mackenzie Lee of Frost in the final. The friendly foes have split matches throughout their careers, and last week’s championship did not disappoint. After falling behind 7-1, Lengefeld bounced back and forced extra sets before finally ceding the match 9-8 (7) to Lee. In mixed doubles, the dynamic duo of Tyler Bloomcamp and Cate Hooper overcame a first-round loss to a pairing from Frost to skunk their second-round opponent, and the varsity boys’ doubles team of Thomas Gruetzner and Elijah Looke rebounded from a first-round loss to a pairing from Blooming Grove to defeat a team from Bremond, 6-1. Continuing their winning ways in junior varsity girls’ doubles, cousins Berlin Bolton and Tayte Haile won four straight matches to earn another tournament championship, and the pairing of Hadley Sills and Maisyn Norton came back from a first-round loss to defeat their final opponent of the day from Bruceville-Eddy, 6-0. Photos by Grant Lengefeld