Sports

EYE ON THE BALL - Kendal Stroud, pictured giving the softball a ride during a home game last season, and the 2022 Lady Bulldogs have their eyes on the ball after a couple of scrimmages in Early and Rio Vista respectively. The Road Dogs were scheduled to host their home opener versus Bruceville-Eddy on Tuesday of this week before traveling to compete in the Rio Vista Tournament on Thursday through Saturday. District competition is set to begin next Tuesday as the Lady Dogs play host to Meridian at 5:30 p.m. The Hamilton High School softball team will again be joined in District 12 this season by Meridian, Blum, Rio Vista, Jonesboro, Itasca, Hico and Covington. Staff photo

The Hamilton Bulldog baseball team hosted a long ball fundraiser on Saturday followed by a luncheon at St. John Lutheran Church. The Bulldogs were scheduled to open the season with a scrimmage in West on Tuesday after last Friday’s scrimmage in Clifton was canceled due to a conflict with basketball. This coming Friday, the varsity Dogs will travel to Olney for their final practice game of the season, and Hamilton’s JV Bulldogs will open their season next Monday at 6 p.m. in Hamilton versus Benbrook. Pictured, first year Bulldog Head Coach Jeffrey Timmons serves up batting practice as Cason Glezman and Jacob Eanes look to return long balls during Saturday’s fundraiser. Staff photos/Hinton

With one game remaining in district scheduled for Tuesday of this week in Hamilton versus Meridian, the Lady Bulldogs had already secured the second seed out of District 12-2A with a 51-27 home win over Italy on Monday. The victory propelled the Lady Dogs to a 9-2 record in district. At 11-1, Valley Mills hitched their wagon to the district title on Tuesday of last week by defeating the Lady Bulldogs 40-35.

Break out the Cracker Jacks, and join the 2022 state-ranked Hamilton Bulldog baseball team at Fair Park this Saturday at 10:30 a.m. The Bulldogs are coming off a 2021 regional quarterfinalists campaign and will be blasting into the new season under the direction of first year Head Coach Jeffrey Timmons with a long ball fundraiser.

NO SMOAK - That's no smoke. Senior Bulldogs (l-r) Caleb Lengefeld (linebacker), Keagan Votaw (defensive back) and Taylor Long (running back) were all recently recognized by SicEm365 Talk Show Host David Smoak with honorable mention nods on the All-Central Texas High School Football Team. Smoak's broadcasting career includes stints with sports media behemoths ESPN, CBS, FOX and NBC. He is a Heisman and Biletnikoff voter, a member of the Selection Committee for both the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame, and he is a member of the Pro Football Writers Association and the College Football Writers Association of America. Smoak is highly decorated and has been recognizing student-athletes in both the greater East and Central Texas regions dating back to 1990. For a full list of "David Smoak's All-Stars", visit smoaky.com.

Hamilton’s high school basketball teams were in action for one night only last week. The Lady Bulldogs drenched the visiting Itasca Wampus Cats 71-36 on Friday, improving to 8-1 in district and a mere halfgame behind district leader Valley Mills.

Top right, Bulldog Basketball team manager Emma Griffin was escorted by her manager buddy, Easton Marwitz.

ALL-STAR - Senior Taylor Long will be joining teammates Jose Najera and Jaydon Watson, along with senior Hamilton High School cheerleader Skylar Carr, in participating in the annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes Victory Bowl. The allstar football game is scheduled to be played in Waco on Saturday, June 4.

Hamilton’s Lady Bulldogs landed three district victories in a four day span last week, and with consecutive wins over Meridian, Rio Vista and Frost, the Bulldogs have climbed out of the District 12-2A cellar and into playoff contention with a now 3-3 district basketball record. The Bulldogs currently reside in fourth place behind 6-0 Italy, 5-1 Itasca and 3-3 Valley Mills, and ahead of 3-3 Rio Vista, 1-5 Meridian and 0-6 Frost. Valley Mills owns a headto-head victory over the Dogs, and Hamilton holds an advantage over Rio Vista after defeating the Eagles last week.

EASTLAND TOURNEY CHAMPS: The now 10-0 unbeaten Hamilton Bulldog eighth grade basketball team pummeled Rio Vista on the road last Thursday 42-19 and claimed an Eastland Junior High Invitational championship by knocking off the host team 44-10 and Breckenridge by a score of 31-26. Hamilton’s Combo Red Dogs suffered their first loss of the season last Thursday in Rio Vista by a score of 31-23. On Saturday in Eastland, the young Dogs earned a 23-15 decision over Breckenridge before falling to the host Mavericks 35-22 in the title game. Prior to hosting a tournament this Saturday, the junior high Bulldogs are scheduled to be back in action on Thursday in Hamilton versus Frost with games set to begin at 5 p.m. Pictured (l-r), eighth grade tournament champions on the back row, including Bret Bauman, Devin Eanes, Pierce Summers, Ben Ivy, Judson Coalson, Colter Johnson and Coach Andrew Heers. On the front row, Halston Haile, Grant Bauman and Dixon Keller. Photo by Jessica Coalson