Sports

BIG WIN - The Lady Bulldogs hush a spirited Hico crowd while celebrating a hard earned point during last Tuesday’s District 11-2A volleyball showdown between Hamilton and Hico. The Bi-district playoff game will be either Monday, Nov.

Hamilton County 4-H member David Byer won Grand Champion Junior AOP and Best Junior Doe in the State Fair of Texas Pan American Dairy Goat Show and Junior Grand Champion AOP and Senior Champion Showman at the Youth Dairy Goat Show this weekend.

Hamilton’s high school cross country teams left no doubt on Monday who the top Dogs were, earning three team and three individual district titles in the varsity and junior varsity divisions. Pictured with their hardware, HHS XC team members including (front row, l-r) Jennifer Arteaga, Peyton Raibourn, Isabela Ayala, Grace Killian, Campbell Lengefeld, Madison Henkes, Mia Coker, Ashtyn Hansard, Grace Carson, Joseph Polster, Hunter Mize, Hayden Blackwell, Garrison Blackwell. Back row- Coach Patrick Blount, Jaydon Watson, Caleb Lengefeld, Coach Brandun Massingill, Taylor Long, Cuyler Pearcy, Caden Hopper, Dawson Melde, Ben Cooper, John Polster, Aiden Chambers, Landon Thompson. Staff photo/Lengefeld

Hamilton’s high school and junior high cross country teams held court at the Perry Country Club the past couple of weeks, hosting the 17 annual Mona Gloff Invitational on Wednesday, October 6 and the District 12-2A Championships on Monday.

Coming off a sixth in state finish last spring, the Hamilton Bulldog golf team opened the fall season at Squaw Valley in Glen Rose last Wednesday and earned a third-placed team finish behind only first-placed Brock with a cumulative score of 310 and runner-up Bridgeport with a 311.

In contrast to Hamilton’s previous Friday night matchup with Valley Mills where both teams combined for a total of 145 offensive plays, 27 penalties and 61 points, a more measured and disciplined approach was taken by opposing teams in Crawford last Friday night.

Staff photo/Collett

PLAYOFF READY - Hamilton’s Lady Bulldog volleyball teams smashed victories over Evant and Three Way last week. Pictured, Addison Kelley (18) crushes the ball at the net, and JV Lady Bulldog Braylee Wilson records a kill with teammates (l-r) Chloe Dolloff and Clementine Cooper providing cover. Read more on page 8B. Staff photos

DISTRICT GOLD RUSH - Seven Hamilton runners staked individual district gold medals on Monday at the Perry Country Club. In doing so, Dawson Melde (holding the championship plaque) led the top-ranked varsity Bulldogs to a district team title, and Ben Cooper (1152) paced the JV Bulldogs to a district victory. The Henkes family grabbed three individual gold medals. Pictured (l-r) Morgan Henkes paced the district winning eighth grade Bulldogs, Madison Henkes led the varsity Lady Bulldog district charge, and Myles Henkes crossed the finish line first in the seventh grade district race. Eighth grader Kaitlyn Walton (1148) and seventh grader Harper Lengefeld (1125) also led their respective Lady Bulldog teams to Mona Gloff Invitational and District 12-2A Championships over the past couple of weeks. Staff photos

Hamilton’s Lady Bulldog volleyball teams smashed victories over Evant and Three Way last week. Though it again took four sets to put away the Evant Lady Elks at home last Tuesday, the varsity Lady Bulldogs prevailed by scores of 25-16, 25-14, 22-25 and 25-10. On Saturday, the Lady Bulldogs triumphed over the Lady Braves of Three Way in three straight sets, 25-10, 25-13 and 25-11, to improve to 7-1 in district. The junior varsity Lady Dogs defeated the Lady Braves in a pair of sets by scores of 25-19 and 25-18, improving to 4-1 in district. After traveling to Hico on Tuesday, the Lady Bulldogs are scheduled to host the district leading Lady Rattlers of Tolar this Friday. The varsity Lady Bulldogs will attempt to avenge their only district loss beginning at 5 p.m., and the JV Lady Dogs will try to overturn their first round loss in their final match of the season versus Tolar at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Hamilton. District 11-2A games will expire next Tuesday, October 19 as the varsity Lady Bulldogs travel to Bluff Dale for a 5 p.m. showdown. Pictured, backed up by Karah Niemann, Fernanda Olalde (7) and Cortland Mehaffey (4), varsity hitter Campbell Lengefeld (27) records a kill. Staff photos