Sports

TOUCHDOWN: Caleb Lengefeld hauled in a fingertip grab off the arm of Colby Bailey for a 53-yard touchdown to give the Bulldogs an early 7-0 advantage over the visiting Rio Vista Eagles last Friday night. Staff photo by Chad Collett

BI-DISTRICT QUALIFIERS: The Hamilton Lady Bulldogs played a bi-district playoff match versus Bruceville-Eddy in Whitney on Thursday of last week to cap a successful 15-11 season. With a winning 10-2 district record, the Lady Dogs finished behind only Tolar in District 11-2A to punch their playoff ticket. Bruceville-Eddy placed third behind district winner Crawford and runner-up Bosqueville in District 12-2A. Now 16-8 on the year, Bruceville-Eddy was scheduled to face the 24-3 Poolville Monarchs on Tuesday of this week in the area round of the playoffs. Poolville went 14-0 in district to claim a District 10-2A title. After dropping the first two sets by competitive scores of 20-25 and 22-25 last Thursday in Whitney, the Lady Bulldogs snapped back to take the third set 25-23. Bruceville-Eddy prevailed in the fourth 25-16 to bring the 2020 Lady Bulldog season to an end. It marked the final match for seven Hamilton seniors, including Trinity Craig, Sawyer Wright, Emiley Hale, Taylor Collett, Lexie Clark, Morgan Mehaffey and Macie Parrish. It too was the final time for junior setter Jaley Reich to don the red and black for the Lady Bulldogs. Reich will be joining her parents who recently made a move from Hamilton to Oregon. Pictured (l-r) following Hamilton’s bi-district match, front row-Fernanda Olalde, Lexie Clark, Lily Emeyabbi, Taylor Collett, Trinity Craig, Morgan Mehaffey, Averi Poe. Back row-Alissta Thedford, Emiley Hale, Sawyer Wright, Kelton Wright, Jaley Reich, Macie Parrish, Hadyn Heers and head coach Andrew Heers. Staff photo

With temperatures dipping into the forties accompanied by rain, the District 12-2A cross country championships on Monday at the Perry Country Club in Hamilton transformed into a real tough mudder. The wintry conditions failed to slow down Hamilton’s mudrunners as both the varsity boys and girls dominated the competition in claiming district titles.

Hamilton High School recognized nine seniors prior to their final regular season volleyball match versus Bluff Dale on Tuesday of last week in Hamilton. The Lady Bulldogs toppled district foe Bluff Dale in three decisive sets to nail down a 15-8 season record and a 10-2 district record. The Lady Dogs finished behind only Tolar in the final district standings. Hamilton will advance to the bi-district round of the playoffs as the District 11-2A runners-up and are set to play Bruceville-Eddy in a first round match to be held in Whitney on Thursday at 7 pm. The Lady Dogs dropped a practice match in three games to Thorndale last Friday and were scheduled to host Abbott on Tuesday of this week for their final warmup before Thursday evening’s playoff. Seniors pictured prior to Hamilton’s win over Bluff Dale include (l-r) Karsyn Smyth, Trinity Craig, Sawyer Wright, Emiley Hale, coach Andrew Heers, Taylor Collett, Lexie Clark, Morgan Mehaffey, Macie Parrish and Sydney Thedford. Staff photo

The Hamilton Bulldogs will play host to the Rio Vista Eagles Friday night at Kooken Field with playoff implications on the line. Following a much-needed bye week, the Bulldogs hope to return to the gridiron with all aboard. Hamilton’s roster had been riddled with injury and decimated by COVID-19 quarantines, leading to an unexpected 44-8 district loss in Tolar two weeks ago. “We should have most everyone back on Wednesday of this week,” said head Bulldog football coach Casey Jones. “That’ll at least give us two days to put in our game plan versus Rio Vista.”

BIG PAWS: Hamilton’s seventh grade Bulldogs defeated the visiting West Trojans 26-12 last Thursday to improve to 4-1 on the season. The young Dogs are currently 2-0 in district with a district contest scheduled in Rio Vista at 5 pm this Thursday. Pictured, Colter Johnson (40) disrupts the Trojan backfield, getting his paws on the West quarterback for a nine-yard sack, and gunslinger Judson Coalson is pictured rolling to his right before firing a bullseye 52-yard touchdown strike to Grant Bauman for Hamilton’s first score of the ballgame. Staff photos

Hamilton’s junior high Bulldog football teams answered how the west was won Thursday at Kooken Field, toppling the visiting West Trojans in back-to-back blockbuster conquests. The seventh and eighth grade Dogs trampled the 3A Trojans by scores of 26-12 and 30-0 respectively. Hamilton’s high school teams were on a bye last week and will return to the field Friday in Hamilton as they host district foe Rio Vista at 7 p.m.

Hamilton’s junior high cross-country runners, pictured the previous week with HJH principal Mona Gloff at the 16th annual Mona Gloff Invitational, swept the district competition last Wednesday at the Perry Country Club in Hamilton, claiming a pair

ONSIDE KICK: Senior Jakob Walton (4) exits the field with the pigskin in hand after recovering the opening onside kick off the foot of Austin Clark last Friday night in Tolar.