Broncos retain unbeaten streak

SPORTS SHORTS
by Scott Boyle
The San Juan Broncos retained their hold on the number one 2A football ranking, earned the top seed in the 2A tournament and the region title, their fifth straight and 17th overall with a 20-0 shutout win over a game Beaver squad. 
Meanwhile, the Buckaroos of Monticello dropped to fifth in 1A rankings after a disappointing and frustrating loss on Friday night to Diamond Ranch, 15-12.
The Broncos defense continues to shine as they recorded their state leading fourth shutout of the season.  The undefeated Broncos lead the state in points allowed at 4.1 and have only allowed 3.6 points per game to their region foes. 
In a tough defensive struggle with Beaver, the Broncos took a 6-0 halftime lead on a Logan Meyer four yard run and then tacked on two TD passes by Barkley Christensen to Ammon Mitchell (12 yards) and Meyer (15 yards), which along with a safety by the defense accounted for the 20-0 whitewashing. 
San Juan rushed for 213 yards and passed for 169 yards to daminate the Beavers. The Broncos lead the series with Beaver 17-5.
Monticello staged another fourth quarter rally, wresting the lead from the determined Diamond Backers, only to see the DBs march right down the field to score and grab the win and the region championship by that 15-12 score. 
Another defensive struggle saw the Bucks unable to capitalize on two early Diamond Ranch miscues which gave the Bucks the ball on the DB 26 and 24 yard lines the first two times they had the ball. 
But, the Buck drives were stalled by penalties and fumbles and weren’t even able to muster a first down either occasion. 
In fact, all seven times the Bucks had the ball in the first half, penalties stopped their momentum, and they fumbled the ball four times, losing one to the DB guys. 
The DB offense was not much better, completing only three of ten passes.  The first half ended predictably at 0-0.
Diamond Ranch came out in the second half and scored on their first possession, after some halftime adjustments saw them complete three of four passes to march right down the field. 
That 7-0 lead held up until the Bucks scored after Jake Duncan returned an interception to the DB five yard line and Austin Maloy scored from the two. 
A try for two point conversion with 11 minutes to go in the game was unsuccessful as was the ensuing onsides kick.  But the Buck defense held which led to the only Buck sustained drive of the night, a 49-yard drive capped by an amazing eight yard leaping touchdown by Maloy, finally giving the Bucks the lead with five minutes remaining.  But the Diamond Backs took only five plays to regain the lead and the game.
This week is homecoming against Duchesne.
A little sidenote:  Former Buckaroo head football coach Mike Bowring will probably always remember his 100th game at Juab, a 47-44 loss to Payson, after coming back from a 40-14 deficit in the fourth quarter only to lose.
XC
The Bucks and Broncos matched up again in Blanding for the John Thorton Invitational Wednesday with the Bronco boys and the Buckaroo girls winning the team competition. 
Christian Sherrow led the way for the Broncos with a second place finish after the top three Buckaroo boys were disqualified for taking a wrong turn. 
Tyler Bird, Justin Wright, Sheldon Black and Nash Freestone finished third, fourth, sixth and 15th but didn’t have a fifth person to score, disqualifying the team as well. 
Cole Chamberlain (5th), Dallin Jacobsen (7th), Chase Chamberlain (ninth), and Brandon Deschene (tenth) led the Broncos to the win in their home meet.
Monticello’s Bailey Goodwine, Cambria Welch, Brittany Keith, Elena Mitchell and Ashley Hoggard placed 2, 3, 5, 6 and 15 to easily outdistance second place Cortez, 31 to 70.  San Juan’s top finishers were Alexia Stash and Kira Simpson at 11th and 16th.
MHS boys JV dominated again, with Kyler LaRose, Hunter Bowring, Tanner Eardley and Everett Hatch finishing 1, 2,3 and 4 and Brandin Clark finishing the team win off with 15th.  San Juan JV boys were 5th thru 14th led by Patten Black and Adam Ward.
San Juan’s Shadin Sherrow won the boys junior high race and MHS’s Kendall Harris was the girls junior high winner.
Monticello boys got back on track in Cortez to easily capture the team championship with Collin Hatch, Jens Brewer, Easton Nielson, Tyler Bird and Sheldon Black all in the top ten at 3, 5, 6, 8 and nine.  Buckaroo girls took second behind Bailey Goodwine’s fifth place finish.  Christian Sherrow of SJ won the boys jv race.
Volleyball news
If you didn’t see the four setter between Monticello and San Juan last week, you flat missed out. 
The Broncos proved victorious in four sets, but each set was a nail biter.  The Bucks took the first set 25-23, but the Broncos prevailed in the next three, 25-22, 25-21, and 25-23. 
The Broncos added a rousing straight set victory over Grand, 25-15, 25-10 and 25-20 to crown a great week.
MHS, after the loss to the Broncos, kept their number two 1A ranking with easy 3-0 region wins over Navajo Mountain and Monument Valley.

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