Childress Tops Sonora in Hard-Fought Regional Playoff Game

ABILENE, TX—The Sonora Broncos fought a close battle against the Childress Bobcats in a 3A Division 2 Regional Playoff game but ultimately lost 19-16.

"I am extremely proud of the Sonora Broncos and what they put into this season," the Sonora Broncos Head Coach Jeff Cordell said. "Anytime you can make it to the sweet sixteen in the state of Texas in any division is a huge accomplishment."

WATCH Sonora Head Coach Jeff Cordell:
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Childress came out strong and was first to put points on the board with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Luke Latimer to Haggan Lott.

The Bobcats missed the extra point but took a 6-0 lead going into the second quarter after a missed field goal attempt by the Broncos’ Kaden Cordell with 1:36 to go in the first quarter.

Latimer took advantage of the missed field goal by the Broncos with a three-yard rushing touchdown to extend the Bobcats lead to 12-0 early in the second.

Cordell made up for his earlier mistake with a 25-yard field goal to put Sonora on the board with 5:26 left in the half.

Momentum seemed to shift towards the Broncos as Childress made a costly error late in the half turning over the ball deep in their own territory on a punt that went awry.

Sonora's signal caller capitalized on the Bobcat mistake with a touchdown pass of his own to wide receiver Abel Cruz just before time expired at the half.

Going into the half Sonora managed to erase a twelve-point deficit to make the score 12-9 in favor of Childress.

Both teams struggled to find a flow on offense in the third quarter with both teams making big plays on the defensive side of the ball. 

Early in the fourth, the Broncos found success on a rushing touchdown by Jarrett Jackson up the Bronco sideline. The long scoring run fired up the Sonora sidelines as they had their first lead of the game at 16-12.

Though, the joy diminished quickly for Sonora as Stephon Harris of Childress answered right back to add the Bobcats second passing touchdown after shaking a Bronco tackle and running 38 yards to the end zone.

With the Broncos down 19-16 they had a chance to get back on top, however, they squandered their opportunity on a Cordell interception in the red zone.

Childress controlled the rest of the game and finished it on top as they kneeled to run out the clock.

Sonora players were visibly emotional after the game but head coach Cordell reiterated to his team their season was a success despite the nights' result.

Childress improves to 12-1 and will move on the next round of the playoffs.

Sonora (12-1) finishes the season with only one loss, and a senior class that can hold their heads high. For the underclassmen returning next year, they have a strong foundation to build upon in 2018 with this year’s winning season.