Cross Country Update

The Holly Pond Cross Country team competed in the Cullman County Cross Country Championships on Thursday. The Varsity boys won 2nd in the county trailing only to Cold Springs. Four Broncos placed in the top ten, Kevin Adams at 3rd with a 18:38; Drew Adams placed 8th in county with a 20:14; Chris Pugh was 9th with a 20:16; Kelsey Hawkins placed 8th in county girls with 24:02. The middle school boys placed 2nd overall.

The Streak Is Over

The Varsity Volleyball team pulled away with a victory Thursday night over Good Hope. With a great atmosphere the Lady Broncos won the county title, 25-19, 18-25, 15-10. This was Holly Pond first volleyball county championship since 2000. Thanks to all those who came out to support the Broncos. The Broncos will face tougher opponents down the road, but this title was certainly well deserved.

Varsity Volleyball Advance to Finals

The Varsity Volleyball team advanced to the finals of the County Tournament on Monday. They defeated Vinemont and defending champions Good Hope to move into a championship position. They will play in the championship match at Good Hope on Thursday at 7:00.

Which brings me to my next point, the return of the April Fools Volleyball Student Section.

They volleyball team certainly doesn't get enough support for as much success as they achieve. A lot of people don't even know that the Lady Broncos are ranked as one of the top teams in the state. Now is the time for us to show our support. This team is poised to achieve great success in the next few weeks and your support is more important than ever. Let's kick off with a huge crowd at Good Hope on Thursday. Show up in green and white and be ready to cheer on your Broncos Thursday at Good Hope at 7:00.ROLL POND ROLL!

JV Volleyaball Win County

Congratulations to the JV volleyball team for winning the County Tournament last night, and to the MS team for placing runner-up in their division.

Broncos Fall to Crossville

HOLLY POND BRONCOS-2
CROSSVILLE LIONS-13

The Holly Pond Broncos football team fell to the Crossville Lions in region play Friday. The Broncos, now 1-2, will play Sardis next week at home.

Holly Pond vs. Hanceville Highlights

Campus Sports Update

Here's a quick look around Holly Pond campus and a sports update-

FOOTBALL: After coming off a big 48 to 22 win over Hanceville last week, the football team looks to another team of bulldogs, this time from from Blount County. The Susan Moore game is a region match up and a first step to entering the state playoffs. Meanwhile, the middle school football team came away with a win over Brindlee Mountain 22 to 6 and moving to a 2-0 record.

VOLLEYBALL:If any expectations were set this year for the volleyball team, they have so far been meet. After winning the New Hope Tournament with wins over 5A and 6A schools Buckhorn and Athens, the volleyball team is on the road to success. The JV team also won the Cullman Tournament last weekend. And better yet, the varsity team moved up 4 spots in the latest AHSAA Volleyball poll to become the number 6th ranked team in the state of Alabama. Great job girls and Go Broncos!

CROSS COUNTRY: The cross country team has already gotten the inaugural season underway. Last week the team competed in the Austin Invite in Decatur. They now travel to Moulton for the next meet of the season.

Volleyball Wins New Hope Tournament

The varsity volleyball team won first place at the New Hope Volleyball Tournament. They defeated Buckhorn, Randolph, Athens, and Plainview to take it all.

Broncos Defeat Bulldogs

HOLLY POND-48

HANCEVILLE-22


It was the start they wanted, and what a start it was. Holly Pond beat Hanceville Friday night 48 22, to kick of the 2008 season. Holly Pond's Derrick Stancil ran for 134 yards with 3 touchdowns. Quarterback Wesley Graham and Pat Duke had two touchdowns with Tyler Chambers also picking a TD. Holly Pond will host the Susan Moore Bulldogs next Friday at Thomas-Michelfelder Field.

Broncos Fall in Jamboree

The Holly Pond Football team lost their jamboree game on Thursday night. The Pennington Tigers pulled away with the victory, 37-20 over the Broncos. The Tigers came out strong in the first half, and the varsity just couldn't respond in time. The JV played the second half and scored 2 touchdowns including a fumble recovery. The final score, 37-20, Pennington.

The middle school team had a different outcome however, they beat the Pennington Tigers in their first game of the season.

Now all attention turns to the first game of the regular varsity season, against Hanceville on Friday night. The game starts at 7:00 in Hanceville.

Volleyball Wins 1st Game

The Holly Pond Lady Broncos Volleyball team picked up their first win on Thursday. The Broncos beat Vinemont in 3 straight games, 25-13, 25-16, and 25-17. The JV also beat the Eagles. The season is now in full gear for the team; they play in the Douglas Tournament starting at 9:00 AM Saturday morning. The team will also be traveling to Tuscaloosa on September 26th to watch in-state rivals, Auburn and Alabama play. A great start for what many are expecting to be a great season for the volleyball team.

Lady Broncos Volleyball 2008

AUGUST
Date----Opponent----------------Team----Location------Time
21...........Fairview/West Point..........MS..........Fairview..........4:00
...............Vinemont.............................JV,V.........Vinemont........4:00
23...........Douglas Tournament.........MS,JV,V..Douglas...........TBA
25...........Cold Springs........................MS,JV,V...Home.............4:00
26............Fairview/Hanceville Tri...JV,V.........Home...............3:30
28.............Cullman/Vinemont...........MS...........Home...............4:00
.................Good Hope/Danville..........JV,V........Good Hope......4:00
30............Cullman Tournament........JV.............Cullman..........TBA
.................New Hope Tournament.....V..............New Hope......TBA
SEPTEMBER
2...............Harmony.............................MS...........Harmony.........5:00
..................Sardis/Brindlee Mt...........JV,V.........Home...............4:00
4...............Hanceville/Vinemont.........MS...........Hanceville.......4:00
..................West End...........................JV,V..........Home...............4:00
8.................Parkside............................MS.............Home.............4:00
9................West Point/Cold Springs...JV,V.........West Point.....3:30
11...............Cullman/? (Tri-match).....MS,JV,V...Cullman.........4:00
13..............Cullman Tournament........MS.............Cullman..........TBA
..................Brewer Tournament..........JV..............Brewer...........TBA
..................West End Tournament.....V..................West End.......TBA
15...............Parkside/West Point.......MS.............Parkside..........4:00
16...............Harmony/Fairview..........MS.............Home...............4:00
....................Sardis/? (Tri-match).......JV,V...........Sardis............4:00
18................Vinemont.........................MS...............Vinemont........4:00
.....................Susan Moore.................JV,V.............Home...............4:00
20...............Wallace Tournament......V..................Wallace State..TBA
22................Hanceville.....................V.....................Hanceville.......4:00
23................MS Co. Tournament...MS..................Good Hope.......TBA
.....................Susan Moore/Brindlee Mt.V.............Susan Moore...TBA
25................MS Tourn./JV Tourn....MS,V............Good Hope.......TBA
.....................New Hope/?...................V...................New Hope.........TBA
29...............County Tourn. 1st Round...V..............Good Hope.......TBA
OCTOBER
2..................County Tourn. 2nd Round.....V..........Good Hope........TBA
4..................Holly Pond Tournament...All teams work..Home.......TBA
6..................West End/Southside............V..............West End..........5:00
7..................New Hope/Good Hope.........V..............Home...............4:00
9...................Fairview/Cold Springs......V...............Fairview..........4:00
13.................Area Tournament
18..................Regional Tournament
23..................Sub State
29-30.............State Tournament

Coach's Corner- Sherry Chaney

It's midnight in downtown Cullman, while most are asleep, Coach Sherry Chaney is running. The elementary and middle school P.E. teacher was competing in the Cullman Midnight 5K run. She was doing something she loves, something she has an obvious passion for; running.

Now, Coach Chaney wants to share her love of running with athletes at Holly Pond. This year, Chaney has started the Holly Pond Cross Country team. Although individuals have competed in Cross Country before, (Jordan King's individual state championships in 2004 and 2005), this is the first varsity cross country team in Holly Pond High history. "I'm very excited, this is my passion now." said Chaney. The Cross Country team now has 11 varsity runners and 7 middle school runners. "I have a great group, we had our first practice on Monday." With their first meet just 2 weeks away, the team has hit the ground running, literally.

Mrs. Chaney's love for running was evident this spring when she started the Holly Pond Bronco Stampede 5K. With a big number of Broncos running both young and old, Chaney was extremely impressed by the community's excitement for running. "That was a big success. We're going to continue it next year." It has always been said that running is an uncontainable passion, and as the team starts it's inaugural season, that passion will hopefully lead to victory.

2008 Bronco Varsity Football Schedule

Aug.29..........Hanceville..........Away
Sep.5.............Susan Moore.....Home
Sep.12...........Crossville...........Away
Sep.19...........Sardis.................Home
Sep.26...........Fairview............Away
Oct.3..............Pisgah...............Home
Oct.10...........New Hope........Away
Oct.17............Sylvania...........Home
Oct.24...........Brindlee Mt......Away
Oct.30...........Cold Springs.....Home

Coach's Corner, April Hays

There is a message on this year’s volleyball team shirt. It says, “When we all work together, we all win together.” Head coach April Hays thinks there is something behind that phrase. Something that will guide her team to success in the upcoming season. “We really want to play as a team.” said Hays in a recent interview.

Coach Hays sees promise in this years team and has expectations. “We have all our starters returning.” The volleyball team has been one of the only teams that didn’t suffer from last year’s large senior class. Coach Hays says the seniors girls are excited about the upcoming season. The Holly Pond Lady Broncos have completed two summer team camp tournaments. A Middle Tennessee University Volleyball camp was recently held at Good Hope. The Broncos also competed in the Wallace State Camp, defeating Laurence County, Madison County, and Springville. Holly Pond will be competing in a new area this season, playing teams like Susan Moore, Sardis, and Brindlee Mountain. “The area will be easier, but that doesn’t take away from our schedule”

But don’t be mistaken, the girls at Holly Pond haven’t taken the summer off. “We’ve done conditioning all summer in conjunction with Coach Adams. By the first game, our girls are used to the heat.” says Coach Hays. Practice began last week for the varsity volleyball team; which brings us back to the team shirt. The work began days ago and hopefully, the wins will be in the days ahead.

Coach's Corner, Steve Miller

It’s 10:00 A.M. at Thomas-Michifielder Field and the football players from Holly Pond High School unite for pictures. Uniting, that’s something that head coach Steve Miller wants his team to do but without the flash of a camera. “We really have two main goals this season: One is to practice everyday and to get better; the other is to become a team and to unite.” Miller hopes that he can accomplish the latter goal by practicing the first.

Steve Miller’s love for competition is evident by his persona. “I want to be the best in everything”, has become a common phrase from Miller; who’s going on his 2nd year as head football coach. His love for Holly Pond, family, and above all, God. is obvious from a simple conversation. While he coaches football; he also aims to build character in young men through the sport. Millers says that by having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ you can get through anything.

As for his football team, the coach has high expectations. “ Our offensive line is our strong suite.We’ll have four returning players on our line so we diffidently have that going for us.” When asked about key returning players Miller mentioned fullback Pat Duke and seniors Chris Pugh and Chris Cahoon. After the spring game, the football staff had reason for excitement. When Steve Miller took the head coaching position; he barely had enough players to scrimmage. Miller stated that he wanted to get as many athletes on the football team as possible. The coach’s hopes were meet when spring training arrived. Before the summer started, Holly Pond had 58 players on the team. “We still expect to dress 50 plus players this season.”

Holly Pond will be playing in a new region this fall; 3A region 6. Coach Miller is optimistic about the Broncos chances in its new region; “I like the new region. If we can stay healthy, we can be competatative in this region.” The Holly Pond Broncos will most defiantly face challenges this season. The expectations Steve Miller has for his team will be meet by the results they produce. But no one ever said that results came in scores or stats. If all of the players meet the coach’s expectations; we’ll have a few more responsible adults and this season will be deemed a success; regardless of the final tally.

Welcome Back

First of all, a new video has been released.



The first day of school is just around the corner and the athletes of Holly Pond are preparing for their upcoming seasons; before classes even begin. The long, dog days of Alabama heat will endure for at least a few more weeks; but that won’t stop the fall sports season from beginning. The Bronco Blog began last fall and really didn’t start soon enough to effectively cover football and volleyball, but now as a new sports season gets underway; expectations are sure to rise as the Bronco Blog leads you right up to football, volleyball, and the cross country seasons.

Like every year, expectations have become the norm. New sports facilities like the long-awaited softball field could come this year. The football team could finally win a playoff game. Heck, we could win a state championship this year. (I said COULD). But above the expectations we set; success may not come in a score or a record. Expectations may not be met at a championship game in Birmingham. Success may happen on the practice field on a hot afternoon, or in the gym when only a few see it. Success may come in sweat, tears, and hours. Success may just be seen by a coach. To me, success is not measured by a victory; it is measured by your desire and heart in practice; by your dedication to the team, by your pride and love of this school.

While most fans honor the triumphant moments in sports; I hope some will now realize that those moments don’t always come on Friday nights or before home crowds. This group of Broncos could be victorious; but hopefully they’ll be successful. It’ll be my honor to bring you their stories in the coming year.

One final note: In the week ahead, The Bronco Blog's Coach's Corner Interviews will be released. Coach Steve Miller will be first on Tuesday.

8.4.08 Relaunch

Year In Review

With every beginning, there comes an end. The end came this week when the Lady Varsity Softball team lost in the playoffs to Lexington. With the loss, the 2007-2008 Sports Year came to an end. We all remember the high points and low points of this year. Football victories over Madison Academy and New Hope come to mind, but who can forget that long drive back from Clay County? The basketball team had that thrilling victory before a home crowd in the Thanksgiving Tournament, and the girls proved that hard work and a teamwork can win ballgames. The baseball team entered the season with enormous expectations, and they finished with one of the best seasons in the program's history, but the early shutout in the playoffs crushed the hopes of a state championship.



This year's graduating class will be the largest in school history. They all leave with memories, made on the field and on the court. They remember the remarkable football season in 2004 (their freshmen year). They remember the coming and going of coaches. And they all certainly remember the loss of their fellow classmate and athlete, Kaleb Mewbourn in 2001. The legacy of this largest class is yet to be determined, but one thing is certain, they all continued the proud and distinct tradition of being a Holly Pond Bronco.

A Look to This Fall:

Enjoy the summer and be sure to check the Bronco Blog this August, a new partnership is being planned to better cover Holly Pond Athletics on a more consistent level. Thank you for a great year and Go Broncos!

Varsity Golf Advances to Sub-State

The Holly Pond varsity golf team advanced to the 3A Sub-State tournament today at the 3A Sectionals at Chelsey Oaks in Fairview. Holly Pond came in with a 320. Good Hope won the sectional with a 306. The Sub-state will be held at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Course in Florence.

JV Softball Wins County

Congratulations to the Holly Pond Lady Broncos. The JV Softball team won the 2008 Cullman County Championship over Spring Break. They beat Cold Springs, West Point, and Hanceville to win the championship. Go Broncos!

A Bronco Connection to Michigan?

This may just be a coincidence, but someone has informed me of a town in Michigan called Holly. And to make this better, the towns high school, Holly High School, are known as the Mighty Bronchos. That's not a spelling mistake it's spelled the bronchos or broncos, just a variation in spelling. The town is outside of Detroit and has a population of about 6,000. Pretty cool, i bet they don't say "Roll Pond" though.

Holly Pond Secures Playoff Spot & HP WINS STATE!!!

With a 10-0 win over New Hope, the Holly Pond Broncos have clinched a spot in the AHSAA 3A state baseball playoffs. The 3rd ranked Broncos will travel to Plainview in the first round of the playoffs next Friday. And yes, Holly Pond has won the first state championship in school history. The Geometry team won the class 1A-3A State Championship. Leaving some students to ask, "Where's my ring?". Although it is academics and this is a sports blog, how can I not manage to talk about this. It's a state championship! So take that West Point. Congratulations to Mrs. Adams and the math team.

Addition: I've also added a sports calendar at the bottom of the page. It provides a weekly schedule of the upcoming sports events at Holly Pond.

Holly Pond 5K & Fun Run

Holly Pond Elementary is proud to announce the 1st annual Bronco Stampede 5k & Fun Run.

Date:May 17,2008

Time:8:00 A.M.

Hosted by:HPES

Entry forms may be picked up at Holly Pond Elementary office.

For more information, contact Sherry Chaney

by email: schaney@ccboe.org

by mail:HPES 5K 120 New Hope Rd. 35083

by phone: 256-796-0046

Route:

Old Gym Pictures

Here are some pictures of the Old Gym. Recent renovations made the gym one of the finest facilities in the county. A new paint job, new goals, and a good cleaning has made the Old Gym a fine athletic facility that we can be proud of.

Bronco Blog

You can use this picture for email, printing, or just a reference for the blog. Right click and select save as, on your computer. Be sure to spread the word about the blog. I can't thank you guys enough for your support. I'll try to keep up the work if you guys keep visiting. Thanks and Go Broncos!

Bronco Baseball

The varsity Bronco baseball team beat Good Hope on Thursday 11-8, the Broncos are now (6-1).

*The games scheduled for Saturday have been canceled due to the winter weather. Check back next week on when the games will be made up. *

2008 Lady Broncos Softball

Date-------Opponent----Time---Location---Team
Feb. 21 Randolph 5:30 Home Varsity
Feb. 25 Pennington 4:00/5:00 Away JV-V
Feb. 26 Brewer 4:00/5:30 Home V-JV
Feb. 28 Fairview 4:00/5:30 Home JV-V
Feb. 29 Vinemont 4:00/5:30 Home JV-V
March 1 Hanceville First Pitch Tournament TBA Hanceville Varsity
March 3 Good Hope 4:00/5:30 Home V-JV
March 7-8 Brewer Tournament TBA Brewer Varsity
March 6-8 Cullman Umpires' Tournament TBA TBA Junior Varsity
March 11 New Hope 4:00/5:30 Home V-JV
March 14 Cold Springs 4:00/5:30 Home V-JV
March 25 Madison Academy 5:00 Home Varsity
March 27 Brewer 4:00/5:30 Away V-JV
March 28 Vinemont 4:00/5:30 Away JV-V
April 1 Randolph 5:30 Away Varsity
April 4 Good Hope 4:00/5:30 Away V-JV
April 7 New Hope 4:00/6:00 Away V-JV
April 10 Madison Academy 5:30 Away Varsity
April 11 Varsity County Tournament TBA Cold Springs Varsity
April 14 Fairview 4:00/5:30 Away JV-V
April 15 Cold Springs 4:00/5:30 Away V-JV
April 17 Pennington 4:30/6:00 Home JV-V
April 18 Junior Varsity County Tournament TBA Cold Springs Junior Varsity
May 1-3 Area Tournament TBA TBA Varsity

Baseball Gets Area Win, Softball Falls Short in Tourney

The Varsity Baseball team got the first area victory of the season on Saturday with a win over Randolph, 15-1. The Broncos are now (1-0) in area and (5-1) overall. Taylor Baker struck out nine and held Randolph to only 2 hits in 4 innings. Jesse Thomas led at the plate. While Baker and Clay Holcombe both hit home runs.

The varsity softball team fell short at the Hanceville Softball Invitational. The Lady Broncos lost to Hayden. They will play Good Hope at home on Monday.

History is Made, Cold Springs Wins 2A State Title

Another great chapter of Cullman Sports history was wrote tonight, as the Cold Springs Eagles won the 2A State Championship game against Reeltown 55 to 54. Congratulations from Holly Pond to the Lady Eagles and Coach West.

Around Campus, HP Sports Update

Here's a look around Holly Pond's campus this week as the spring sports season begins.

BASEBALL:

The first games have just started as Coach Neal's team looks for a great season. They split a game last week and are playing in a tournament at Falkville this week.

SOFTBALL:

The Lady Broncos will also start play soon. The JV team defeated JB Pennington on Monday.

GOLF:

The golf team played there first match on Tuesday. They beat West Point.

TRACK:

The track team held tryouts and are now practicing.

Old Gym Renovations:

Last week improvements began to the Old Gym at Holly Pond High. New backboards have been put up. This week the gym floor is being repainted. Soon, a new coat of paint will be on the floor. These improvements come with other current facility upgrades. The new on-campus softball field is a desperately needed facility and will soon be complete. Also the county recently approved new bathrooms for football field. Great news and great sports at Holly Pond High.

New Video & A Look Into Spring Sports

A new video is out on this season of Holly Pond Basketball. For all the players, coaches, parents, & fans who have dedicated the past months to HP Basketball.



Thanks to every one's support during this basketball season. Full coverage of baseball, softball, track, and golf is ahead this spring. The Bronco Blog is your home for Holly Pond Athletics.

Bronco Basketball, The End of a Season

The varsity boys basketball team lost tonight to Crossville in the final game of the season. The Broncos lost 86-53.

Commentary
From early losses to winning streaks. The fans and students have supported the program through the Felton Fanatics, cheerleaders, and band. I know the support is taken with thanks and gratitude. I believe this season will be know as a program building season. Not to take away from the success of our student athletes and the faithful dedication from the coaches, parents, students, and fans, but we must realize that championships are built on years and years of building. Foundations of success are constructed with a dedication, a heart, and a hope that you can meet the expectations of your potential. This program saw the installation of new coaches on the girls side with Coach Chaney and Coach Adams taking leadership roles to lead the female student athletes of Holly Pond to conceivable success in all sports. Coach Neal pushed his team to a winning season and did so with a dedication and passion for this school and program. Coach Morris, above all, taking on odds that were against him, and a tough area , looked to this group of players and told them to play with all there heart, play with a passion, and continue the tradition of this program. But more than the coaches, more than the records, more than championships, isn't the game about the players? The student athletes who commit themselves to academics, athletics, and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ day after day and game after game. Some will now move on to baseball, track, and softball, others will go on to college and careers to only relive the glory and memories of high school sports. The season is over. It's over for the coaches who spend hours and hours in practice, in preparation for the season. It's over for the seniors, who now know the fate of there basketball careers and now realize that the last seconds of a game, that they have lived years for, has quickly ticked away. A buzzer sounds, and then it's over.

Bronco Basketball

The Lady Broncos fell in a heart breaker on Thursday night to New Hope in the Area Tournament. While the boys came away with a win over New Hope, 63 to 54. They move on to play Madison Academy in Huntsville at 7:00 p.m. The Varsity boys are currently 14-15. They will also go on to sub-regions next Friday.

2008 Holly Pond Baseball Schedule

DATE-OPPONENT-LOCATION-TIME-TEAM

2/18-2/21 JV Tournament TBA JV

2/22 Brewer Away 4/6 V

2/25-2/29 Preseason Tournament Falkville TBA V

3/1 Ashville/Vinemont Home 10/2 V

3/1 Randolph Away 6:30 V

3/4 Hayden Away 4:30/6:30 V/JV

3/6 Good Hope Home 4/6 JV/V

3/8 Falkville Away 11/1 V

3/11 Hayden Home 4/6 V

3/14 Madison Academy Away 5/7 V/JV

3/15 West End/ Vinemont Home 10/2 V

3/17 Hanceville (Co. Tourey) Fairview 6 V

3/24 West End Away 4:30/6:30 JV

3/27 Cleveland Home 4/6 V/JV

3/28 New Hope/ Randolph Home 5/7 V

3/29 Ft. Payne/ Plainview Plainview 2/4 V

4/1 Madison Academy Home 5/7 V/JV

4/4 Fairview Away 4/6 V

4/5 Fairview/Vinemont Home 10/2 JV

4/7 Cold Springs Home 4/6 V/JV

4/8 New Hope Away 5 V

4/12 Mars Hill/ Hayden Mad. Acad. 1:30/4 V

4/14 Cleveland Away 4/6 V

4/15 Falkville Home 4/6 V

4/18-19 1st Round State Playoffs



Head Coach: Brett Neal

Assistant Coaches: Josh Drake, Bill Holcombe, Matt Heaton

Broncos Sweep Hanceville & Randolph

Holly Pond basketball teams continue to rise after sweeps over Hanceville and Randolph. Both varsity teams gained county and area wins to put them in a better position as the county and area tournaments arrive. The Lady Broncos now hove the second best record in the county at 10-6 overall . The varsity boys are now 8-13. The pairings for the Cullman County Tournament are on Jan. 9th.