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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Sports
Monday, February 14, 2000
Eagles send eight to state swim meet
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Feb. 14, 2000 -- The Class 5A roadblock was finally gone, and
the Pecos Eagles’ swim team found the path to Austin a lot easier to manage
Saturday, at the Region I-4A Swimming and Diving Championships at the Pete
Ragus Aquatic Center in Lubbock.
Pecos’ boys, who had won nine of the last 11 district titles but had
never sent a swimmer to the state finals, will have seven headed to Austin
in two weeks, after running away with the regional title. The boys finished
with 119 points in the first-ever regional meet for Class 4A and below
schools, almost double the total for runner-up Andrews, which collected
62 points.
“We had a good meet, and it was something that was a long time coming,”
said Eagles’ coach Terri Morse. “Really the times were a lot faster than
I anticipated from past regional performances.”
The new regional set-up also meant more pressure on all the swimmers
during Saturday’s finals. “Some of our kids were shaking. I guess with
there being so much on the line there was a lot more pressure,” Morse said.
“In the past, you’d just go out there and do your best, but this time they
were the ones in the middle lanes and the pressure was on them.”
Pecos also qualified all three of their relay teams as regional
champions, with Kevin Bates and Tye Edwards collecting automatic regional
berths, Bates in the 50 and 100 yard freestyles and Edwards in the 100
yard backstroke.
Edwards also qualified - after a few e-mails from Morse - as an at-large
qualifier in the 100 yard butterfly, while Grant Holland earned at-large
spots in the 200 individual medley and 100 yard breaststroke, Jason Lopez
earned an alternate berth in the 100 breaststroke and Randall Reynolds
and Patrick McChesney picked up the final two at-large state berths in
the 500 yard freestyle.
The girls managed to get only one swimmer to Austin, JoAnn Wein, who
won both the 200 and 500-yard freestyles. But overall, the Eagles placed
second at regionals to Monahans, with 67 points to 83 for the Loboes.
“On the girls side there weren’t many pickups,” after the automatic
qualifiers, Morse said. “In the 400 we just missed getting picked up, and
I would guess on the medley we just missed there too.
“We have a young girls team. We’re not as strong as we need to be,”
she added. “I feel bad for them, but they’ve come so far this season.”
Bates won the 50-yard freestyle with a 21.69 time, took the 100 free
with a 48.27 time, and was named the meet’s outstanding swimmer on the
boys’ side. “Kevin’s 21.69 was a personal best and it also was fast enough
for All-America consideration, but I won’t send it in until after the state
meet, because I’m hoping he’ll do better there,” Morse said.
Cortney Freeman also picked up second place in the 100 free and finished
third in the 50 free. But his times of 51.55 and 22.91 seconds were not
fast enough to earn at-large spots. “I thought Cortney might get picked
up in the 50 free, but he didn’t,” Morse said. However, she added
that it would allow her the option of putting Freeman in all three of the
Eagles’ relays at state.
Edwards took the 100 backstroke with a 56.68 time and placed second
to Abilene Wylie’s John Ouimette in the 100 butterfly by a 56.72 to 56.90
time. But when the first at-large qualifying list on the Texas Interscholastic
Swimming Coaches Association site came out Sunday night, Edwards wasn’t
on the list, though third place finisher Omar Alba of El Paso Ysleta was
with a 57.91 time.
“It was just a preliminary list,” Morse said of the one put up Sunday.
“The UIL will post the official list of qualifiers on Monday.” However,
the list on the TISCA site was corrected later in the evening.
Reynolds and McChesney were able to pass Ouimette to place second and
third in the 500, though Andrews’ Justin Waldrop pulled away for a win
in 5:23, six seconds up on the two Eagle swimmers. Earlier, Reynolds was
beaten out by Andrews’ Michael Asabranner and El Paso Parkland’s Isaac
Pepper in the 200 freestyle, after Reynolds won the preliminaries on Friday.
“The guy from Andrews just came back and took it,” Morse said. “Randall
had a good time. I can’t complain about that. It was the same in the 500.
He and Patrick both had good swims,” said Morse.
Holland earned a state spot as the seventh at-large qualifier following
a second place in the 200 medley behind El Paso High’s Roberto Grandara.
Holland had a 2:13.69 time. In the 100 breaststroke, Lopez was fifth at-large
and Holland eighth at-large after they placed second and third to Monahans’
Chris Cain, who won with a 1:04.20 time to Lopez’ 1:04.38. Holland had
a 1:05.81 time.
The Eagles had easy wins in the 200-medley relay and 400 yard freestyle
relay. Bates, Edwards, Holland and Reynolds took the 400 freestyle in 3:28.39,
a 15 second margin over Big Spring, which also went as eighth regional
alternate, while Bates, Edwards, Lopez and Freeman won by 5½ seconds
over Monahans in the 200 medley, with a 1:43.02 time. The Loboes qualified
there as the No. 3 at-large team.
In the 200 freestyle, the Eagles lost to Monahans in the preliminaries
just as they did at district two weeks earlier, then came back to edge
the Loboes in the finals. Holland, Reynolds, Freeman and Scott Pounds won
with a 1:35.54 time to 1:36.39 for Monahans. Both the Loboes and third
place Andrews earned state berths as the fifth and sixth at large teams.
“Scott even did good in his 100 free. I thought he might get third,
but the kid (Monahans’ Noah Miles) just out-touched him,” Morse said.
The boys’ other finals qualifiers were McChensey, fifth in the 200 freestyle;
Luis Nieto, fifth in the 100 backstroke; Lopez, sixth in the 100 fly, and
Mike Howard, seventh in the 500 freestyle.
In the girls’ 400 freestyle relay JoAnn Wein, Lauren Wein, Briar Prewit
and Sarah Flores finished third behind Monahans and Big Spring with a 4:12.57
time. Big Spring placed ninth in the at-large rankings, just missing a
trip to Austin. In the 200 medley, Flores, Lauren Wein, Rebecca Wein and
Rachelle Eisenberg placed third by .02 seconds to Andrews, with both the
Eagles and Mustangs finishing just off the Top 8 for at-large state berths.
Monahans won with a 2:01.43 time.
Wein finished one second ahead of Andrews’ Kelli Wallace to earn a state
berth in the 200 freestyle, and had an easier time in the 500 free, taking
it in 6:01.81, six seconds up on Wallace.
Flores finished one second behind Big Spring’s Melissa Sheedy in the
200 medley, with a 2:29.77 time. In the 100 breaststroke, she had a 1:14.83
time, two seconds in back of Monahans’ Autumn Ware. Eisenberg was third
in that race, with a 1:19.63 time.
Others qualifying for the finals included Prewit and Eisenberg, who
were third and fourth in the 500 freestyle, while Prewit also placed fourth
in the 100 freestyle. Lauren Wein was fifth in the 200 free and sixth in
the 500 free, Rebecca Wein was sixth in the 200 medley, Rebecca Wein was
sixth in the 100 fly, and the 200 freestyle relay team of Eisenberg,
Prewit, Rebecca Wein and Victora Gomez finished fifth.
The Eagles also picked up two third place medals on Thursday, in the
one-meter diving competition. Jenny Alvarez and Wesley Roberts earned thirds,
but also missed out on at-large state berths, while Leroy Rodriguez was
fourth in the boys division.
The Class 5A regional meet was held in Lubbock following the 4A finals
on Saturday. Based on the two results, Morse said the Eagles’ best finishes
would have been third place efforts by the boys’ medley relay team and
Bates in the 50 freestyle. Bates also would have finished fourth in the
100 free while both the 200 and 400 freestyle relays had the fifth fastest
times in Lubbock on Saturday.
Overall, 10 teams scored points on the boys side at regionals. Trailing
Pecos and Andrews were Monahans with 44 points, El Paso High with 32, Big
Spring with 23, El Paso Ysleta with 13, Abilene Wylie with 12, El Paso
Parkland with 11, Pampa with eight and Fort Stockton with six. On the girls’
side 12 teams scored points, with Big Spring third with 47, Andrews fourth
with 44, Abilene Wylie fifth with 43, Pampa sixth with 22, Amarillo Caprock
seventh with seven points, El Paso High eighth, with 4 points, Fort Stockton
ninth with four points, El Paso Burges and Parkland tied for 10th with
two points and El Paso Riverside 12th, with one point.
Lobos' big first quarter stops Pecos
PECOS, Feb. 14, 2000 -- El Paso Mountain View's basketball team has been
to District 2-4A this year what the Big Spring Steers were to the Pecos
Eagles' old District 2-4A in the past -- when they're bad, they're bad,
but when they're good…
…they're the team the Eagles ran into Friday night.
Mountain View, which ran through it's pre-district competition then
struggled to a 2-4 mark though the first six games of the District 2-4A
schedule, continued their late surge for a playoff spot Friday night with
an impressive 85-49 victory over the Eagles, in the teams' next-to-last
regular season game.
The Lobos, who went into Clint and defeated the Lions last Tuesday to
stay in the playoff race, outscored Pecos 27-3 in the opening quarter to
put the game away quickly.
"They started off the game like the Mountain View team that beat Lubbock
High in the championship of the Sandhills Tournament," said Eagles' coach
Tino Acosta. "That and the fact we were flat made for an ugly first quarter."
The Lobos' 6-foot-7 post Dustin Maloney led Mountain View with 18 points,
while 6-5 post Javier Garcia added 12. At the same, time, El Paso's guards
also got on the board often in the opening period.
"In the first quarter especially they ran the fast break well against
us," Acosta said. "That little Garcia kid (Gilbert Garcia) is probably
the best guard we've seen all year."
Adrian Rayos had Pecos' only basket in the opening period, while Hector
Rodriguez was held to just one foul shot, though he did finish with a game-high
20.
Acosta was happy the Eagles did better over the final three periods
Friday. "We played them even the rest of the game, which shows you what
big hearts these kids have. They could have laid down after the first quarter,
but they kept on fighting."
Mountain View improved to 5-4 in district with their win, while Pecos
fell to 0-9 and will try to avoid an winless season on Tuesday when they
face Canutillo, which will be trying to clinch at least a share of the
district title with a victory.
Pecos did win Friday's junior varsity game, by a 63-50 final score.
Richard Rodriguez led the Eagles in scoring for the game.
PECOS (49)
Weidner 3 0-0 8; A. Garcia 1 2-3 4; Rayos 3 1-1 7; Chavez
1 1-2 3; Tarin 3 0-0 8; Rodriguez 8 4-7 20; S. Garcia 0 1-2 1; Terrazas
1 0-0 2. Totals 19 8-13 49.
EP MTN VIEW (85)
Lerma 0 2-2 2; Lamas 3 0-0 8; A. Garcia 2 0-0 5; Arredondo
4 1-1 9; G. Garcia 4 0-0 9; Lopez 3 0-0 6; Muniz 3 0-0 6; Moody 4 2-2 10;
Maloney 9 0-1 18; J. Garcia 4 4-5 12. Totals 36 9-11 85.
Pecos
2 17 11 18 - 49
EP Mtn. View 27 17
17 24 - 85
Three-point goals; Pecos 4 (Weidner 2, Tarin 2),
El Paso 4 (Lamas 2, A. Garcia, G. Garcia).
Landry recalled by friends, fans following death
By MIKE CRISSEY
Associated Press Writer
DALLAS, Feb. 14, 2000 - Forget two Super Bowls, the fedora, 20 straight
winning seasons, or "The Stare." Friends and family remember Tom Landry
as a man of class and Christianity.
"There is a great difference between a winning team and a team with
class," Tex Schramm, former Cowboys general manager, said in an interview
Sunday night. "No team was looked upon as the Dallas Cowboys were.
"When you left the organization, for the rest of your life you could
be proud you were a Cowboy."
Landry died around 6 p.m. Saturday at Baylor University Medical Center
surrounded by his immediate family. He was 75 and had been fighting a form
of leukemia since May.
Funeral arrangements were expected to be released today.
Landry coached the Dallas Cowboys for 29 years, from their birth in
1960 until Jerry Jones bought the team Feb. 25, 1989. He maintained a low
profile in retirement, but he remained one of the most beloved members
of the community.
Faith was more important to Landry than football. He became a born-again
Christian in 1959 and was a member of Highland Park United Methodist Church
for 43 years.
At the church on Sunday, Landry was remembered as a devout Christian
who learned to appreciate life and taught others to do the same.
The Rev. Mark Craig focused his sermon on making memories. The theme
was based on a sermon Landry gave several years ago, one Craig called the
best he'd ever heard.
"He talked about joys and pain and happiness," Craig told more than
1,000 worshippers. "Through all the good and the bad he said he was thankful
God gave him another day. If you want great memories, you need to live
each day fully and thank God for another day."
Throughout the Dallas area, fans paid their own tributes.
Outside team headquarters in Irving, several mourners created a makeshift
memorial with bouquets, candles and cards.
An index card placed in the ground behind several candles read: "Coach
Landry, We will always love you. You were a great person first and a great
coach. We know you are in heaven and in peace. Thank you for everything."
At Texas Stadium - which one local columnist suggested Sunday should
be renamed Landry Stadium - another gathering point was beneath a giant
photo of Landry that is among many pictures surrounding the facade.
Delores Castorena bought a blue flag featuring the team's helmet at
a concession stand in the parking lot. She wrote, "A legend never dies"
near the star, signed her name and attached it and a photo to the chain-link
fence under Landry's image.
The gathering point in Mission, Texas, Landry's hometown, was the downtown
mural on a street named in his honor.
"He's one of our heroes," said Marco Ramos, who visited the painting
with his mother and brother. "He's a role model and example for all of
us."
Dr. Bryan Frank, who leads the medical outreach at Highland Park United
Methodist Church, said his first memories of Landry were his lectures to
members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes when Frank was a teen-ager
running track.
"In a world of celebrity and ego, coach Landry was really a man of faith,
character, integrity and dignity," Frank said.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2000 by Pecos Enterprise
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