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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Sports
Tuesday, October 22, 2002
Pecos looks to end Monahans' win streak
The Monahans Loboettes have already clinched a playoff spot. The Pecos
Eagles would like to clinch one tonight and stop Monahans from clinching
the District 4-3A volleyball title when the teams meet in Pecos at 6:30 p.m.
The 7-0 Loboettes and the 5-2 Eagles will meet for the third time this
season, with Pecos looking to at least remain tied for second place in the
district standings with Midland Greenwood. The Rangerettes face Fort Stockton
tonight and wins by Pecos and Greenwood would put both teams into the playoffs.
But to do that the Eagles will have to beat a Monahans team that has yet
to lose a game in district play, and which is 27-6 on the season. Two of
those wins have come over Pecos, both on the Loboettes' home court, the latest
by a 15-6, 15-3 score on Oct. 1.
"We had a good practice on Monday, but we'll see if that carries over,"
said Eagles' coach Becky Granado. "If we just play like we practiced, we
should be OK."
The Loboettes' main hitters, junior Laura Crumrine and freshman Kara Hughes,
had few problems going up for open kills in the Oct. 1 game, as Granado said
the Eagles were slow moving over to the ball on the front line and failed
to hit their serves and free balls towards Monahans setter Kristen Hall.
Granado changed her lineup once after that loss, and said she would change
it one more time for tonight's contest. "I'm putting Leslie (Rodriguez) at
middle blocker. I'm hoping she's going to be a little quicker getting over
there than Mindi (Harrison)," who was moved to an outside blocker spot in
favor of sophomore Danielle Garcia earlier this month.
"I just don't know how Danielle will react when she's in there," said
Granado, who added that, "If this doesn't work, I'll just have to change
it again between games."
After tonight's match, the Eagles close regular season play at Fort Stockton
and then host Greenwood. Granado said Saturday's match scheduled in Fort
Stockton may be moved to Friday to avoid conflict with the UIL regional band
competition, which Fort Stockton qualified for on Saturday.
Eagle boys take 4-3A cross country title
Getting out of El Paso made a big difference for the Pecos Eagles cross
country team.
After spending four years never getting anyone to regionals on the boys
side as a member of District 2-4A, the Eagles dropped down one level and
sent everyone to regionals on Monday, as they took the District 4-3A cross
country title at the Ward County Golf Course in Monahans.
Pecos' Genaro Mendoza took first place individually in the boys' division
and Jay Dannelley finished fourth, and the Eagles finished with 32 points
to beat out Greenwood and Fort Stockton, both of which finished with 47 points.
On the girls' side, Pecos' only runner, Leslie Rodriguez, also earned
a regional berth with a fourth place finish, after leading most of the way,
coach Rudy Jurado said.
"Leslie led the whole time until the last 300 meters when the other girls
caught up to her," said Jurado. Rodriguez ran the two-mile course in 13:25.30,
one second behind third place finisher Kelly Coffman of Presidio. She's the
first Pecos girl to qualify for regionals since Liz Parent placed fifth at
the District 2-4A meet in 1998
Kermit's Elizabeth Bell and Lura Hayes placed first and second with 13:16.20
and 13:16.30 times, and the Yellowjackets won the team title with 41 points
to 48 for Greenwood.
Mendoza won the boys' three-mile race with an 18:24.50 time, while Fort
Stockton's David Palma was second, with an 18:30.80 time. "Genaro led the
whole time," said Jurado. "He had about a 200 yard lead on the second place
runner most of the way, but towards the end he didn't have a kick and they
started catching up to him. But luckily he had gotten a big enough lead in
the race so he could hold them off."
Dannelley also broke 19 minutes in placing fourth, with an 18:56.30 time.
Jason Sanchez was next for Pecos, in 10th place with a 19:37.50
time, and was followed by Joshua Cobos, 12th with a 19:53.50 time;
Jeremiah Mora, 15th with a 20:45.10 time; Raul Garcia, 16
th with a 21:02.70 time; and Alex Orozo, 19th with a time
of 21:28.30.
All of the Eagles' times were far better than a year ago, when Pecos struggled
running through the sand at El Paso Mountain View and finished sixth at the
district meet. The regional spots for Pecos' boys are their first since 1997,
when they were part of District 4-4A.
"We'll get to see all those El Paso schools at regionals," Jurado said,
which will be run on Nov. 1 at Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock, though the Eagles
won't have to run against them, since the Eagles will be in the Class 3A
division while their former district rivals will compete in the Class 4A
race.
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
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Copyright 2002 by Pecos Enterprise
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