March 6, 1997

Eagles outscore Indians, 8-5,

play again in Midland tonight

Pecos will play again at 8 p.m. tonight, against the winner of this
afternoon's game between the host Greenwood Rangers and the Clint Lions.

Pecos took a 2-0 lead in their first at bat, but had to rally from 4-2
and 5-4 deficits to get their sixth victory in seven tries this season.
Richard Gutierrez' lead-off triple sparked a four-run fifth for Pecos,
while Jason Chabarria picked up the victory in relief of Moses Martinez,
with Jason Abila earning his first save with 1¶ innings of scoreless
relief.

The winner of tonight's game will play again at 8 p.m. on Friday, while
the loser will drop into a 3 p.m. game on Friday in the
double-elimination tournament.

Pecos Jr. relays Friday, new track sought for `98

Field events are scheduled to get underway at 4:15 p.m. while running
finals will follow. Zavala boys coach Jerry Parent said there would be
no preliminaries for running events in the meet, with sprint winners to
be decided in finals heats.

Crockett coach Tino Acosta said in addition to Pecos' seventh and eighth
grade teams, Monahans, Fort Stockton, Kermit, Alpine and Crane would
participate in the meet, which should conclude about 9:30 p.m.

The junior relays have been the only track meet held at Eagle Stadium
for the past four years. Problems with the running surface on the track
-- along with the collapse of the inside lane on the northeast side of
the stadium in 1991 -- caused the West of the Pecos Relays to be
canceled.

The last time the high school meet was held, orange warning cones were
put out in Lane 1 to detour runners away from the collapsed surface.
That hole has since bee filled in, and during a practice meet for the
junior high and high school boys teams in February, Pecos-Barstow-Toyah
athletic director Mike Belew said preliminary studies have begun into
repairing the entire track.

"We've gotten estimates from two companies," said Belew. The companies
took core samples, to find out how much of a problem hollowed-out areas
under the track were.

"I'm going to take the figures to Mr. (P-B-T Superintendent Mario)
Sotelo for the things they're saying they'll have to do. We're at that
stage right now.
"Hopefully, we'll get that going for next season," Belew added.

The track was last resurfaced in 1983, which was also the last time
Pecos hosted the District 4-4A meet.

Mustangs seek berth in 4A hoop title game

Sweetwater, which reached the Region I-4A title game last year as a
member of District 5-4A, will also seek to become the first district
team in more than 20 years to win the boys basketball state
championship, with a victory tonight and a win Saturday over Dallas
Lincoln or Houston Wheatley, the other two teams in the state tournament.

Sweetwater has the poorest record of the four semifinalists, at 25-11,
while Fox Tech comes in with a 34-3 mark But the Mustangs have won 15 of
their last 16 games, the latest a 65-55 win over Burkburnett in the
Region I-4A title game last Saturday.

The Mustangs are the first regional champion from District 4-4A since
1989, when Andrews lost to Waxahachie in the Class 4A semifinals. Former
4-4A member Lamesa was the last squad to reach the title game, losing by
two points to Bay City in 1985.

Odessa Ector was the last district team to claim the state title, in
1973. That team will be honored at halftime of the 4A title game on
Saturday.

The Dallas Lincoln-Houston Wheatley game is a rematch from earlier this
season which was terminated after a bench-clearing brawl that ignited
fights among spectators.

``We talked to the team about decorum and sportsmanship and things like
that,'' Dallas Lincoln athletic director Reginald Samples said
Wednesday. ``I am confident nothing will be started by our team.''

On Nov. 29, Lincoln (30-7) and Wheatley (22-9) played in a tournament in
Fort Worth. With Lincoln leading by 11 in the fourth quarter, a fight
broke out among players that lasted several minutes and carried over to
the fans.

``The officiating allowed the teams to play a little rough,'' Samples
said. ``The rough play led to a little extra pushing and shoving and
that's what led to the incident.''

The brawl resulted in a double forfeit and one year's probation for each
team. Wheatley suspended its entire varsity roster for three weeks
following the incident and played with members from its junior varsity.

``My boys won't start something,'' said Wheatley coach Jackie Carr.
``But I know it's almost impossible to stop them from defending
themselves. We expect a tough game.''

Rachel Seewald Hendrex, a spokeswoman for the University Interscholastic
League, said she wasn't aware of any additional security for the game.

``We would like to think that at the state tournament, the schools will
be on their best behavior,'' she said. ``We don't anticipate any
problems.''

Youth basketball league play

postponed due to spring break

Pecos Eagles' coach Patty Hall said a number of boys and girls in Grades
2-6 will be out of town during the week, resulting in the cancellations.
Any coaches who have problems with the games being rescheduled for late
March should contact Hall today or Friday at 447-7234 (PHS gym) or
447-7248 (Austin Elementary).
Return to top

State and Regional Sports Pages--San Angelo Standard-Times

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. Neither these AP
Materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for
personal and non-commercial use. The AP will not be held liable for
any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the
transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages
arising from any of the foregoing.

Copyright 1997 by Pecos Enterprise
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@bitstreet.com
Return to Sports Menu