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PECOS, May 10 -- There were a few more awards, and a first-time ever
highlight film on display Thursday night, at the annual Pecos High
School All-Sports Banquet, held at the Reeves County Civic Center.
The video wrapped up a night of awards to Pecos' all-district athletes
during the 1996-97 school year, along with the presentation of some
special awards following an address by guest speaker Jerry Thorpe.
One of the new awards, for most valuable track athlete, was shared by
junior Billy Rodriguez and senior Bryan Brownlee, who received special
recognition for reaching the Class 4A State Track and Field finals, only
the second PHS athlete to do so in the past two decades.
A special plaque was also presented to retiring Pecos Eagles' volleyball
coach Nora Geron by her niece, Eagles' basketball coach Patty Hall, who
played on Geron's first playoff teams in Pecos in 1982. Her 18th Eagles'
team reached the area round of the Class 4A volleyball playoffs this
past November, in her 37th year of coaching overall in Pecos, Fabens and
in Florida.
Geron also presented the Norma Matta Award to senior volleyball team
member Denise Camarena, while another senior, Veronica Carrasco, won the
Joe Shoemaker award for her four years of participation in volleyball,
basketball and track at Pecos High School. Camarena was an all-district
volleyball selection this year, while Carrasco advanced to regionals in
track as a sophomore and junior.
Along with the recognition for Brownlee, who'll compete in the Class 4A
state shot put and discus finals this afternoon in Austin, another shot
putter and discus thrower, junior Jake Fowler, received the Craig Woods
Award for football and track participation. The Doc Lunday Sportsmanship
award went to Eagles' senior lineman Didio Martinez, while Nufie Flores
received the Joe Bob Kelton award for basketball.
Martinez was an all-district pick in football, while Flores had
honorable mention there, then played half the season on the Eagles'
basketball team before suffering a broken leg at Midland Greenwood.
guest speaker Jerry Thorpe, pastor of Odessa's Temple Baptist Church,
told students the goals he set for himself between high school and
college graduation allowed him to become a success in life.
"The three percent of people who write down their goals are more
successful that the other 97 percent combined," Thorpe said, adding that
students need to overcome their problems or setbacks in life to be
successful.
"The people who accomplish things in life are the people who never give
up," he said.
Near the conclusion of the highlight video, Pecos-Barstow-Toyah
Superintendent Mario Sotelo told those at the Civic Center the school
district had bee given its own local channel by Classic Cable, and they
might broadcast 1997 Pecos Eagles varsity football games on a tape
delayed basis Saturdays. The only other time the Eagles' football games
were shown tape-delayed on cable was during the 1986 season.
``It could delay us two years or make it so we have to move,'' McLane
told the Houston Chronicle for today's editions. ``We are deeply
concerned.''
The warning came hours after the Texas House voted final approval for a
stadium financing bill.
The bill, which passed by a 83-47 vote Thursday, would allow Texas
cities and counties to impose several new taxes to build sports and such
other facilities as museums and convention centers. The bill now goes to
the Senate.
It also requires Harris County to have another election if it uses any
of the funding options provided under the bill.
Mayor Bob Lanier and Harris County Judge Robert Eckels said they take
McLane's warning seriously.
An amendment to the bill would strip cities of the option to impose
higher hotel taxes. Rural lawmakers insisted on the provision to shield
their constituents from higher hotel bills when they visit Texas' bigger
cities.
Eckels said there is no reason for another referendum because voters
last November gave county commissioners approval to begin plans for a
ballpark and to update or replace the Astrodome for football. He said
the financing plan was nearly identical to that in the bill that passed
Thursday.
A second referendum would likely be held in November, when Lanier also
hopes to hold a citywide vote on a new arena. That also is McLane's
deadline for groundbreaking on a new ballpark.
Eckels and Lanier said they expect trouble keeping the hotel tax in the
bill, but both said losing the tax was necessary to pass the bill.
(Copyright 1997 by The Associated Press)
State and Regional Sports Pages--San Angelo Standard-Times
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Copyright 1997 by Pecos Enterprise
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324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
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