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PECOS - The Monahans River Cup team traveled to Pecos last weekend, Oct. 10-Oct. 12, for the ninth annual River Cup golf matches and pounded the Pecos squad 17-7.
Monahans secured the cup with play in the alternate shot matches on Friday and Saturday mornings by going 7-1-0 and took an insurmountable 12-4 lead into the singles matches on Sunday. It was the fourth consecutive year Monahans had won or retained the C
up.
Rookies for Monahans combined for an 8-4-1 record over the three days of play. Larry Fine tallied 4-1-0 while Billy Neace went 3-2-0 and Gary Wood posted a 1-1-1 record.
Veteran Monahans golfers Steve Burkholder, Greg Watson and Curtis Howard were undefeated at 5-0-0 each. Steve Fine was 4-1-0. Rusty Shaw was 1-2-0. Mike Claburn went 1-4-0.
This weekend, Oct. 17-Oct. 19, Monahans travels to Fort Stockton for the inaugural Morrow Cup matches. The Morrow Cup format is identical to the River Cub, modeled on the Ryder Cup, except there also will be matches involving six senior golfers.
Monahans senior contingent will consist of Bill Neace, Jerry McDonald, Dan Blair, Johnny Jordan, Jack Hill, Bo Mooring and Delio Cobos.
Says Gene Brown, the captain of the teams:
"The matches with Fort Stockton will be a lot of fun. The seniors scores will count toward the total and final score of the Morrow Cup so we will be depending on them a lot to win."
The captain notes further:
"There is no love lost between our golfers and those from Fort Stockton. If our guys get them down in a match, they'll try and kick 'em even worse."
Matches in the Morrow Cup begin at 9 a.m. both Friday and Saturday and at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
Brown encourages "everyone . . .to come to Fort Stockton and cheer on the local team."
First year Clint Lions head coach Bill Culpepper is from California.
So he can probably be excused for saying things like, "We might draw up plays in the dirt. You know, go down to the tire swing and square out."
But maybe Culpepper isn't kidding.
He's ramrodding a team that was supposed to be beat every time it walked on a football field this Autumn campaign. But Culpepper's won three. He's throwing 30 or 40 times a game.
Running? That is a seldom used option for the Lions. They run only to give their wideouts a little rest. They throw long. They throw short. And they throw in between. They hook. They square. They flare. And ever now and then they screen. They throw quic
k. One step drop. Two step drop. Never more than five steps and that was an accident.
True, the Lions were obliterated 73-14 by Colorado City, which the San Angelo Standard-Times ranks fourth among West Texas 3A football teams. Monahans is ranked fifth.
"And Monahans is a lot like Colorado City," says Culpepper. "They are physical, aggressive and athletic up front. There is no way we can match up with that offensive line. We cannot stop them from scoring. That Monahans line, if it plays to its potential
, can control."
"To beat Monahans," the Lions Coach continues, "We would have to not drop a pass, not miss a block, come pretty close to playing a perfect game. We simply do not match them in size and speed and athleticism."
You keep getting the impression Culpepper might be blowing a little smoke.
Consider this. The Colorado City loss might have been an aberration. The Lions are 3-3. In each contest, except for the debacle against Colorado City, they have been competitive. In that Colorado City game, the passing game deserted them. Receivers who
usually catch passes simply didn't catch them. The Lions must rely on their pass-oriented offense.
So what then is the option for Culpepper and the Lions?
Culpepper says he hopes his team can give the Lobo a game. For the Lions part, they'll be at Lobo Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17, and they'll "just have fun and throw."
Running out of a pro slot with multiple sets, the Lions most certainly will throw. They've thrown all year. There is a sophomore quarterback who grins a lot and whose name is D.J. Check. Check is 103 for 209 in passing, Culpepper reports, with no interce
ptions. This sophomore has thrown for 1570 yards in six games and has hit touchdown passes 14 times. Wide out brothers James (the senior) and Jeremy (the sophomore) Arnold catch passes. Big Brother James has snared 38 this season for 712 yards and seven
touchdowns. Little Brother Jeremy has 28 receptions, 567 yards and five touchdowns.
Says the coach from California: "Every game, we want to come in and throw."
EL PASO - After a shaky non-district performance, the 1997 Loboes were eager to show District 3-3A the defending champion was back. Coaches from the other 3-3A teams hoped they would not see the same Lobo team that ran roughshod through the district in
1996.
Guess what boys?
The Lobo is back, big, mean, green and hungry.
Monahans stepped into El Paso to destroy the Mountain View Lobos 63-0, more often fighting the wind and blowing sand than the opponent Friday night, Oct. 10. The Loboes upped their record to 3-2 on the season and 1-0 in district play.
From the opening kickoff, it was all Green and White and blowing sand. Running back Robin Hanna, still hurting from hamstring and foot ailments, had four touchdowns, his second three-touchdown or better outting of the season and he's playing hurt. The L
obo offensive line brutalized Mountain View to make up for its problems in the Fort Stockton loss at Homecoming.
Relying on that raging offensive line, Monahans rolled to 394 rushing yards. Six Big Green runners followed the Big Mean Green line to touchdowns - Hanna, Chris Allen, Mark Thompson, Nate Swarb, Dewoyne Lowe and Junior Cordova.
On their first possesion, Mountain View was forced to punt after failing to garner a first down due to the swarming Lobo defense.
Hanna took that punt from the Monahans 36 yard line and ran 64 yards untouched through the Mountain View sand pit for the first Lobo touchdown. Gerald Lopez added the extra point, and the Loboes led 7-0 just over 2 minutes into the game.
A minute and a half later, the Lobo offense took over. Hanna took the pitch on the first play and ran 47 yards for another Lobo touchdown. Lopez added the PAT for a 14-0 score.
The Lobo defense held Mountain View again, and the offense once again took over. After a short drive, Chris Allen ran 15 yards for yet another Lobo TD. The swarming El Paso wind pushed Lopez's kick wide left, and the quarter ended with Monahans leading
Mountain View, 20-0.
The Green put the game away for good in the second quarter. With just over 9 minutes remaining in the half, Mark Thompson ran 80 yards down the left side of the field for another Lobo touchdown. Hanna found the endzone on the two-point conversion, and t
he Loboes led 28-0. The Loboes got the ball back again with just over seven minutes in the period, and once again found the endzone. This time, Robin Hanna ran 37 yards for his third TD of the night.
Gusting wind blew Lopez's kick wide right, and the Loboes held a 34-0 lead. The score remained the same until the final minute of the second quarter, when the Loboes called on Nathan Swarb. Swarb ran 54 yards untouched down the right side of Mountain V
iew stadium for yet another Lobo TD.
Hanna added another successful two-point conversion, and the Loboes went in at half-time with a 42-0 lead.
Mountain View again received the kickoff in the 3rd quarter, and the results were almost exactly the same. The Lobo defense stopped Mountain View in their tracks, and they once again punted the ball. This time, Robin Hanna waited on the Lobo 40 yard li
ne, and scampered 60 yards for his 4th TD of the night. Lopez' kick was good, and the Loboes led 49-0. The Lobo defense, which allowed only 131 yards on the evening, continued on the script as they stopped Mountain View again.
Mountain View then made their smartest move of the evening_punting the ball out of bounds_and Monahans took over again.
This time, the Loboes had a time consuming drive, which senior. Dewoyne Lowe capped with a three-yard touchdown run with 2:16 remaining. Lopez booted true again, and the Loboes led 56-0.
Then came "Lobo Time"_the fourth quarter. On the second play, Junior Cordova ran 12 yards for his first TD of the season.
Lopez added his final PAT of the night to end the scoring at 63-0. The Monahans defense held Mountain View again, and the offense ran down the clock to end the game.
The next installment of the Lobo District 3-3A parade will be Friday night, Oct. 17, at 7:30 p.m. in Monahans, as the Green meets the Clint Lions. The Junior Varsity (4-1-1) will take on Fort Stockton JV today at 6 p.m. at Lobo Stadium, and the Freshme
n (4-2) will play Fort. Stockton Freshmen in Fort Stockton tonight at 6 p.m.
Flashing red and white, Cowboys were riding everywhere on homecoming at Grandfalls-Royalty High School.
Look!
There's Alfonso Marquez streaking for 43 yards and his first touchdown of the Homecoming blowout of Dell City on Friday, Oct. 10, and the blowout is only a couple of minutes old.
Fast forward to the second half.
Whoosh!
There's Johnny Ramirez off for a 64 yard touch down scoring sprint in the third quarter.
Watch out!
Lighting Roy Vasquez is loose for a 25 yard scoring run and here comes Thundering Marquez again for a 21 yard touchdown romp.
Get out of the way! Somebody's going to get hurt! Marquez is chewing up yards as he runs a kick-off back 55 yards for a touchdown. All this in the third quarter. That's right, the third quarter!
And that wasn't all.
In, around and all over those touchdown spectaculars, there was just plenty of football as the Cowboys raced to a 60-12 District 8-1A Six Man victory.
Before the Cowboys ended their homecoming festivities on the football field against Dell City, they had chalked up 341 yards rushing and 90 yards passing.
It ended with five minutes and 27 seconds to play in the fourth quarter.
It ended with another Marquez touchdown when he snagged a 19-yard touchdown pass from Cowboy Sean Francisco.
That gave the Cowboys a 48-point margin.
No conversions necessary, ruled the referees. Cowboy kicker Jeff Corean said, aw shucks.
Mercy!
Mercy!
Mercy!
Grandfalls, on homecoming, in October, had just finished the second game of the still young season in which they have mercy-ruled the opposition.
Alfonso Marquez carried the ball 11 (his uniform number) times for 111 yards and five touchdowns. Old Lightning Number 1 Roy Vasquez carried 10 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Steady Danny (Number 9) Santiago had two of two passes completed for 5
1 yards and don't forget his touchdown blast.
The first mercy-rule game was in Lake Arthur, N.M., on Aug. 30 when the Cowboys rolled 52-0 and the referees called it at the half.
Homecoming though was a district game.
Defending champion Grandfalls is on the road to repeat.
Sanderson, also undefeated in district play, stands in the way on Oct. 31.
Between now and then though, there's Sierra Blanca at 7:30 p.m. this Friday, Oct. 17, and Buena Vista the next week.
Grandfalls is scheduled to finish the regular season against Marathon on Nov. 7. They stopped preseason favorite Balmorhea in a barnburner last week at Balmorhea 62-60. But last week Balmorhea tumbled for the second time in district. If the Blue Bears ar
e to make the playoffs, they've got to hope for double losses for both Sanderson and Grandfalls.
Looking at the schedule ahead, that does not appear likely. Sanderson and Grandfalls, no matter who wins the contest between them, both probably will be playoff bound this 1997 season - if they continue the season as they have started it.
Copyright 1997 by Ward Newspapers, Inc.
Steve Patterson, Publisher
107 W. Second St., Monahans TX 79756
Phone 915-943-4313, FAX 915-943-4314
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