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Sports

Thursday, October 30, 1997

Eagles hunt holes in Chiefs' defense

By JON FULBRIGHT
Sports Editor
PECOS, Oct. 30 -- The San Angelo Lake View Chiefs' offense is
playing a lot like they have during the past three years, when
only one team in the district was able to beat them.

But Lake View's defensive numbers are closer to what they were in
the early 1990s, when it was the Chiefs who could beat only one
team.

How much the Pecos Eagles can contain the Chiefs' offense, and how
well they can take advantage of Lake View's slipping defense, will
decide whether or not the Eagles can get their first District 4-4A
victory of the year Friday night, and assure themselves of their
first non-losing season since 1993.

The Eagles close out their home football schedule against the
Chiefs, with both teams needing a win and some help to remain in
the district playoff race. San Angelo needs victories by Andrews
and Sweetwater tonight to stay alive, while the Eagles need a Fort
Stockton win by three points or more at Andrews to remain in the
playoff race.

It was on a snowy Halloween weekend in 1993 that the Eagles and
Chiefs crossed paths in the district standings. Lake View, which
had only one win in 28 games between 1990 and 1992, came into
Pecos in coach Kyle Gandy's first season and came out with a 31-8
victory, the went on to win two straight district titles and
finish second to Sweetwater a year ago.

Meanwhile, Pecos would win just four games over two years
following the `93 loss, before improving to 4-6 in coach Mike
Belew's first season, in 1996.

This time, both teams come in with identical 4-4 records, after
the Eagles' 41-18 loss to Sweetwater last week, and the Chiefs'
41-28 defeat at the hands of Andrews. The Eagles lost after they
gave the Mustangs 21 easy points in the first 5½ minutes of play,
while the Chiefs were beaten when they couldn't contain Shaud
Williams in the second half of their game.

"We held Shaud to 70 some yards in the first half, but then he got
loose (for 244 yards)," said Gandy. "If we had had 10 or 12 others
along the sidelines it might have helped."

The Chiefs are averaging just under 375 yards per game on offense,
and have been going at a better than 400-yards-per-game clip since
district play began. But San Angelo's defense, which was in the
low-to-mid 200s in yards allowed per game the last three seasons,
is surrendering around 350 yards per outing in 1997, and over 250
per game on the ground.

"I don't think they have quite the defense -- their kids will
probably play like All-Americans after a say that -- but I don't
think they're quite as stout," said Belew, who was quick to add he
still feels the Chiefs' front line defense remains strong.

"Their front seven at defensive end, defensive tackle and
linebacker are as good as what they've had, but the secondary
didn't seem to have quite the athletes as in the past," he said.
"That doesn't mean they're weak, that doesn't mean they're not
good, but they're just not as strong. Last year, our receivers
couldn't even get off the line of scrimmage against them."

"Defensively, we're better than we were earlier in the season,"
Gandy said. "We had to break in three new defensive linebackers,
some new defensive linemen and a whole new secondary. Along with
(defensive back) Chris Burges not coming back, Jason Walker, who
was a two-year starter at defensive end. didn't come back."

Gandy said Walker left for personal reasons, while Burges was
allegedly involved in an summer shooting incident. He had been
scheduled to take Adam Binnix's spot in the Chiefs' one-back
offense, but instead, Kendall Jones had to be switched from the
secondary to that job.

Jones was slowed by an early-season ankle injury but since then
has run for over 600 yards in Lake View's last four games "Kendall
got a little bit out of rhythm, but he's really come around,"
Gandy said.

Last season, when Binnix was hurt, Jones split time with Burges in
the backfield and ran for 88 yards in the Chiefs' 32-14 victory
over the Eagles. He also returned an Oscar Luna interception for a
touchdown, though Belew said Jones has rarely been used in the
secondary this season.

"That's just his (Gandy's) philosophy. Some coaches don't like to
use players both ways. We've got six or seven going both ways, but
that's dictated by what we've got," said Belew, who has seen
several players leave the team in recent weeks.

Along with Jones, quarterback Alonzo Robinsion got his first
extensive game experience on offense against Pecos last year,
although he didn't officially throw a pass. This year, no one but
Robinsion has thrown the ball for the Chiefs, and he's completed
just under 50 percent of his 219 attempts for a district leading
1,747 yards. However, his 10-to-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio
isn't as good as former quarterback Sterlin Gilbert posted over
three seasons.

"Robinson is a very intelligent young man. He has a great release
and uses his body well to get into places where he can throw the
ball," Gandy said.

The 120-pound Robinson uses more of a sidearm motion to throw than
most quarterbacks. "He's got an unusual delivery, but it's
effective. It gets the job done," Belew said.

Like Gilbert, Robinson has thrown to a variety of receivers,
though Jorge Villarreal is obviously his main target. The 6-foot-4
senior leads the state in catches with 53 for 880 yards and five
touchdowns, while split end Isaac Flores and flanker Aaron
Linthicum also are in double-digits in receptions.

"Jorge is doing a great job," said Gandy, "He's not dropping any
balls like last year (including a touchdown pass against Pecos),
and he's made some great catches that have been keeping us in
games.

"Aaron's has caught a few, and Isaac Flores has come on of late.
He's made some big catches, and had three against Andrews,
including one for a touchdown," the Chiefs' coach added.

"It looks like the same plays he (Gandy) ran when he was coaching
the passing game at San Angelo Central and I was coaching at
Permian," Belew said. "It's the same deal where they try and get
you spread out with the pass and then run the ball."

The Eagles interior defense has played well against the run the
past two weeks, though they were hurt at times by backs getting
outside. The defense also will have to go for the third straight
week without strong safety Moses Martinez, who is still bothered
by a knee injury.

Gandy said the Chiefs' main problem on offense this season has
been not finishing off some of their drives. "We're next-to-last
in the district in scoring. We had about a 16 or 17 play drive
against Andrews and didn't get anything."

The Eagles became the only district team besides the Chiefs to
throw for over 200 yards in a game this year, when Jason Abila
passed for 211 a week ago against Sweetwater. Luna had five
catches for 86 yards, and the two have hooked up for 10
completions for 140 yards in the Eagles' past two games.

"We need to have another good game out of Jay and Oscar, and we
need a good game out of our backs," said Belew, who is hoping
Lucio Florez has recovered some more from the injury he leg injury
that's bothered the junior since the start of district play.

Sub-varsity squads face Bucks, Chiefs

PECOS, Oct. 30 -- The Pecos Eagles' seventh grade football team
plays their final home game of the season today, while Pecos'
junior varsity plays their last road game for 1997 this evening,
as the sub-varsity squads take on Alpine and San Angelo Lake View.

Both the seventh and eighth grade teams will play at Eagle
Stadium this evening, when they host Alpine in `A' games at 5:30
and 7 p.m. Meanwhile, the Eagles' ninth graders will go to Alpine
for a 6 p.m. game against the Bucks' junior varsity, and the
Pecos' JV will head for San Angelo, for a 6 p.m. contest against
the Chiefs.

It's the first time the Eagles have faced the Chiefs on the
sub-varsity level -- a scheduling mix-up had San Angelo travel 210
miles to Pecos three years ago, only to find the Eagles' JV
playing Fort Stockton.

Both the JV and freshman teams are still seeking their first
victories of 1997, after losses a week ago to Monahans. The ninth
graders were beaten at home earlier this month by Alpine's JV.

The eighth graders will also be trying to avenge a loss earlier
this year in Alpine to the bucks. Crockett's `A' squad comes into
their game off an 8-0 victory last week in Monahans.

Pecos' seventh graders will be trying to remain unbeaten on the
season when they face the Bucks, who are the only team so far to
score an offensive touchdown against the Eagles. The Zavala `A'
squad gave up a TD on a kickoff return in last week's 20-8 win
over Monahans.

Tyson breaks ribs after bike bites dust

By EVAN BERLAND
Associated Press Writer
HARTFORD, Conn., Oct. 30 -- Banned former heavyweight champion
Mike Tyson was hospitalized with broken ribs after overturning his
motorcycle on an interstate exit ramp.

Tyson, 31, was recovering today at Hartford Hospital after the
accident Wednesday evening. He was in stable condition and
expected to be hospitalized about two days, hospital spokesman
James Battaglio said.

Tyson's manager, Rory Holloway, said his fighter was sore, but in
good spirits.

``We're just fortunate that he is OK,'' Holloway said. ``It could
have been a lot worse.''

The accident happened on Interstate 84 in Manchester, about 10
miles east of Hartford, during evening rush hour. Friends said
Tyson's 1100 cc Honda skidded when it hit some sand. He was
wearing a helmet and a leather riding jacket.

Holloway said Tyson was heading home to his estate in Farmington
from Holloway's home in New Jersey. Two friends also riding
motorcycles were with Tyson.

They had missed the Farmington exit, and were attempting to turn
around at the Manchester exit when Tyson went down, Holloway said.

After the accident, Tyson called his Farmington home for a car,
Holloway said. He arrived at the hospital about 9 p.m., some four
hours after the accident.

``He went home for a few hours, didn't feel too good,'' Holloway
said at the hospital late Wednesday. ``He just wanted to be sure,
so we came in here.''

Tyson's wife, Monica, had been at their Farmington home waiting
for him to arrive and accompanied him to the hospital.

Tyson, who occasionally trains in Hartford, put his Farmington
home on the market earlier this year for $2.7 million.

The former champ was fined $3 million and lost his Nevada boxing
license for biting Evander Holyfield's ears during their WBA
heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas on June 28. Tyson,
disqualified after the third round, can apply for reinstatement in
a year.

Tyson at the age of 20 became the youngest heavyweight champion in
history when he knocked out Trevor Berbick in the second round on
Nov. 22, 1986.

He defended the title eight times before being
stunned by James ``Buster'' Douglas with a 10th-round knockout on
Feb. 11, 1990 in Tokyo.

Tyson was released from an Indiana prison in 1995 after serving
three years of a six-year sentence for raping beauty pageant
contestant Desiree Washington in an Indianapolis hotel room in
1991.

In his third bout since being released from prison, he won the WBC
title by beating Frank Bruno on March 16, 1996. He won the WBA
title six months later with a victory over Bruce Selden. He lost
both titles to Holyfield on Nov. 9, 1996. It was during the
rematch that Tyson bit off a chunk of Holyfield's ear and drew a
potentially career-ending suspension after a second bite in the
same fight.

Tyson has had some past incidents involving automobile accidents.
On Sept. 4, 1988, he was knocked unconscious after driving his BMW
into a tree. Three days later, the New York Daily News reported
the accident was a ``suicide attempt'' caused by a ``chemical
imbalance'' that made him violent and irrational.

On April 26, 1989, Tyson was given a speeding ticket in downtown
Albany, N.Y., for driving his 1989 Lamborghini 71 mph in a 30 mph
zone while drag racing with a friend. Less than a month later, on
May 5, he received another speeding ticket in downtown Albany for
driving his Lamborghini at an unspecified speed above the 30 mph
limit, again while drag racing.

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