Daily Newspaper and Tourism Guide for Reeves County Trans Pecos, Big Bend of West Texas

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Sports

Tuesday, November 4, 1997

Rodriguez claims title in boys cross country

PECOS, Nov. 4 -- Pecos Eagles' senior Billy Rodriguez captured first
place Saturday in the District 4-4A cross country competition at the
Carlsbad State School northwest of San Angelo, and the rest of the boys
squad will also advance to Region I-4A competition this Saturday, as
runners-up to San Angelo Lake View.

On the girls' side, the Eagles and Sweetwater were the only two schools
without full teams at Carlsbad, but junior Liz Parent placed eighth
overall, with a 15:32 time to earn a regional berth, while freshman
Jenny Alvarez won the junior varsity division with a 16:23 effort.

Rodriguez was the only Pecos runner to place in the Top 10, but the
Eagles were the only team besides the Chiefs to field the required five
runners to earn a team score. The senior won the race easily over Big
Spring's Marco Torres, covering the three-mile court in 17:23 to Torres'
17:35.

"The last 600 meters he came out (of the wooded area at the state
school) ahead by about 40 yards, then he kicked it in and ended up
winning by about 100," said Eagles' coach Rudy Juardo.

Rodriguez' win came over both Torres and San Angelo Lake View's Justin
Haby (third with a 17:49 time), after they beat him out for regional
berths in the 1600 meter run back in April at the District 4-4A track
meet. Juardo also said it was a change from the start of the cross
country season.

"Billy's been able to turn it around. When we first started he was
coming in behind Lake View's first two runners (Haby and Justin Daniel),
Stockton's runner (Justo Arias) and Rolando Reyes from Andrews. But
little by little he was able to turn it around and was able to win it,"
Juardo said

Among the Eagles' other runners, Oscar Medrano placed 13th with a 19:33
time; Orlando Matta was 15th with a 20:36; Michael Pena was 16th with a
20:32 time; Roy Marta was 21st with a 21:35 time and Adam Matta was
22nd, with a 25:43 time.

Lake View's Chonna Wright won the two-mile girls race, with a 14:20
time. Parent was the only Pecos runner in the varsity division, while
Helena Pendelton joined Alvarez in the JV division and placed fifth,
with an 18:35 time.

Juardo said Saturday's finals would start at 9 a.m. at Mae Simmons Park
in Lubbock, with the first and second place teams and Top 10 finishers
advancing to the state finals at Round Rock.

Tigers, Tors meet tonight in playoff match

PECOS, Nov. 4 -- The El Paso High Tigers will be playing on the Pecos
Eagles' home court tonight, three days after eliminating the Eagles from
the Class 4A volleyball playoffs.

El Paso, 15-13, 4-15, 15-13 winners over Pecos on Saturday at Van Horn,
will take on District 2-4A champion Lamesa at 7:30 p.m. tonight in an
area round match at the Pecos High School gym. The Tornadoes drew a
first round by as district champions.

Pecos' two District 4-4A rivals will also be in action tonight. San
Angelo Lake View, which downed El Paso Burges, 15-10, 16-14 in Alpine on
Saturday, will try to beat defending state champion Hereford tonight
in their area round match at Brownfield, while Andrews, which had a bye
in the first round of the playoffs, will go to Lubbock to face
Hereford's district rival, Dumas, at Monterey High School. Dumas lost a
first place playoff in District 1-4A to Hereford, but routed Lubbock
Estacado, 15-2, 15-0, in their bi-district match.

Eagles' coach Becky Granado said in addition to tonight's playoff
match, Greenwood will face Fabens at 6 p.m. on Saturday, in a Class 3A
bi-district match at the PHS gym.

NCAA's Tech probe alleges 18 violations

By MARK BABINECK
Associated Press Writer

LUBBOCK, Nov. 4 -- Texas Tech officials have three months to decide how
they'll respond to 18 allegations of NCAA rules violations now that a
lengthy investigation has boiled down to an official letter of inquiry.

The athletic department has until Feb. 2 to respond to a case the NCAA
deems ``major in nature'' according to an infractions letter released by
Tech on Monday. The letter is the culmination of a 20-month NCAA
investigation.

``The allegations, now that they are official, will be reviewed in
depth,'' Tech President Donald Haragan said. ``We expect to agree with
some of them, and we expect to disagree with some of them.''

Tech's acknowledgement a month ago that 76 athletes in eight sports
competed ineligibly since 1991 made up one of the confirmed infractions.
A second was that the university gave too many scholarships in football,
baseball, men's golf and men's track.

Sixteen new allegations relate to men's basketball and football. Most
already were reported in a 2½-year series of Houston Chronicle stories.

Four points accuse Tech of improperly using correspondence courses
through Southeastern College of the Assemblies of God in Lakeland, Fla.
Two counts involve the use of Howard College in Big Spring to help
prospective recruits earn credits.

Other allegations include:

--Football coaches allegedly paid former defensive lineman Stephen
Gaines $1,010 and unethically helped him gain a course credit. Former
assistant football coach Rhudy Maskew then allegedly lied to school
officials about potential rules violations involving Gaines.

--A local law firm partnered by John Sims, a Tech regent at the time,
allegedly provided free or low-cost legal services to athletes referred
by basketball and football coaches.

--A general ``lack of monitoring and a lack of appropriate institutional
control'' in the athletic department.

``Please note that based upon a review of the alleged violations set
forth in this inquiry, this case appears to be `major' in nature,'' NCAA
enforcement director David Berst said in an Oct. 31 letter to Haragan
that prefaced 57 pages of allegations.

The letter said Howard College basketball coach Jeff Kidder, a friend of
Tech coach James Dickey, paid for and arranged an unorthodox Spanish
class for Tech recruit Nate Jackson. Dickey told the student he needed
to pay for the $303 course, but allegedly didn't follow up to see it had
been done.

Further, the NCAA chided Tech for determining that no rules violations
occurred even when a separate report by Howard College indicated they
did.

Another allegation involving questionable coursework taken by a football
player said former athletic director Bob Bockrath and administrator Bob
Sweazy of did not adequately investigate the matter.

The Associated Press was unable to reach Bockrath, who took over at
Alabama in June 1996, and the other principals.

Since the NCAA investigation began in February 1996, Montford has
restructured the athletic department and hired several new compliance
officers. Many of the individuals named in the NCAA letter no longer
work for Tech.

Within 30 days of Tech's response, school officials and NCAA enforcement
staffers will meet to discuss any differences of opinion. New Tech
compliance director Bob Burton said the NCAA Committee on Infractions,
which formally hears cases and metes out punishment, probably will
consider the matter at its April 24 meeting.

Tech could impose sanctions upon itself before the NCAA does so.

``It's a consideration,'' Montford said. ``At this point, we aren't
ready to make that decision. There are a wide range of responses on the
issue of self-imposition.''

Berst wrote that the university and individual coaches on the men's
basketball and football staffs could face penalties. Montford declined
to speculate on potential sanctions.

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