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Sports

Friday, November 7, 1997

Pecos girls run through new offense

By JON FULBRIGHT
Sports Editor
PECOS, Nov. 7 -- Track season for the Pecos Eagles is still three
months away, but new girls basketball coach Brian Williams
promises his players will be doing a lot of running, both in
workouts and in games this season, as the Eagles seek their first
post-season berth since 1991.

Williams, the Eagles' longtime boys junior varsity coach, takes
over from Patty Hall, who left after one season to take the
Monahans volleyball head coaching position in late July. He'll
have a squad that will feature seven seniors and nine players who
saw varsity action last year, but also one which went 1-9 in
District 4-4A, and 6-17 overall.

Williams' two non-seniors were dropped back to the junior varsity
this week for missing practice, leaving him for now with only his
seven seniors going into Tuesday's scrimmage at Fort Stockton.
"The girls are going to have to learn the offense quickly on the
JV so I can move them back up," he said Wednesday. "Right now the
lack of depth is my main concern, because we're going to try and
press the full game ad keep constant man-to-man pressure and still
give the starters some rest."

Guard Erica Orona and post Penny Armstrong are the only two
players who weren't part of the Eagles' varsity volleyball team.
The others - posts Ivy Thorp, Leslie Hathorn, Shirhonda Bell and
Lori Marquez, and guards Annette Marquez, Shea Lara and Marisol
Arenivas - all began workouts earlier this week, and are adjusting
to their third new offensive and defensive scheme in as many years.

"The girls are still thinking about their positions. Until they
get to where they know it without having to think about it, we
won't be ready," Williams said.

Lori Marquez was the only Eagle to average in double-digits last
season. she hit for 14 points per game, while Arenivas was at just
over eight points, but missed the district portion of the season
due to grades.

Her absence took away the team's outside shooting threat, but
Williams said, "With this offense, they should be able to get
their shots from a little bit closer." He's also hoping for more
scoring out of Armstrong, who also averaged about eight points
last season.

Along with the Prowlers, Williams said Ozona, which won the Class
2A state title in 1995 and 1996 and were a regional semifinalist
last season, will also be at Tuesday's scrimmage. "We'll find out
where we're at on Tuesday. When you play anybody like Ozona, which
has won the state championship and is experienced at state, it
gives us a chance to see how we're doing and what we need to work
at."

The Eagles will also scrimmage on Nov. 15 at Odessa Permian,
before opening regular season play on Nov. 18 at Odessa High
against the Bronchos.

Runners face tough challenge at regional

PECOS, Nov. 7 -- Pecos Eagles' senior Billy Rodriguez will be
seeking a berth in the state cross country finals on Saturday,
when he and the rest of the Eagles' boys team compete in the
Region I-4A meet at Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock.

Liz Parent will represent the Eagle girls team at the meet, which
gets underway at 9 a.m.

Rodriguez won the District 4-4A cross country title last weekend
at the Carlsbad State School north of San Angelo, while Pecos
placed second in the team standings to Lake View, earning their
regional berth.

The senior won with a time of 17:23 over the three-mile course,
five seconds ahead of Big Spring's Marco Torres. But coach Rudy
Juardo said "Billy will have to run his best race ever," to have a
shot at the regional title.

Both of last year's boys and girls state champions, El Paso High
and Pampa, will be in Lubbock, while Frenship won the District
2-4A title last week over the same course, with Steve Silva
covering the three miles in 16:04 to beat out Levelland's Tim
Vega, who finished with a 16:23 time. Canyon's Kyle Winter and
Dumas' Coby Brown were 1-2 at the District 1-4A meet, with 17:10
and 17:11 times.

While cutting 90 seconds off his district time will be tough,
Juardo said "Right now Billy stands a good chance at coming out
individually in the Top 10," which would earn him a trip to the
state finals at Round Rock.

Parent was eighth at Carlsbad with a 15:32 time, while San
Angelo's Chonna Wright won with a 14:20 effort. "To at least stand
a chance (at state) Liz will have to get into the 14s," Juardo
said.

Canyon beat out Pampa at the District 1-4A meet, with the winning
time of 11:55 by Canyon's Jennifer Marable well ahead of any other
runner. In District 2-4A, Frenship won the team title, while
Levelland's Marissa Hernandez took individual honors by running 1
12:20 time over the two-mile Lubbock course.

Jr highs end with wins, JV, freshmen fall

By JON FULBRIGHT
Sports Editor
PECOS, Nov. 7 -- Pecos' junior high football teams came away
winners in three of their four season-ending games Thursday, while
the Eagles' freshman and junior varsity teams closed their 1997
seasons with losses to the Fort Stockton Panthers.

Playing in Pecos, the JV dropped a 27-14 decision to Fort
Stockton, while the eighth grade teams swept the Panthers, with
the `A' team scoring a 14-6 victory and the `B' team winning by a
6-0 score.

Down in Fort Stockton, Zavala's seventh graders split their
season-ending games, as the `A' team wrapped up an undefeated
season with a 32-0 win while the `B' team was beaten by a 14-6
final score. Later, the Eagles' freshman lost to the Panthers,
52-6.

Both the JV and freshmen were seeking to avoid winless seasons,
and the JV held the early lead over the Panthers, off a 19-yard
touchdown run by Jacob Esparza in the opening period. Fort
Stockton then tied the game early in the second quarter, before
the teams traded kickoff return touchdowns, with Jason Payne going
92 yards, with Esparza scoring the two-point conversion, only to
see the Panthers cut it to 14-12 with an 88-yard return of their
own.

The Panthers took the lead for good just before halftime on a
one-yard touchdown run, then closed out the scoring in the third
period with a 26-yard TD run.

The freshmen trailed only by a 12-0 score with four minutes left
in the half, coach Tino Acosta said. "We ran a fake punt, but
didn't execute it. If we did, it's a touchdown, instead, after
that they got two cheap ones before the half ended."

Pecos' score came off a 65 yard kickoff return by Orlando Munoz.

"We finished the season with 30 players. The kids have a good
attitude, they just need to stop making so many mistakes," Acosta
said.

The eighth graders avenged a 20-0 loss at Fort Stockton last
month, as Benny Juarez scored on runs of 24 and 11 yards. The
first was set up by a long pass from Richard Rodriguez to Ricky
Plummer and the second by a long run off a busted play by Mason
Abila. Juarez also added the two-point conversion after his final
TD broke a 6-6 tie early in the fourth quarter.

The `B' team won for the second time over Fort Stockton, with
Brian Fuentes getting the game's lone score. Coach Phillip
Garrison said the team "played really well defensively," and just
missed scoring a safety as the game ended.

Zavala coach Jerry Parent said his defense had a pair of
interceptions, by Eddie Mata and Paul Juarez, in posting their
fifth shutout in eight games. "I think we actually held them to
minus yardage overall," said Parent, who got a pair of touchdown
runs of three and 27 yards from Mata, the first after a long run
by quarterback Matthew Levario.

Juarez had a 53-yard punt return and Matthew Hanks an 11-yard TD
run, while Mata also added a pair of two-point conversions and
Barney Rodriguez and Tony Trujillo each had a two-point run.

The `B' team lost on a long run and a kickoff return, while
getting their score on a 34-yard pass from Ruvel Carrasco to David
Bradley, with a two-point run by Dominic Jenkins.

"We would have won if they hadn't had a continuous clock," Parent
said. "They had four games to get in (Fort Stockton's split JV
played Marfa) and the `B' game was over in 45 minutes."

Tonight in Fort Stockton, the Eagles' varsity will close their
season against the Panthers at 7:30 p.m. Along with missing
players due to injuries, the Eagles will also be without a couple
of players tonight due to grades, as the third six-weeks grading
period begins this afternoon.

The 4-5 Eagles will be seeking their ninth win in a row over the
6-3 Panthers, who need a win, a loss by Big Spring tonight against
Andrews and a win by Sweetwater at San Angelo Lake View to reach
the playoffs for the first time in 19 years.

Andrews (3-1 district, 7-2 season) at Big Spring (2-2, 6-3): This
is always a close game and a physical one as well. Both Andrews'
Shaud Williams and Big Spring's Antwoyne Edwards were knocked out
early in last year's 7-6 Mustang victory, and both will be key to
their team's fortunes tonight.

Williams has run for 727 yards in district, the rest of Andrews'
offensive has accounted for 218 yards, 122 of that in their win
over Lake View. Edwards has been just as important for the Steers,
as backfield teammate Tory Mitchell has done little since taking a
hit from Jason Abila in the Steers' win over Pecos on Oct. 10. Big
Spring still has a few more weapons, but they also have a lot more
turnovers, and that could prove to be the difference.

Andrews is already in the playoffs, but can avoid getting into
the same bracket with Sweetwater and the region's other top teams
with a victory, which would make them the `big school' qualifier
from District 4-4A, provided Lake View loses. A Big Spring win
puts them in the `big school' division and makes Andrews and
Sweetwater the `small school' 4-4A representatives.

Sweetwater (4-0, 9-0) at San Angelo (2-2, 5-4): The Mustangs are
still ranked No. 2 in the state, but haven't been demolishing
their district rivals the way past Sweetwater teams have. Still, a
victory tonight will wrap up their third straight undefeated
regular season, while Lake View needs a win to earn their fourth
straight playoff berth.

San Angelo's hopes rest on their passing game, where quarterback
Alonzo Robinson has a shot at going over 2,000 yards for the
season tonight. Sweetwater has shown weakness against the pass at
times, but not as much as Lake View has shown against the run,
which figures to make it hard for the Chiefs to stop Andrew
Boatright and company this evening.

Pecos hosts 5A, 3A playoffs

PECOS, Nov. 7 -- Pecos will be hosting a pair of volleyball
playoff matches on Saturday at the Pecos High School gym.

At 3 p.m., the El Paso Austin Panthers will take on the Lubbock
Coronado Mustangs in a Region I-5A area round match, while at 7
p.m., District 4-3A champ Midland Greenwood faces District 3-3A
runner-up Fabens in a bi-district contest.

El Paso Austin won the District 1-5A title and drew a first round
bye, while Coronado downed Abilene Cooper, 15-8, 13-15, 15-12, in
their bi-district match on Tuesday. Greenwood and Fabens already
have met once in the PHS gym, with the Rangerettes scoring a three
game victory over the Wildcats in the Cantaloupe Classic back in
August. Greenwood is 25-6 and Fabens 24-9 on the season.

Tech opts to decline bowl bids

By MARK BABINECK
Associated Press Writer
LUBBOCK, Nov. 7 - Attempting to brighten its NCAA-clouded future,
Texas Tech has sacrificed the present.

Tech announced Thursday it won't accept a possible bowl bid or a
berth in the Big 12 football championship, citing recent
allegations of widespread NCAA rules violations.

The decision came four days after Tech released a 57-page NCAA
letter detailing alleged multiple rules violations in 18 areas.
NCAA enforcement director David Berst termed the charges ``major
in nature.''

``In light of the NCAA investigation and our own internal audit,
we think this is the appropriate action for the university to
take,'' school president Donald Haragan said in a statement.

It was the second time this year a Tech team has withdrawn from
postseason. After two men's basketball players were found to be
ineligible last spring, Tech disqualified itself from NCAA
tournament consideration.

On Monday, a 20-month NCAA investigation culminated in numerous
allegations of academic fraud, undue benefits for athletes and a
lack of institutional control dating to 1991. Two of the counts
stem from an internal audit that uncovered massive errors in
academic certification and scholarship calculations.

Most of the charges, received last Friday by Haragan, involve the
football and men's basketball programs.

Tech, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M are tied atop the Big 12 South
Division at 3-2. Thursday's announcement means A&M, which beat
Oklahoma State last week, had control its own destiny for a berth
in the Dec. 6 Big 12 championship game at San Antonio.

The Red Raiders (4-4) would have qualified for a bowl by winning
two of their last three games against Texas, Oklahoma State and
Oklahoma. Tech has played in bowls the last four seasons.

Senior co-captain Cody McGuire said he hopes the bowl ban counts
toward any postseason sanctions the NCAA hands down next year,
after Tech's April hearing before the Committee on Infractions.

``I've been to four, so I've had my share,'' McGuire said. ``So
it's going to work out better in the long run. It's better for the
whole program if they go ahead and do that now.''

Coach Spike Dykes was unavailable for comment, Tech spokesman
Richard Kilwien said.

Chancellor John T. Montford hinted at self-imposed sanctions
during a Monday news conference. The football postseason ban was
the only such measure taken Thursday.

``Texas Tech has taken corrective measures to ensure that the
university will never encounter this type of problem again,''
Montford said. ``It is unfortunate that past actions must impact
our fine football team, the student body and our loyal Texas Tech
supporters.

``However, by taking this action now, we continue the process of
turning this situation around.''

Texas Tech has until Feb. 2 to respond to the allegations.

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