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Sports

Tuesday, December 2, 1997

Eagles end holiday with visits to Hobbs, Crane

PECOS, Dec. 2 -- The Thanksgiving break ends tonight with a
pair of road games for the Pecos Eagles basketball teams, as
the boys try to avenge their only loss of the season while
the girls seek their second win and first on the road this
year.

Pecos' boys are headed to Crane, where they'll take on the
Golden Cranes in freshman, junior varsity and varsity games
at 4:30, 6 and 7:30 p.m. Meanwhile the girls will head
further north to Hobbs, where they'll take on the Eagles in
JV and varsity contests at 5 and 7 p.m.

The boys JV and ninth graders have yet to play Crane, while
the varsity opened their home schedule against the Cranes in
a last-minute move after Stanton canceled out. It was the
season-opener for the 19th-ranked Cranes, and they held off
a third quarter comeback by the Eagles to score a 79-66
victory on Nov. 21.

Omar Hinojos led Pecos with 22 points and Jacob Chavez put
in 21, but Crane's Jamin Phipps scored 31 points and Crane's
defense stole the ball a number of times from the Eagles in
the first and final periods. The Eagles did bounce back with
wins over Alpine and Kermit early last week to raise their
record to 3-1 on the season.

Tonight's game with the Cranes is the start of a rough week
for Pecos' boys. They'll go to the Odessa Tournament this
weekend.

For girls' coach Brian Williams, tonight's game in Hobbs
will have him in a familiar position, though in a different
location. He'll be coaching the game before ex-Eagle coach
Bobby Milliorn, whose Odessa High boys' squad will face
Hobbs as the second game of a doubleheader. Williams severed
as Milliorn's JV coach before taking over as girls' head
coach this season.

He got his first win last Monday over Alpine, but the
Eagles come off a 58-55 loss on Tuesday at Iraan. The Eagles
did get four of their five starters in double-figures in the
loss, but the Braves were able to overcome a fourth quarter
Pecos rally to win.

Late hip check shows Frerotte's out

By JOSEPH WHITE
AP Sports Writer

ASHBURN, Va., Dec. 2 -- Larry Bowie's eyes grew as wide as
saucers when he was told that Gus Frerotte is out for the
season with a fractured hip.

``I didn't know,'' the Washington Redskins fullback said.
``They didn't say anything about it in the meetings.''

Darrell Green, the team's senior veteran, was also surprised
to hear the news -- and just as surprised at the fact that
it wasn't announced minutes earlier at Monday's full team
meeting.

``No one tells me anything around here,'' said Green, only
half-joking. ``I don't know what that means.''

So while Jeff Hostetler was talking about how he could
provide a much-needed spark to the offense -- the way he did
in 1990 when he replaced an injured Phil Simms and led the
New York Giants to the Super Bowl title -- most of his
teammates went home Monday night not even aware that their
on-the-field general is down for the count.

``I never announce to the team when someone gets hurt,''
coach Norv Turner said. ``Whether I tell them or you tell
them, it's not going to make Gus any better.''

When pressed, Turner did say the change to Hostetler ``could
be a situation where everyone says, `Everyone's got to do a
little bit more.'''

The players, particularly Hostetler, felt more strongly
about the situation. A backup all season, Hostetler saw his
teammates struggling Sunday night and Monday to come up with
explanations for the three-game winless streak.

The Redskins are 6-6-1, and in the words of guard Tre
Johnson, ``hanging by a dental floss'' in the playoff race.

``Guys are looking for an answer to what's going on, and
sometimes you can provide that spark, and sometimes you
can't,'' Hostetler said. ``I'm hoping this is a situation
where I can come in and provide a little spark and let these
guys see that, hey, I'm going to be in it for the whole 60
minutes.

``We've been under a lot of scrutiny and a lot of it's
deserved. Guys are looking to circle the wagons and pull it
together, and I'm going to be a part of that.''

Frerotte, whose inconsistent season showed in a 50.7
completion percentage that ranks last in the NFL, was
injured when he was tackled by Leslie O'Neal on a scramble
near the goal line on the first play of the fourth quarter
in Sunday's 23-20 loss to the St. Louis Rams.

Frerotte finished the game, putting together probably his
best drive of the season despite the broken left hip. He
completed two fourth-and-long passes in a late march to tie
the score before the Rams won it with a field goal.

Frerotte woke up Monday barely able to walk and was admitted
to a hospital. He will not require surgery and is expected
to be ready for offseason workouts in March.

Hostetler has seen extended playing time only once this
season, when Frerotte injured his neck by head-butting the
stadium wall last week against the Giants. Hostetler played
horribly, throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble,
but said he was hampered because he never gets to work with
the first-team receivers in practice.

``I'm excited about the opportunity to prepare for a week
and get to know the receivers,'' Hostetler said. ``And at
least give myself a better opportunity for success.''

He'll have to do without running back Terry Allen, who
sprained his right ankle in the second half against the
Rams. Allen, now almost certain to break his string of three
consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, will miss Sunday's game at
Arizona and maybe more. His replacement, Stephen Davis, was
called for a false-start penalty in a goal-line situation
that may have cost the Redskins a touchdown Sunday.

And, while the Redskins on Monday were cashing in one
insurance policy, Hostetler, they are cutting their losses
on another. Disgruntled receiver Alvin Harper, who had only
two catches to show for a three-year, $3.55 million deal he
signed in the offseason, was cut following a locker room
tirade after the Rams loss.

``They can cut me right now. I don't care. They aren't using
me anyway. What am I doing here?'' Harper said.

He got his wish, although Turner maintained the timing was
coincidental.

``It's based on production,'' Turner said. ``We've got some
young receivers I'd like to get involved and give them an
opportunity to play.'

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