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Weekly Newspaper and Tourism Guide for Ward County Trans Pecos, Big Bend of West Texas

Sports

Thurs., March 12, 1998

Mean Green wins Big


BROWNFIELD - Monahans won big, very big.

The Mean Green walked, they strolled, through the UIL Regional Tennis
Tournament at Brownfield on Loboes Master Regional Team Tennis At the
Brownfield Regional Team Tennis tournament last weekend, March 6 and 7.

Coach Justin Quest is smiling.

"We only dropped one match. We beat Midland Greenwood 17-0; we played
the Slaton tigers and beat them 13-0; then we drove back to Brownfield
up by Lubbock and beat them 13-1 in the finals. We're playing excellent
tennis. We rolled."

Quest doesn't smile when he says: "This team guarantees a place in the
top five at state."

Then Quest says again of the Lobo regional romp: "We played so well,
everybody did a great job."

Last year in the regionals, says Quest, "We barely edged out Brownfield
and this year we blew them away; there is no 3A team we can't compete
with."

Quest's job now is to keep his players focused. They must, he says, keep
the fire they rode to the regional championship.

Thursday, March 12, at 10 a.m., the champs leave the Monahans tennis
courts for Waco and the state team tennis championships at McLeery
Tennis Center.

The team includes Joanna Cupp, Sr., Lecia Baker, Sr., Christina Wilbur,
Sr., Erin Armstrong, Soph, Sandra Molinar, Soph., Megan Shawn, Fresh.,
Melinda Covensky, Fresh,

Daniel Fuentes, Jr., Drew Skinner, Jr., Jeremy Reyes, Jr., Kyle Clemmer,
Soph., Joe Hawkins, Soph., Robert Wilbur, Fresh., Curtis Gibson, Fresh.

Tennis coach eyes top five at state


Monahans High School Tennis Coach Justin Quest is heading to the state team tennis championships in Waco this week with an attitude.

"I believe we're going to finish in the Top Five," says the coach, "I
truly believe that."

And what's more important, the tennis coach says, is that his Lobo team
believes it after their unprecedented romp through the regional
competition.

Quest knows that Mason and Vernon, where the tennis players start on the
country club courts before they walk, are the favorities.

But he also knows unheralded Monahans from West Texas has more than a
shot at the High Five in the sub-5A & 4A state championship. After all,
Quest took this bunch to the state team tennis tournament in 1997 when
it wasn't supposed to go anywhere, especially the Sweet Sixteen. In
1997, the Lobo Tennis Pack finished thirteenth in the Texas Team Tennis
Championships.

In unguarded moments, Quest even thinks about the possibility of a state
championship.

"We're going to be in the Top Five in the state," says Quest. "I'm
saying it right now."

Part of that confidence comes from the maturity of his men .

"We knew we had an incredible girl's team," says Quest. "The men are
suddenly there.

Joanna Cupp is the focus on the Lobo Women's side with an equally adept
supporting cast that includes surprising freshman Megan Shawn "the most
improved player on the team." On the men's side: "Kyle (Clemmer) has
emerged. He won all his matches in regionals." Lobo tennis is "playing
strategically, playing the mental game," comments Quest.

Loboes out-hit Eagles


The Monahans Loboes had another big night at the plate against the
Pecos Eagles Friday, March 6, scoring eight times in the second inning
against the Pecos Eagles on the way to an 11-9 victory in Monahans.

The Loboes' rapped out 11 hits in their second victory in 11 days over
Eagles' pitcher Jason Abila, and used a two-run fifth inning to provide
the winning margin, and picked up an insurance run in the sixth. That
was after Pecos cut an 8-2 deficit to 9-8, thanks to a fifth inning
grand slam home run by Joseph Contreras.

Abila struck out nine Loboes, but couldn't get his curveball across,
and the Loboes hammered his fastball most of the night. The Loboes also
used used three wild pitches and two passed balls to score what turned
out to be the decisive runs in the fourth and fifth innings

However, in the second it was mostly line drives to left- and center
field that got Monahans eight runs. That came after Pecos scored twice
in the first inning off Joel Najar, who began the second inning
onslaught with a single.

He was doubled home by Roy Porras, who was safe at third when Richard
Gutierrez dropped a low throw from Pecos catcher Oscar Luna. Abila then
wild pitched Porras home before Brandon Stephens reached on an infield
hit, was sacrificed to second by Juan Moreno and went to third on Nathan
Swarb's fly out to deep right.

Rocky Rivera then delivered a two-out triple to deep center field to
put Monahans ahead, 3-2, and he scored on Jose Prito's RBI single. A
walk to Anthony Aguilar followed, and then T.J. Bustos singled for a 5-2
lead. Najar walked in his second at-bat of the inning, Porras singled to
drive home two more runs, and the eighth run scored when Richard
Gutierrez bobbled Stephens' grounder.

Luna had opened the game with a single against Najar. Abila then reached
on an infield single, and two runs would score on John Gutierrez' single
and a ground out by Contreras.

Stephens made a diving catch on Gutierrez' fly ball in the third to cut
short a potential big inning by Pecos. The Eagles managed two runs, as
Luna was hit by a pitch and Abila walked. The runs came in on John
Gutierrez' single and a throwing error by Rivera in centerfield.

Abila struck out the side in the third, but Monahans got one run back
in the fourth, when a wild pitch helped move Prieto to third after a
leadoff single, from where he scored on Bustos' sacrifice fly to center.

Down 9-4, the Eagles got to Najar in the fifth, as Abila and John
Gutierrez walked around a double by Richard Gutierrez. All three then
came home when Contreras sent a 2-1 pitch over the scoreboard in left
field, cutting the lead to one.

But Najar was not only able to recover from that shot, he also retired
the next three batters on just four pitches to get out of the jam.

Pecos' wild pitches and passed balls, combined with a Porras double and
infield hit by Benny Rodriguez, made it 11-8 after five innings. Abila's
third straight walk and Gutierrez' second straight double cut the lead
back to two in the sixth, but Najar was able to survive in the seventh,
thanks to a running catch by Rivera on a Luis Salgado fly ball to center.

Women golfers take fourth


MIDLAND - Kandace Burnett and Lindsay Fredericks keyed the Monahans
High School women's golfers to a fourth place finish in the 13-team
Midland Golf Tournament on Friday and Saturday, March 6 and 7.

Burnett led the Lobo with an 88 on Friday at the Midland Couantry Club
and Fredericks led with a 92 on Saturday at Hogan Park Golf Course, the
day winds gusted to 50 miles an hour and brought the golf scores down
sharply.

Burnett finished sixth in the Medalist Standings; Fredericks, ninth.

LOBO SUMMARY

Kandace Burnett, 88-103; Lindsay Fredericks, 102-92; Christin Linton,
99-107.Audrey Cox, 106-105; Brandee McDaniel, 99-117.

Team Standings

1-2. Pecos,789; 1-2. Amarillo High, 789; 3. Amarillo Tascosa, 791; 4.
Monahans, 795; 5. Lubbock Coronado, 803; 6. Lamesa, 827; 7. Dumas, 848;
8. Lubbock Monterrey, 855; 9. Midland Christian,881; 10. Midland Lee II,
890; 11. Lubbock High, 941; 12. Midland High II, 968; 13. Amarillo
Caprock, 984.



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Copyright 1998 by Ward Newspapers, Inc.
Mac McKinnon, Publisher
107 W. Second St., Monahans TX 79756
Phone 915-943-4313, FAX 915-943-4314
e-mail monnews@ultravision.net

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Copyright 1998 by Ward Newspapers Inc.