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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
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Sports

Thursday October 15, 1998

Eagles to combat Mountain View air attack


By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Oct. 15 -- Think of last week as a practice run for
the Pecos Eagles' pass defense. Because while Fabens
quarterback Jaime Valenzuela put the ball up a lot in the
Eagles' 31-0 win over the Wildcats, they're going to see the
ball flying through the air even more during the next three
weeks, starting on Friday, when Pecos goes to El Paso to
face the Mountain View Lobos.

The Eagles make the first of their two trips to El Paso in
District 2-4A play to face Mountain View, in a 7:30 p.m. CDT
start. And while Valenzuela aired the ball out 22 times a
week ago, Mountain View quarterback Adolfo Villa put it up
38 times in the Lobos' win over San Elizario last Friday,
after throwing 34 times the previous week in their loss to
El Paso Ysleta.

"Villa had a real good night," Lobos' coach Howard Walls
said of last week's 20-13 win over San Elizario. "They were
playing man-to-man, so we threw the ball a little more than
we normally do. We try staying about 60 percent of the time
with the run if the other team allows us to."

"They've got a pretty good, high powered offense and they
like to throw the ball," said Eagles' coach Dan Swaim.
"Villa's got a stronger arm (than Valenzuela), and their
receivers run real good routes and have good hands."

Villa has already completed 92 passes this season, tied for
first in the state with the quarterback Pecos will face next
week, Clint's D.J. Check. Mountain View's senior has thrown
for 400 fewer yards, but unlike the Lions, who are averaging
just 75 yards per game rushing, the Lobos have a ground
attack they can rely on.

"We've got two pretty good running backs in Frank Carrejo
and Ricky Lopez," said Walls. Both have gained over 350
yards and have combined for seven touchdowns so far this
season.

However, it's through the air that Mountain View has done
the most damage. Wingback Albert Jaurneta leads all district
pass receivers with 34 catches for 678 yards and five
touchdowns. He's also run for 75 yards while Mike Alcala,
Danny Reyes and Arturo Muniz all have between 100 and 200
yards receiving this season.

In part because of that, and due to an infected thumb
suffered by sophomore Daniel Terrazas, Eagles' quarterback
Oscar Luna will be making his debut at linmebacker on
defense Friday.

"The reason we're doing that is because of their passing
game. We want to put a defensive back type kid in at
linebacker," Swaim said of Luna, who was second in District
4-4A in interceptions last season, but has spent most of
this year at quarterback.
However, unlike his El Paso counterparts, Luna's done more
handing off than passing. Pecos went 22 minutes last week
before attempting a pass, and threw just six all night while
running for 321 yards.

"We're going to do what we do best. We're going to stay
with what we do on offense and defense," Swaim said.

The Eagles have yet to allow a passing touchdown in 1998,
and their four interceptions last Friday, three by safety
Jason Payne, gave Pecos nine overall this season.

Fabens drove deep into Pecos territory three times week,
but pressure from the defensive line forced Valenzuela into
bad throws, and the Eagles were able to preserve their
shutout, twice on Payne interceptions and once getting the
ball back on downs.

To get to Villa on Friday, though, they'll have to get
around a Mountain View offensive line that averages about
265 pounds.

"The line is all seniors who started last year and they
have pretty good size," said Walls. That includes 300-pound
center Eddie Corral and 285-pound tackles Alex Gondara and
Javier Rodriguez.

The Lobos' defensive line is a little smaller, but so far
they lead the district in run defense, allowing just 749
yards, and are allowing opponents under 207 yards overall
per game.

"Defense was one of our concerns going into the season.
We've got several sophomore starters who've done an
outstanding job," Walls said.

"Number 35, Eddie Contreras is a sophomore linebacker who's
looked real good on film," said Swaim who added that
defensive end Frank Torres also has played well in the games
the Eagles' coaches have seen.

Mountain View lost to Ysleta two weeks ago by a 41-7 score,
but outgained the Indians by over 150 yards. "Ysleta got 21
points off special teams. We had a lot of yards, but not
that many points," Walls said of his team's 401-yard night.

"They had a couple of punts blocked and an extra point,"
Swaim said. "They hurt themselves a couple of times against
Ysleta, but they really controlled the game against San
Elizario and (El Paso) Burges."

Friday's game is the fourth straight at home for Mountain
View, which comes in with a 5-1 season record. Pecos is 3-3
so far this season, but all their wins have come at Eagle
Stadium. Pecos last road victory came last season against
Fabens, when they came away from their El Paso-area trip
with a 25-7 victory.

Swimmers face Andrews in home opener


PECOS, Oct. 15 -- The Pecos Eagles' swimming team will hold
the first of their three 1998-99 home meets this evening,
when they host the Andrews Mustangs at 6 p.m. at the Pecos
High School natatorium.

Like their season-opening opponent last Saturday, Big
Spring, the Mustangs remain a District 4 rival of Pecos in
swimming, and will be back here in late January when the
Eagles host the district swim meet.

Pecos' boys and girls won their season openers over Big
Spring this past Saturday, with the boys' reversing last
year's results in the District 4 finals, while the girls
overcame their lack of swimmers to get past the Steers.

Eagles' coach Terri Morse said Andrews also figures to
bring a few more swimmers to Pecos tonight. "I know they've
got quite a few out, I just don't know if they've got the
quality," she said.

The Eagles' first regular swim meet will be next Saturday,
Oct. 24, when they go to the Abilene Invitational.

Padres earn Series berth with 5-0 win


By BEN WALKER
AP Baseball Writer
ATLANTA, Oct. 15 -- Hardly anyone pictured this at the
start of the playoffs.

Yet there were the San Diego Padres, coming back out of
their champagne-filled clubhouse for a team photo on the
mound of nearly empty Turner Field.

An hour after Sterling Hitchcock beat the Braves 5-0 in
Game 6 to win the NL championship series Wednesday, the
Padres gathered in the middle of the diamond and hoisted
high the trophy they came to Atlanta to claim.

``We all have waited a long time for this,'' outfielder
Tony Gwynn said. ``We did what we had to do and now we're
going to the World Series.''

Next stop on this surprising trip for Gwynn and the Padres,
making their first trip to the World Series since 1984 -- to
Yankee Stadium.

Game 1 will be Saturday night against the team that set an
AL record with 114 victories. Kevin Brown will start the
opener against New York's David Wells.

``For me it's a big thrill. I've never been to Yankee
Stadium,'' Gwynn said.

The underdog Padres chalked up another 100-win victim as
Hitchcock shut down Atlanta's hitters and momentum, earning
his second victory in five days and the NLCS MVP award.

The Braves had won two straight games, prompting talk they
might become the first team in baseball history to overcome
an 0-3 deficit in the postseason.

But the Padres wrecked that plan, winning the series 4-2
with a five-run sixth inning off Tom Glavine. October hero
Jim Leyritz broke a scoreless tie with an RBI grounder.

Hitchcock improved to 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA postseason,
pitching into the sixth inning and allowing only two hits
and striking out eight. Not bad for someone who began the
year in the bullpen.

Having beaten Houston's Randy Johnson and Atlanta's Greg
Maddux and Glavine in the playoffs, Hitchcock will now go
against the Yankees, who traded him to Seattle in December
1995 in a deal for Tino Martinez.

``Whether I was going to New York, whether I was going to
Tokyo, it doesn't matter,'' Hitchcock said. ``It's going to
be the time of my life.''

For the Braves, the loss meant the end to yet another
disappointing year. Despite having reached the postseason a
record seven straight times, they have just one World Series
championship to show for it. And with 106 victories, they
are the winningest team to fail to reach the Series.

``Well, you can call it any way you want,'' Braves manager
Bobby Cox said. ``We had a great year.''

``If you don't get hot in these things, you're just not
going to win them. We don't have anything to be ashamed
about,'' he said.

The Braves lost all three home games in the series and were
shut out twice. San Diego outpitched the team that was built
on pitching, holding Atlanta to two hits in the final game.

``Not many people gave us a chance against Houston. Not
many people gave us a chance against Atlanta,'' Gwynn said.
``But here we are.''

At 38, Gwynn is the last remaining member from the Padres'
only other trip to the Series, a five-game wipeout by
Detroit. The eight-time batting champion had two hits in the
clincher against Atlanta.

Hitchcock, 0-2 with an 8.41 ERA in four career starts on
three days' rest, pitched on short rest for the first time
this year because of Kevin Brown's relief appearance in Game
5.

Hitchcock worked around a pair of singles in the fourth,
and left with a 5-0 lead after walking the first two batters
in the sixth. Brian Boehringer, another former Yankees
pitcher, retired the next three batters.

The game was scoreless in the sixth when Greg Vaughn, back
in the starting lineup for the first time since leaving the
opener because of a strained left quadriceps, singled with
one out.

Vaughn ran on a 3-2 pitch and easily made it to third when
Ken Caminiti grounded a broken-bat single through the vacant
hole on the right side. Leyritz, whose three-run homer for
the Yankees in Game 4 of the 1996 World Series at Atlanta
sent them on to the title, put the Padres ahead with an RBI
grounder.

Wally Joyner followed with an RBI single and Glavine
pitched around No. 8 hitter Chris Gomez, loading the bases
with a two-out walk. In the day's key play, Hitchcock sliced
an 0-2 pitch on a low line toward left fielder Danny
Bautista.

Bautista got a bad break in on the ball, made a late dive
and missed. The ball clanged off his glove, and two runs
scored.

``I saw the ball right away, but then I lost it in the
lights,'' Bautista said.

That finished Glavine, and Quilvio Veras greeted John
Rocker with an RBI single for a five-run lead.

The big inning quieted the crowd of 50,988, which had come
hoping the Braves could force a Game 7 showdown between
Maddux and Brown.



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