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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
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Sports

Monday, May 3, 1999

Pecos ends district unbeaten with 11-0 win


By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
SAN ELIZARIO, May 3 -- With the final playoff spot in
District 2-4A having been decided the day before, neither
the Pecos Eagles nor the San Elizario Eagles had much to
play for Saturday afternoon, to close out the 1999 2-4A
baseball season.

So with only a perfect district record for Pecos or a .500
mark for San Elizario on the line, Eagles coach Bubba
Williams got a chance to look at sophomore Pifi Montoya on
the mound for the first time in over a month. The lefthander
came up with a one-hitter, while his teammates got more than
enough runs off pitchers Jerry Rojas and Rene Solis, as
Pecos won its 11th straight game by an 11-0 final score.

Montoya's main problem was his own control. He fell behind
San Elizario hitters in the opening innings and ended up
allowing eight walks, but was bailed out in twice by his
defense, when Joe Facio was caught rounding second base too
far after the host team's only hit, a bloop single off the
glove of Oscar Luna, while Luis Salgado was in the right
spot to snare a Jose Herrera line drive and throw to Louis
Valencia, doubling Edgar Flores off second base.

"He hadn't pitched in about a month, so he had some
problems with his control," said Eagles' coach Bubba
Williams. Montoya, 2-1, did end up with eight strikeouts to
go along with his eight walks, and picked up his first
shutout of the season.

At the plate, the Eagles' had some trouble with Rojas'
curveball, but not as much trouble as left fielder Eddie
Adame had when they hit it. After Mason Abila doubled over
his head in the first inning, Adame dropped Jeff Martinez'
fly ball for an error, scoring both Abila and Oscar Luna who
opened the game with a walk. John Gutierrez then singled
home Martinez for a 3-0 lead.

In the third inning, after Martinez bloop hit into left
bounced past Adame for a two-base error, Josh Casillas
tagged Rojas for a two-run homer, his ninth of the season.
Adame's afternoon then ended when Gutierrez got a fly ball
over his head for a triple, and Jose Rivas came on to play
left field.

Meanwhile, Rojas made it through the game, but spent the
final 1ä innings at second base, after Pecos scored four
times with two out in the fourth.

It began when Abila reached on an infield hit and Martinez
then blooped another single down the left field line. Both
runners scored on a bloop single to right by Casillas,
before Gutierrez hit his sixth homer of the year, over the
fence in right, bringing Solis in from second base to pitch.

He gave up the final two runs in the fifth, walking Mark
Abila, then allowing a double to Oscar Luna with one out.
Abila scored on a wild pitch, and when catcher Isaac
Cardona's throw to home plate bounced past Solis, Luna
scored from second for an 11-0 lead.

Rojas did strikeout five Pecos batters in 3ã despite taking
the loss, and Williams said that was due in part to a little
lack of intensity during the game.

"Since we beat Clint (on April 24 to win the district
title) the kids have lacked a little aggressiveness, and
they can't afford to do that in the playoffs. We've got to
get more aggressive like we did when district started,"
Williams said.

The win improved Pecos' record to 18-5-1 and allowed them
to close district with a perfect 10-0 mark. San Elizario
finished with a 4-6 mark in 2-4A play and a 9-12 mark for
the season.

Williams said he was hoping to get the Eagles a pre-playoff
practice game for later this week, possible against District
4-3A champion Alpine. Pecos will await the winner of the
bi-district round of the playoffs, against the District 3-4A
runner-up or the District 4-4A third place team. Those spots
will be determined today, and Pecos' playoff series will
probably open on May 14 or 15.

Fabens clinched the third and final District 2-4A playoff
berth on Friday by scoring nine runs in the seventh inning
to beat Canutillo, 13-10. They'll face District 1-4A
runner-up El Paso Riverside, while 2-4A runner-up Clint
plays El Paso Burges in the bi-district round of the Class
4A playoffs.
Saturday


PECOS SAN ELIZARIO

ab r h bi ab r h bi
Luna cf 3 2 1 0 Tapia 3b 3 0 1 0
Ma.Abila lf 3 2 2 0 Flores cf 0 0 0 0
Martinez 3b 3 3 2 0 Solis 2b-p 1 0 0 0
Ri.Hrra 3b 0 0 0 0 J.Hrra ss 3 0 0 0
Casillas 1b 4 2 2 4 Reyes 1b 2 0 0 0
Rdrguez 1b 0 0 0 0 Rojas p-2b 1 0 0 0
Montoya p 0 0 0 0 Cardona c 1 0 0 0
Gutrrez dh 4 1 3 3 Adame lf 1 0 0 0
Bates rf 2 0 0 0 Rivas lf 1 0 0 0
Salgado ss 3 0 0 0 Facio rf 0 0 0 0
H.Garcia ss 0 0 0 0 Re.Hrra ph 1 0 0 0
Mk.Abila c 1 1 0 0
Valencia 2b 2 0 0 0
Lara 2b 1 0 0 0

Totals 26 11 10 8 Totals 14 0 1 0

Pecos 3 0 2 4 2 --11
San Elizario 0 0 0 0 0 -- 0
E -- Adame 2, Cardona. DP -- Pecos 1. LOB -- Pecos 6, San
Elizario 7. 2B -- Ma. Abila, Luna. 3B -- Gutierrez. HR --
Casillas, Gutierrez. S -- Solis, SB --Gutierrez, Mk. Abila,
Bates.

IP H R ER BB KO
Pecos
Montoya W, 2-1 5 1 0 0 8 8
San Elizario
Rojas (L) 3 2/3 9 9 8 1 5
Solis 1 1/3 1 2 1 4 0
HBP -- Mk. Abila by Rojas.
WP -- Solis.
PB -- Cardona, Mk. Abila.
T -- 1:47.

Best times can't get Pecos into finals


By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
SAN ANGELO, May 3 -- Even some personal best times weren't
enough to get the Pecos Eagles into the final point
standings at the Region I-4A track and field meet at Angelo
State University on Friday and Saturday, though both coaches
Vance Washington and Lily Talamantez said they were happy
with their teams' overall performances in San Angelo.

"We ran our personal best time in the mile (relay) and
Daniel (Terrazas) ran his personal best in the 400,"
Washington said after Friday's events, half of which were
delayed nearly three hours by rain. "Daniel ran a 50.7 time
which is pretty dang good for a 15-year-old."

Pecos came closest to placing in the finals in the mile
relay, where they finished fifth in their heat with a 3:29
time, staying close to the leaders, including eventual
regional champ Stephenville, until the final 250 meters.

Along with Terrazas, three of the four members of the 1600
meter relay team also competed in other events, though
Orlando Matta was unable to advance to the finals of the
triple jump on Saturday, and Len Carson failed to clear
opening height in the pole vault.

Carson was competing after injuring his foot at the District
2-4A meet two weeks earlier in El Paso. He was replaced in
the 1600 meter relay that day by Lee Lyles, who took Jason
Payne's place in Friday's preliminary.

Senior Lucio Flores had the toughest day for Pecos, failing
to place in either the 110 or the 300 meter hurdles. He
opted not to re-run the 110 hurdles, after a collision
between Frenship's Allen Runkles and Sweetwater's Derek Carr
in the lanes next to him resulted in a re-run.

"I messed up all of my steps. My steps were just off,"
Florez said of the 110, and Washington said he had the same
problem in the 300 finals four hours later.

"Lucio missed it right there in the middle. He was with them
until then," said Washington, after Florez' 41.0 time.

The girls' 1600 meter relay team of Jessica Rodriguez,
Christina Arenivas, Michelle Saenz and Shaye Lara ran a
4:24, two seconds off their time at district, but still well
off a berth in the finals, where Crowley won with a 3:55.80
time.

"It was good experience for the freshmen," Talamantez said.
"Jessica's only 14 years old and the others (Arenivas and
Saenz) are just 15."

"Jessica and Christina were talking to the other girls, and
a lot of them were seniors, so it was a privilege to get up
there, and they'll have something to work for next year,"
she said. Shaye Lara, who ran the anchor leg, was the only
senior on the Eagles' team.

The other senior at regionals for the girls, Liz Parent, ran
both her races on Saturday, but didn't place in the top six
in the 800 or 1600 meter runs. "She hit her personal best
time of 5:54 (in the 1600), and she had a 6:18, so she was
real pleased with that," Talamantez said.

Arenivas was the other Eagle in a finals-only event, but did
not place in the long jump.

Crowley won the girls' division, with 72 points to 70 for
Pampa, while San Angelo Lake View and Lubbock Estacado tied
for the boys' title with 48 points apiece. Crowley's girls
also set a meet record in winning the 800 meter relay, while
the only boys' record -- as expected -- was by Big Spring's
Tory Mitchell, who won the 100 meters with a 10.20 time.

The highest finish for any runner out of the Eagles'
District 2-4A was Canutillo's Rene Gutierrez, who was third
in the 800 meter run. Clint's Martin Orozco and Fabens'
Ricky Ontiveros were fifth and sixth in the 3200 meter run,
as El Paso-area schools dominiated the boys' distance races,
while the only 2-4A girl to collect points at regionals was
Clint's Belinda Cervantes, who ended in a three-way tie for
fourth in the high jump.

Emotional Elway makes retirement official


By AARON J. LOPEZ
AP Sports Writer
ENGLEWOOD, Colo,, May 3 -- The quarterback known for being
so cool in the final minutes of a game showed plenty of
emotion this time.

John Elway had shown the natural poise that made him one of
the NFL's greatest quarterbacks. Standing in a crowded
conference room where his family, friends and fans waited
for official word of his retirement, Elway joked about
having his car towed the night before and prepared to
reflect upon his remarkable 16 years with the Denver
Broncos.

That's when the enormity of it all blindsided him. Elway's
husky voice started to crack and his eyes welled up with
tears. Taking a final knee was not going to be so easy.

``I really don't look at it as retirement,'' the 38-year-old
Elway said Sunday during an emotional news conference. ``I
look at it as graduation. We graduate from high school. We
graduate from college. I'm just graduating from football.''

With that, Elway paused for the second time in two minutes,
choking back tears and trying to regain his composure. His
wife Janet cried as she sat in the front row with their four
children and John's father, Jack.

At one point, Janet walked up to the podium and handed her
husband a box of tissues.

``It chokes you up,'' Jack Elway said. ``I've got a lot of
friends. I like people, but that's my best friend.''

Elway has been Denver's adopted son since the Broncos
acquired him from the Baltimore Colts on May 2, 1983. It was
fitting that he would walk away from football exactly 16
years later.

``They don't have an over-40 league or an over-50 league,''
Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe said. ``This is it. It's
hard. To thank all the people who have been a part of his
career and helped him get to this point, it's a very
emotional time.''

Sharpe was one of several teammates who showed up on Elway
Day. Running back Terrell Davis, defensive end Neil Smith
and Elway's heir apparent, Bubby Brister, also listened
intently as Elway explained that he could no longer endure
the rigors of NFL life.

``It's time for me to move on,'' Elway said, breaking up
again. ``I can't do it physically anymore, and that's really
hard for me to say.''

During his career, Elway's play often left opponents
speechless.

He guided his team to more victories (148) than any other
quarterback in NFL history. He threw for 51,475 yards and
accounted for 54,882 total yards -- second only to Miami's
Dan Marino.

Elway also rallied his team to 47 game-saving drives -- more
than any other quarterback. He was selected to nine Pro
Bowls and was named the NFL's MVP in 1987. He holds 55
Broncos' regular-season or postseason records.

``I don't think I've ever been around a guy that has had
expectations as high as John Elway,'' Denver coach Mike
Shanahan said. ``Everybody has expected him to be the best
on the football field. He's exceeded those expectations.'

For years, the only thing missing from Elway's resume was a
Super Bowl title, and he took care of that by winning two
straight. In his final game, he was voted Super Bowl MVP in
a 34-19 win over Atlanta last January.

He becomes the only quarterback to retire after winning a
Super Bowl.

``There's nothing harder than losing a Super Bowl when you
work that hard to get there,'' Elway said. ``Heck, after 14
years I was wondering if we'd ever get it done. If we hadn't
have won a Super Bowl, the chances are I'd be back next
year.''

Instead, Elway joins Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky as the
third superstar to leave his sport since January.

Sunday's ceremony was anti-climatic because Elway's
intentions had been known for more than a week. He delayed
his announcement out of respect for the deadly shooting at
nearby Columbine High School in Littleton.

The Elway family, Shanahan and Broncos owner Pat Bowlen wore
blue-and-silver ribbons in memory the shooting victims and a
moment of silence was held before the news conference.

The slayings helped Elway put his retirement decision in
perspective, and he emphasized family while pondering his
immediate future.

``They've been great for 16 years,'' Elway said. ``Since the
kids have been born, the family life has focused around me
and football. It's time that it focuses around them.''

In addition to taking his turn in the family car pool, Elway
will fill his days playing golf and exploring business
opportunities -- possibly as a broadcaster or a minority
owner with the Broncos.

Nothing, however, will be the same on Sunday afternoons.

``I'll never be able fill the void of playing a football
game,'' Elway said. ``I'll never fill that. That will be the
biggest part that I miss.''



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Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
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