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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Sports
Monday, October 18, 1999
Eagles cage Lobos' offense at finish, 28-20
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Oct. 18, 1999 -- Going up and down the field with lots of scoring
opportunities is not the Pecos Eagles' style of football.
It is the style of the El Paso Mountain View Lobos, and their way was
the way both teams played the first half of Friday's game at Eagle Stadium.
The two teams combined for 419 yards on offense in the first half, with
the visiting Lobos holding a slight advantage in yards and taking a 14-12
lead on the scoreboard.
But the second half was more of the Eagles' style of play, as they were
able to put together their two best scoring drives in a month, while limiting
Mountain View to just 52 yards total offense, as Pecos rallied for a 28-20
victory.
Donnie Winfrey ran for 189 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries,
while the Eagles' passing attack — which had just three completions on
the night — made two of them count in the second half. The first was a
22-yard touchdown pass from Alex Garcia to Derek Zubledia that gave Pecos
a 20-14 lead, while the second was thrown by Zubledia in the fourth quarter,
after the Lobos rallied to tie the score at 20-all.
Zubeldia, who started the season as one of the Eagles' quarterbacks,
took the ball off a double reverse and found Kevin Bates 36 yards downfield.
Coming on a 3rd-and-12 play from the Eagles' 25 it turned the momentum
of the game, and four plays later Winfrey scored his second touchdown of
the night, a 30-yard run that put Pecos ahead to stay.
"We just decided that it was time to take a chance," said Eagles' coach
Gary Grubbs. "Kevin ran a real good route and Derek made a good pass where
only Kevin could get to it.
"We also had great protection from our offensive line on the play. He
had a good pocket to throw, but what set it up for us, I think, was the
play we ran earlier that we had the penalty on. That made them think it
was a reverse."
Pecos attempted a reverse to Zubeldia earlier in the game that was stopped
by an illegal procedure call, one of 15 penalties on the night for Pecos.
But unlike last week's game in Fabens, the penalties Friday were easy to
see, especially a series of offsides calls against the Eagles' defense
in the first half.
"He (Mountain View quarterback Arturo Muniz) was changing up his cadance,
and our kids said a lot of it was also where their linemen were clutching
up their hands before the snap and we were jumping," Grubbs said.
Pecos went offsides four times on the Lobos' first scoring drive. Two
came on back-to-back plays that offset a procedure call against Mountain
View and helped set up the first of Muniz' three touchdown passes on the
night, a 4-four yard toss to Ebert Munoz. Jaime Arellanes added the extra
point to give the Lobos a 7-6 lead.
The Eagles had gotten on the board first, when Mason Abila returned
his second punt of the season for a tochdown, this one a 63-yarder that
was broken by a series of blocks on the right side of the field. However,
extra points were a problem for Pecos all night, as Roy Marta missed the
first of two attempts.
Pecos' next series started at the 38 and drowe inside the Lobos' 25,
but ended when a sack of Garcia killed the drive, after a fumbled snap
put the Eagles in a hole.
Mountain View then drove the ball into Eagle territory off a couple
of Muniz passes to Albert Jaurietta and a first down run by Ricky Lopez,
before they were hurt by a pair of motion calls and were forced to punt.
This time, it took only two plays for the Eagles to score, as Winfrey
took a pitch to his left, dodged one tackler at the line and then raced
80 yards to the end zone.
"We figure he's good for about 10-15 carries a night. He's not a big,
physical kid, but he does run hard," Grubbs said. "This is going to help
us, because the other kids can't sit there and gang up on Jacob (Esparza),"
who drew most of the Lobos' attention and needed 20 carries to gain 68
yards.
A two-point conversion pass to Zubledia failed, and just as they did
after Pecos' first score, Mountain View answered with a touchdown of their
own.
This one was a 75-yard drive the Eagles kept alive with a roughing the
passer call on a 3rd-and-18 play. The Lobos then escaped a 1st-and-15 hole
when Muniz found Isaac Andazola across the middle for 35 yards, and went
back over the middle a few plays later for a four-yard touchdown pass to
Jaurrieta.
Pecos' final two drives of the half ended in failure, as Garcia threw
low to an open Esparza on a 4th-and-6 play at the Lobos' 15, then was picked
off by Rafael Carrasco at the Mountain View 22. They also failed to move
on their first series of the second half, and penalized themselves out
of a scoring chance a short time later after Jayson Payne intercepted Muniz
at the Lobos' 45-yard line.
The next series again looked as if it would end in failure, as the Eagles
drove inside the Lobos' 20 but then were thrown back, and faced a 4th-and-11
at the 22. But this time, Garcia was able to roll left and find Zubeldia
in the back of the end zone for his second touchdown catch of the year,
putting Pecos back ahead. Winfrey added a two-point conversion run for
a 20-14 lead.
Special teams and peanlties were a big factor in the final period. Mountain
View again launched a scoring drive right after an Eagle TD, going 81 yards
in seven plays to score on a 10-yard fade pass into the corner by Muniz
to Lopez. A 42-yard toss to Munoz was the big play in the drive, and the
Eagles also contributed with three more minor penalties. But Arellanes
missed the extra point, keeping the game tied.
Arellanes would have more problems later on in the period. Marta missed
the extra point after Winfrey's go ahead touchdown, keeping the score at
26-20, but this time the Lobos couldn't answer with a score of their own.
Two penalties wiped out Muniz completions, and after he was sacked by
Sebero Jaquez on a 3rd-and-20 play, the ensuing punt snap went over Arellanes'
head and out the back of the end zone, giving Pecos an eight-point lead
with 4:11 to play.
The Eagles were then able to kill off the clock, thanks to one last
key penalty, a rare defensive illegal procedure call on Mountain View on
a 4th-and-2 play at the Lobos' 42.
"They got the penalty and we kept the ball because they barked out "Go"
on the line," said Grubbs, who opted to punt one more time with 4.3 seconds
to play.
Mountain View sent 10 in a block attempt, but Daniel Terrazas was able
to get a punt off that was too short for Jaurrieta to field — in fact,
Terrazas ended up downing his own kick at the 28-yard-line, ending the
game.
"I thought about it (not punting), but I didn't know if Daniel could
run around for 4.3 seconds," Grubbs said. "All he had to do is put the
ball in the air and it would run four seconds off the clock, and we have
a real good deep snapper."
The win puts Pecos over the .500 mark for the first time this season
at 4-3, and the Eagles improved to 2-0 in District 2-4A play. Mountain
View fell to 3-3 and 0-2 in district, with a game against Canutillo next.
"I still think they can win all three of their games. They've got a
real explosive offense," said Grubbs, whose team faces another explosive
offense in Clint next.
Like the Eagles, the Lions scored a six-point win in Fabens. Unlike
Pecos, which won in overtime, 6-0, the Lions put up a few more points,
beating Fabens, 48-42 on a touchdown pass from D.J. Check to Patrick Tullius
with 1:15 to play. In Friday's other district game, San Elizario improved
to 2-0 with a 21-0 shutout at Canutillo.
at Pecos
EP Mountain View 7
7 0 6
-20
Pecos
12 0 8
8 -28
First Quarter
Pec. - Abila 63 punt return (kick failed), 1:42.
Mt.V - Jaurrieta 11 pass from Muniz (Arellanes kick),
4:20.
Pec. - Winfrey 80 run (pass failed), 11:36.
Second Quarter
Mt.V - Jaurrieta 11 pass from Muniz (Arellanes kick),
2:19.
Third Quarter
Pec. - Zubledia 22 pass from Garcia (Winfrey run), 11:37.
Fourth Quarter
Mt.V - Lopez 10 pass from Muniz (kick failed), 2:53.
Pec. - Winfrey 30 run (kick failed), 6:03.
Pec. - Safety, punt snap out of end zone, 7:49.
MtV
Pec
First Downs
16
11
Rushes-Yds
25-81
40-262
Passing Yds
188
86
Passes
13-26-1
3-10-1
Punts-Yds
4-23.8
3-28
Fumbles-lost
1-0
2-0
Penalties-Yds
13-85
15-95
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing - Mountain View, Lopez 19-84, J. Garcia
1-10, Munoz 1-5, Muniz 3-(-3), Arellanes 1-(-15). Pecos, Winfrey 12-189,
Esparza 20-68, Carson 4-13, A. Garcia 3-(-3), Abila 1-(-5).
Passing - Mountain View, Muniz 13-26-1-188. Pecos,
Garcia 2-9-1-50, Zubledia 1-1-0-36.
Receiving - Mountain View, Jaurrieta 6-84, Muniz
4-51, Andazola 2-46, Lopez 2-7. Pecos, Bates 1-36, Payne 1-28, Zubledia
1-22.
Missed Field Goals - None.
Clint ends Pecos' 2-4A road streak, title hopes
PECOS, Oct. 18, 1999 -- The Pecos Eagles' winning streak in District 2-4A
road games and their hopes for a district title bit the dust on Saturday
in Clint, as the Lions wrapped up the 2-4A crown with a 15-13, 15-5 victory.
Pecos trailed most of the way in Game 1, but battled back at the end
from a 9-5 deficit to grab 12-10 and 13-11 leads. But the Eagles then lost
the serve and saw the Lions score four straight points to pull out the
victory.
"I changed my lineup. I had D'Andra (Ortega) and Philly (Fobbs) on the
front line to take care of their two big hitters (Collanne Bramblett and
Michelle Tullius), but when Philly went to the back we just couldn't hit,"
said Eagles' coach Becky Granado. "I think we had three b alls we hit out
where there was no one blocking up there.
"Philly and Ashley (Salcido) had five kills between them, and it's tough
to win a match with that few kills," she said. "Philly had some beautiful
blocks, but not even that got us going."
Pecos led early in the second game a couple of times, but after taking
a 4-2 lead were outscored by the Lions the rest of the way, 13-1.
"We just got outplayed," said Granado. "They wanted it more, and their
kids made less mistakes."
Clint is now 8-0 in district and 17-3 on the season, and holds the tiebreaker
over Pecos, which is 16-10 and 5-2 with three games left in regular season
play.
While the loss assures Pecos of playing a bi-district match the weekend
of Oct. 28, they can assure themselves of playing the third place team
in District 1-4A with a win at home on Tuesday against Canutillo. The Eagles
then may face a string of three trips to El Paso in eight days, depending
on the playoff situation for both them and the El Paso Mountain View Loboes.
Mountain View is battling San Elizario and Fabens for third place, and
would have to make up their canceled Sept. 25 match with Pecos in El Paso
due to a lack of referees. The Eagles _ who already are going to San Elizario
this Saturday _ may have to go to Mountain View a week from tonight, though
Granado said the game could be played in Van Horn.
"We'll see. I know we're going to have to go to El Paso for our bi-district
game," Granado said. It would be part of a doubleheader on Oct. 30, with
El Paso Burges or El Paso High the Eagles' likely opponent.
Loss threatens Bears' playoff chances
PECOS, Oct. 18, 1999 -- Another slow start turned into another loss for
the Balmorhea Bears Friday night in Dell City, and the Bears now can't
afford any more if they're to make a run at the playoffs.
The Bears fell to 0-2 in District 7-A six-man football play and the
Cougars improved to 2-0 with a 42-18 home victory over Balmorhea.
Jonathan Barker ran for five touchdowns, three in the first half, as
the Cougars went out to a 22-0 lead in the second period and ended up with
nearly 300 yards rushing on the night.
"We just made a lot of mistakes," said Bears' coach Ennis Erickson.
"We just missed some tackles. He (Barker) does have a lot of speed, so
it was a combination of the two."
The Bears finally got on the scoreboard off a 13-yard pass by Billy
Lozano to Ryan Clark and trailed by just 16 at the half. But Barker would
break a 50-yard TD run and then add a shorter 15-yarder in a four minute
stretch of the third quarter to break the game open.
The Bears wouldn't get on the scoreboard again until 3:30 was left in
the game, as Josue Mendoza scored from 19 yards out, but the Bears couldn't
get the ball back and the Cougars added their final score, off a Barker
pass to Jaime Garcia.
Balmorhea's final points came off a 46-yard pass by Manny Mendoza to
Adriel Ramon. But overall, the Bears were just 10-for-29 in passing on
Friday.
"Our passes were either high and away instead of on target or they were
a little low," Erickson said.
With four games left in district play, the Bears will have to run the
table if they're to earn their fifth trip to the playoffs in six years.
The Bears host Buena Vista on Friday and Erickson said they'd also need
help from other teams over the final four weeks of the season.
"Out of Dell City, Grandfalls (3-0 in district) and Sanderson (2-0)
two of those teams have to lose twice, and we have to win the remainder
of our games," Erickson said. Balmorhea already has lost to Grandfalls,
but has yet to play Sanderson, so the Bears will be rooting for a win by
the Cowboys at home over the Eagles this Friday.
Score unsettled, but Mets stun Braves in 15
By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK, Oct. 18, 1999 — After 5 hours, 46 minutes of incredible twists
and overwhelming drama, no one could figure out the score.
Was it 4-3? 5-3? 7-3?
It didn't matter. The New York Mets, once again salvaging their season
with an improbable comeback, lived to play another day in the NL championship
series.
Robin Ventura's grand slam-single — huh? — drove home the winning run
in the 15th inning Sunday, giving the Mets a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta
Braves in Game 5 of a series that is rapidly becoming one for the ages.
Certainly, the game that cut Atlanta's lead in the best-of-7 series
to 3-2 will be remembered as one of the greatest in postseason history,
"one of the ones they show on the sports classic channel," in the words
of Orel Hershiser.
The 482-pitch epic ended in confusion, with two runners crossing the
plate while Ventura was mobbed by his teammates before he could get to
second base after hitting an apparent grand slam. Workers pulled up the
bases, the umpires left the field and everyone in the press box desperately
sought out the actual score.
"As long as I touched first, we won," Ventura said. "That's fine with
me."
About 10 minutes after the game ended, official scorer Red Foley said
Ventura was credited not with a grand slam but with a run-scoring single,
and the final was 4-3. The umpires insisted the score was 5-3, counting
both runners who came home before the celebration. The NL eventually ruled
it 4-3, saying Foley and the Elias Sports Bureau were responsible for the
final decision.
In Boston, where the New York Yankees were playing the Red Sox in Game
4 of the ALCS, they put up the 4-3 score on the manual scoreboard, drawing
cheers. Then it changed to 7-3, and the reaction turned to confusion. Finally,
the electronic scoreboard reported the Mets won 4-3 on Ventura's grand
slam.
Officially, it was a single that went over the right-field fence. The
result: Game 6 will be played Tuesday night at Turner Field.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 1999 by Pecos Enterprise
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