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The Eagles, who won their opening round playoff match Thursday night in
Van Horn over El Paso Burges, take on Lamesa tonight at 7:30 p.m. in
Crane in the area round of the Class 4A playoffs. The winner will go on
to face either the San Angelo Lake View Maidens or the Dumas Demons in
the regional quarterfinals this Saturday.
But that's also the day Geron is scheduled to be one of four alumni
inducted into the Hall of Honor at Sul Ross State University in Alpine.
Geron, State Rep. Pete Gallego, Herbert Biederman of Wall and Jerry
Hudgins of Kingwood are scheduled to be inducted into the Hall of Honor
during homecoming induction ceremonies, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in
Mountainside Dining Room. So a victory tonight over the Golden Tornadoes
will make this weekend a hectic one for the Eagles' longtime coach.
"Carol Lewis over in Alpine has lined up an airplane just in case,"
Geron said. "If we win and play Lake View it won't be that bad, because
we can play in Midland. But if it's Dumas, we're looking at the Lubbock
area."
However, there wouldn't be any guarantee it would actually be in
Lubbock. The Eagles and Tors tried to play tonight's contest in the
Midland-Odessa area, but all those gyms are booked for pre-season
basketball scrimmages, and with the season starting next week, most
schools also have scrimmages planned for this Saturday.
"Wherever we play, it will have to have an airport," Geron said. "I
always swore I would never get into a little plane, but whatever I have
to do I'll do it. The important thing is to keep the girls winning."
Saturday's honor is the first of two this month for Geron. She and the
members of Pecos' 1987 state championship team will be honored the
weekend of Nov. 22-23 at Burger Center in Austin, during this year's UIL
State Volleyball Tournament.
The `87 squad won Pecos' only state championship in any team sport, and
their 34-0 record was the last undefeated mark for any Class 4A
volleyball team.
This year's Eagles team is the 11th to reach the playoffs since Geron
took over the program in 1980, after coaching for 15 years in Fabens.
The Eagles won 76 straight district matches between 1985-91, won
district championships from 1986-90 and in 1992, and were Region I-4A
finalists in 1982, 1986, 1988 and 1989. Last Thursday's playoff win over
Burges was her 618th career victory.
While Geron was at Fabens, the Wildcats won eight other district titles,
and reached the Class 2A (now 3A) state finals once. Prior to that, she
coached in Florida, earning a state basketball championship there with
another undefeated squad.
An Alpine native and Alpine High School grad, Geron continued her
education at Sul Ross, graduating with her bachelor of science degree in
1958. In high school athletics, Geron was named All-District in
volleyball, basketball and tennis.
Geron's career at Sul Ross came during an era when there were no
intercollegiate athletic programs for women. She competed in club
sports, and her teams played other college teams, including Texas Tech
University and San Angelo Junior College.
After college graduation, Geron began a distinguished coaching career
that has seen her teams in two states achieve championship status.
She has also coached seven district and bi-district championship teams
in basketball and has coached two state all-star teams. Geron has served
13 years on the Board of Directors of the Texas Girls Volleyball
Association.
PECOS, Nov. 5 -- The last time the University Interscholastic League
expanded the Class 4A playoffs, the Pecos Eagles used that opening to
reach the Region I-4A finals.
That's a good omen for this year's Pecos team, which used the new
three-team playoff format to reach the playoffs, and defeated El Paso
Burges last Thursday in bi-district competition to earn an area round
berth against the Lamesa Golden Tornadoes.
The last time the Eagles met the Tornadoes in the Class 4A playoffs,
they went on to win the state title. And while its way too early to
start thinking about that, Pecos would like to see their 1987 success
against Lamesa repeated, when the teams meet in Crane tonight at 7:30
p.m.
Pecos got their first playoff win since 1989 on Thursday when they
downed Burges, and Lamesa will be trying for their first post-season
victory since `89 tonight, after drawing a first round bye for winning
the District 2-4A championship. The Tors would also rather look back a
year past 1987, to their '86 squad, which beat Pecos on the way to their
last Class 4A championship.
The Eagles come into the game with a 14-16 mark, while Lamesa is 24-7 on
the season. But away from home, the records are a lot closer - the
Eagles are 9-6 on the season, while the Tors are 13-6 away from Lamesa.
They missed a chance to face each other at the Seminole Tournament, but
did get a chance to look at each other during pool round play. "I've
talked to people and they've just gotten a little bit more consistent
then they were at Seminole," Eagles' coach Nora Geron said. "They still
play the same. They hit mainly from the outside and they have a big
blocker in the middle."
Kizzie Fleming is the Tors' main hitter, while they use a pair of 6-foot
blockers, in Bree Shephard and Tanji Meador. They helped Lamesa go
undefeated through their 10 district contests, though the Tors were
beaten on Saturday by Seminole in a practice match, 15-7, 15-7.
"We pass better than they do, and we hit about the same, block about the
same and serve about the same, so I think it will be a good matchup
between us," the Eagles' coach said.
"The girls are excited about the playoffs now," she added. "I think
they're ready to play. We had a good workout on Saturday and a good
workout today (Monday)."
Tonight's winner will take on either District 4-4A champion San Angelo
Lake View or 1-4A runner-up Dumas in the regional quarterfinals on
Saturday. The Maidens and Demons are playing tonight in Lubbock, as is
the other District 4-4A qualifier, Andrews. The Mustangs edged El Paso
Riverside in their bi-district match on Saturday and take on 1-4A champ
Hereford tonight in their area round contest.
PECOS, Nov. 5 -- The races for the District 4 boys and girls swimming
titles are going to be close come January, based on the results of the
Pecos Eagles' first major swim meet of the season on Saturday.
Pecos' boys placed third in the Big Spring Invitational, behind San
Angelo Central and the host Steers, while Pecos' girls were sixth in
their division, also won by Central with Monahans finishing second.
The Bobcats ran away with the boys' title, scoring 336 points to 192
for the Steers, who ended Pecos' run of six straight district titles
last winter. But the Eagles were a close third, with 185 points, and
coach Terri Morse said, "The boys did a great job. We were swimming
without Seth (Whitworth) and Jeff (Lam), and if those two were there, we
might not have caught Central, but I think we would have gotten the
points to beat out Big Spring."
Morse said Whitworth, Lam and Christi Whitworth, "were off taking the
SATs, and I scratched Leslie (Armbruster) because she had a bad back."
Armbruster swam only the 200 freestyle relay, Morse said.
The girls are going for their seventh straight crown, but will be
pressed hard by both Monahans, which had 182 points to Central's 287,
and Big Spring, which was third with 145 points. Lubbock Coronado and
Abilene High were fourth and fifth, with 144 and 138 points, followed by
Pecos with 124.
"We need to figure out some things to get faster and hold onto the
district title," Morse said. "I'm not sure what we're going to finally
do, because we didn't have a full crew there (Saturday)."
The boys earned a pair of gold medals and were second and third in six
other races.
Kenneth Friar won first and second place medals, as he took the 500
yard freestyle in 5:22.55 after a second place finish in the 200 free in
1:59.41, just .36 seconds behind winner Kris Knight of Abilene High.
Kevin Bates had the Eagles' other first, winning the 100 backstroke over
Big Spring's Slate Broyles by .54 seconds, with a 59.12 time. Earlier,
he took third in the 200 individual medley.
Bates, Friar, Al Tillman and Dennis Harris opened the meet with a
second place finish in the 200 medley relay, as their 1:49.54 time was
just short of Central's 1:49.40 effort. Friar, Bates, Harris and William
Kiefer later placed second in the 400 freestyle relay, while Kiefer,
Tillman, Harris and Matt Ivy were third in the 200 free relay.
"I had to scratch Dennis out of the 50 free for the 200 free relay,"
due to the missing swimmers, Morse said, while adding, "I'll probably
keep him there because the 200 medley did so good with Kenneth on the
(butter)fly."
Harris earned a third place medal in the 500 freestyle, while Tillman
was fourth in the 200 medley and the 100 breaststroke; Kiefer was fifth
in the 200 free and 11th in the 100 free; Ivy was ninth in the 100
backstroke and 11th in the 100 fly and Scott Pounds was 36th in the 50
free and 39th in the 100 free.
For the girls, Liz Parent just missed a gold medal in the 500 free. Her
5:46.47 time was just .16 seconds in back of Adrian Reese of Abilene
Cooper. The Eagles' other silver medal came from Parent, Randi Key,
Dionnie Munoz and Megan Freeman in the 400 freestyle, where they had a
4:09.91 time.
Parent also placed fourth in the 200 medley, while Freeman earned the
Eagles' other medal, finishing third in the 100 fly. She was also fifth
in the 100 breaststroke, while Key was fourth in the 100 fly and eighth
in the 100 backstroke, and Munoz was 12th in the 100 back after placing
eighth in the 200 free.
Key, Freeman, Parent and Munoz began the meet by placing sixth in the
200 medley relay, while in the 200 freestyle relay Armbruster, Kellee
Bagley, Sarah Lam and Jamie Corson finished 12th.
Corson was 11th, Bagley 17th, Briar Prewit 25th and Lam 28th in the 100
freestyle, while Bagley was 26th, Prewit 36th and Lam 41st in the 50
free for the Eagles' other individual finishes.
Pecos will face compete in the San Angelo Invitational this weekend, the
largest meet for the Eagles this season prior to regional competition.
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