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Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Friday, December 3, 2002
Pecos opens Andrews tourney after Stanton loss
Hanging onto the ball continued to be a problem for the Pecos Eagles’ basketball team Tuesday night in Stanton, something coach Art Welborn is hoping to see improvement in this weekend, when the Eagles compete a the Gym Bice Tournament in Andrews.
Pecos was scheduled to face the host Mustangs in a 1 p.m. game on Thursday in the Andrews High School gym. The winner will face Fort Stockton in a second round match-up, while the loser will take on either Lamesa or El Paso Del Valle in a consolation semifinal, at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.
A 15-4 second quarter advantage for Stanton provided the Buffaloes with most of their margin of victory, after Pecos had rallied from a slow start to get to within a point late in the opening period.
“Right at the end of the first quarter they were up 9-0 and we pressed and got four steals in a row. We were right back into it after that, but we couldn’t put the ball in the hole,” Welborn said.
Stanton led 31-14 at halftime and would widen that lead to 22 going into the final period, when the Eagles finally got some offense going against the Buffaloes’ reserves.
Welborn said Pecos committed 26 turnovers in the game, even though for most of the night, Stanton didn’t run an aggressive defense.
“When we can score we can press, and when we can press we can do a good job. But we just can’t keep from turning over the ball and giving them lay-ups,” he said. The Buffs also hurt Pecos from the outside, scoring 21 points on 3-point jumpers.
Josh Anchondo led Pecos in scoring on Tuesday with 12 points, while Stanton was led by Michael Washington with 16 points and Matthew Ruiz with 11. Lucas Macha also was in double figures for Pecos with 11 points, but the Eagles’ leading scorer in their pre-Thanksgiving games, Ricardo Morales, was held to just two in the loss.
“Ricardo’s a little frustrated. He needs to be inside because he’s got a quick first step to the basket, but because of where we are right now, he has to play outside,” Welborn said.
Stanton improved to 3-1 with their victory while Pecos fell to 1-3 going into their game with Andrews.
PECOS (46)
Morales 2, Pina 8, Licon 2, Anchondo 12, Castillo 4, Nunez 4, Salcido 2, Macha 11. Totals 18 8-13 45.
STANTON (61)
Washington 16, Gutierrez 4, Esparza 10, Jezek 3, Ireton 7, Benavidez 4, Ruiz 11, D. Shafer 2, A. Shafer 4. Totals 21 12-26 61.
Pecos 10 4 10 21 --45
Stanton 16 15 15 15 --61
Three-point goals: Pecos 1 (Macha), Stanton 7 (Ruiz 3, Washington 2, Gutierrez, Esparza).
Bears place eight on all-district football team
Two members of the Balmorhea Bears football team were named to the District 6-A six-man football All-District Team, while six others were named to the second team in voting by the district’s coaches.
Senior quarterback Michael Dominguez and junior fullback Alexis Lozano were chosen to the first team on offense, while Lozano was also chosen to the first team on defense, as a lineman. Lozano was also named as the second team kicker for the all-district squad, which was released following losses by Sanderson and Dell City in the area round of the state six-man playoffs.
Senior linebacker Levon Barragan and freshman safety Americo Rios were second team selections on defense for the Bears, who finished third in District 6-A this season. Aside from Lozano at kicker, the Bears’ other second team selections on offense included three seniors, Barragan at running back, wide receiver Michael Rodriguez and center Robert Vasquez, junior tight end A.J. Garcia and sophomore spread back Brandon Mendoza.
Coach Adolfo Garcia said Dominguez was also named second alternate to next July’s Texas Six-Man Coaches Association All-Star game, while Barragan was fifth alternate among the district’s seniors eligible for the game.
Dell City, which edged the Bears early in district play at home and went on to win the District 6-A six-man title, and Sanderson, which won in Balmorhea the final week of the season to claim the second place playoff berth, had the two senior All-Star Game qualifiers. The Cougars’ Eloy Perez was named to the team and named the district’s Offensive MVP for 2004, while Eric Bilano for the Eagles was picked for the game, even though his teammate, Geo Estrada, was chosen as Defensive MVP.
Estrada, also a senior, was chosen on offense as well, at tight end. Sanderson’s other first team selections on offense were senior center Shane Chriesman, senior running back Haze Roberts and Bilano, at utility back. Dell City also put seniors Clint Dean at tight end and Jose Garcia at wide receiver on the first team, while the other players on offense were Grandfalls junior wide receiver Jose Garcia and Fort Davis senior spreadback David Lara.
Sierra Blanca junior Lorenzo Sanchez was named as first team player on special teams, while junior Enrique Taragno of Buena Vista was chosen as first team kicker, even though the Longhorns were forced to suspend their season in October due to a shortage of players. Grandfalls freshman B.J. Santiago was selected as the district’s Newcomer of the Year, and Dell City coach Dale Means, who led the Cougars to their first district title since 1993, was chosen as Coach of the Year.
Aside from the Bears’ Lozano and Estrada, also a defensive lineman, the other first team picks included Dell City’s Dean at defensive line and sophomore Trey Nichols as a utility player; Sanderson’s Bilano at linebacker, Roberts at cornerback and another senior, James Sanchez, at safety; Grandfalls juniors Matthew Santiago at linebacker and Robbie Garcia at safety; and Fort Davis senior Jaime Garcia at safety. Indians’ sophomore Reese Zimmerman was named the first team punter.
The other second team selections are listed below:
Offense
Tight End - LeeRoy Valeriano, Jr., Fort Davis; Jesse Marta, Jr., Sierra Blanca.
Wide Receiver - James Sanchez, Sr., Sanderson; Alex Jackson, Sr., Sierra Blanca.
Quarterback - B.J. Santiago, Fr., Grandfalls; Tate Nichols, So., Dell City.
Running Back - Jaime Garcia, Sr., Fort Davis; Josh Estrada, So., Sanderson.
Fullback - Ron Morales, So., Grandfalls.
Spreadback - Lorenzo Sanchez, Jr., Sierra Blanca.
Utility Back - Matthew Santiago, Jr., Grandfalls’ David Pinon, So., Dell City.
Special Teams - Eloy Perez, Sr., Dell City.
Defense
Linemen - John Sanchez, Sr., Sanderson; Lee Bond, Jr., Sierra Blanca; LeeRoy Valeriano, Jr., Fort Davis.
Linebackers - Kyle Johnson, So., Fort Davis.
Cornerbacks - Alex Jackson, Sr, Sierra Blanca; Acuna, Jr., Dell City.
Safety --- Jose Garcia, Sr., Dell City.
Utility Player - Lorenzo Sanchez, Jr., Sierra Blanca.
Punter - Richard Cavness, Marathon.
Eagles seek more aggressiveness, first win at Lamesa
Pecos Eagles coach Lisa Lowery wants to see a little more aggressiveness out of her girls team this weekend, something she said the Eagles continued to lack in their loss Tuesday night in Stanton to the Buffaloes.
Stanton outscored Pecos in all four quarters, but Lowery said it wasn’t until the final minutes of the game that the Buffaloes pulled away for a 40-23 victory over the Eagles.
“It was a six-point game with four minutes to go, so it wasn’t as bad as the final score looked. We just folded at the end,” Lowery said.
The loss dropped Pecos to 0-4 going into their opening game at the Benny Boyd Classic in Lamesa. The Eagles will face the Snyder Tigers in the tournament’s opening round. “They’re ranked 11th in the state (in Class 3A) so it’s going to be a tough game,” Lowery said of the 3 p.m. opener.
The winner will take on either Sundown or Lubbock Cooper in the tournament’s semifinals, at 3 p.m. on Friday, while the losers will face each other in the consolation semifinals on Friday, starting at 6 p.m.
Pecos trailed 12-9 after one period and was down 20-13 at the half. Stanton widened their lead to 11 going into the final period, but the Eagles were able to get that margin down to 29-23 until falling apart in the closing minutes.
Adriana Armendariz ended up leading the Eagles in scoring with 11 points, while Danielle Garcia had eight, six of that coming on a pair of 3-pointers. “Adriana did a great job rebounding. That’s the best I’ve seen our girls do this season,” Lowery said.
However, the other Eagle players combined managed just four points in the game.
“We’re just not being aggressive enough. We haven’t been in foul trouble yet, so I need to try and get them to be more aggressive out there,” Lowery said. “I’ve got to get Chantel (Mazone) to step it up. If she learns how to use her body, they shouldn’t be able to stop her.”
The Buffaloes were led by Stormy Dugan’s 15 points, while Tracey Carr added nine points for Stanton, which goes to 2-4 on the season.
Lowery said she would be shorthanded on Saturday, when the Eagles close out play in Lamesa, with four girls taking the SAT exam. Odessa Permian faced Slaton and the host Tornadoes took on El Paso High in the other opening round tournament games on Thursday.
PECOS (23)
Armendariz 11; Garcia 8; Regelman 2, Carrasco 2. Totals 10 1-7 23
STANTON (40)
Dugan 15, Carr 9; Gutierrez 2; Riggener 2; Tracy 6; Bryant 4; Teven 2. Totals 18 2-6 40.
Pecos 9 4 5 5 --23
Stanton 12 8 9 11 --40
Three-point goals: Pecos 2 (Garcia 2), Stanton 2 (Tracy 2).
Mercedes, A&M consider reopening Pecos test track
The former Smithers Tire Testing Center could be back in operation by this spring, Pecos Economic Development Corp. board members were told during their meeting Wednesday evening in Pecos.
Interim President Mike Burkholder said DaimlerChrysler’s Mercedes-Benz division is looking at reopening the test track for high-speed testing of the company’s vehicles. That agreement would be only a short-term deal, but Burkholder said a more permanent reopening of the track is being discussed with Texas A&M University, and that Mercedes could return for further use of the track even if A&M is using the facility.
“What they’re talking about is 50 people out here for 60 days to run trials 24-hours a day as fast as they can,” Burkholder said of the Mercedes-Benz plan, which would allow the company to relocate testing currently being done in Laredo to the Pecos facility, located 17 miles east of town.
Burkholder said the 24-hour nature and the 150-mile per hour speeds of the cars being tested makes it hard to run those tests at the same time that other vehicles are being tested at the facility. “They’re booked up right now,” he said.
The 9-mile test track was originally built by the Armstrong Tire Co., and is one of only two such large facilities in North America. However, the track has been closed twice over the past 20 years, both times when operations were relocated to the Laredo test facility. Smithers reopened the facility in 1988, but shut its operations down in 2000 after signing a deal with DaimlerChrysler to use Daimler’s Laredo track.
Burkholder said aside from improvements to get the track back in operating condition, the Mercedes-Benz group gave him “a long list of things they want out there.
“They want security, catering, janitorial, ambulance and EMT services, they want special diesel tanks above ground and on and on and on, and they want bids on that stuff,” Burkholder told the board
“If Mercedes comes, they will finance everything,” he said, while PEDC Interim Chairman Joe Keese added, “If they come in they’ll spend $2 million on the track. If they abandon it under the lease agreement we would still get all the improvements.”
“If Mercedes comes it will help us get the track up and running. It’s been sitting there 4-5 years in a state of disrepair,” Burkholder said.
He said with an initial 60-day deal, that it was unlikely anyone would make a bid to provide short-term services, and instead Burkholder told the board he drew up a services contract to present to the Mercedes-Benz group, with a cost of $517,000.
“That included all the labor, but that’s negotiable,” he added.
“It would cost them a lot more than $517,000 to shut down the track at Laredo just to run these tests,” Keese said.
“If we do it and generate income for the PEDC, it will make the track more attractive for the people coming in, which is A&M,” Burkholder said, adding that the PEDC was looking at a lease agreement with the university that would keep the track in the corporation’s hands.
A&M, which oversees the Texas Transportation Institute, and Applied Research Associates out of Albuquerque, N.M. are looking at a long-term agreement to use the track, but as of now, neither agreement has been finalized. Burkholder said that while the Mercedes agreement would be the first to take effect, the talks have been going on longer with A&M for reopening the track.
“I didn’t enter into discussions with Mercedes-Benz until I cleared it with them,” he said.
Burkholder said company officials were in Laredo discussing the PEDC’s offer, while Burkholder was in College Station at the start of November for two days of talks with Texas A&M officials.
“They got the impression from Gari (Ward, the former PEDC president) that we were going to give them the track,” he said. He told the board the original business plan drawn up by the university involved A&M getting the track, but Burkholder said, “After we got into the discussion and they got more excited about it, that’s when I dropped it on them that we’re not going to give you a $2 million facility.”
“Joe and I discussed adjusting the lease depending on how many people they bring to Pecos,” Burkholder said, while Keese said “We’re either going to get paid for the facility, or we’re going to get economic impact.”
He said they wanted any payment to be adjusted based on how many of the workers under the A&M agreement end up living in Pecos. Keese cited the U.S. Air Force RBTI site 17 miles south of Pecos that the PEDC was involved with starting up as an example of what they didn’t want to occur.
“Of the ones working out there, they all ended up living in Monahans. Only one ended up living in Pecos, and I think he’s gone now,” Keese said.
The Mercedes agreement would involve only short-term stays in the area, but Keese said, “What we get is they bring their drivers in and they stay at our motels and eat in our restaurants.”
“Just the shuttle costs to it would be $16,000,” Burkholder said, while catering costs are estimated at $75,000.
“We’ve got a wonderful asset out there, and it looks like it’s beginning to bear fruit,” Keese said.
Roughnecks set tryouts for players
The Odessa Roughnecks will be holding an open tryout camp this Saturday at the Odessa Hood Junior High School football field.
Pre-registration is required, along with a $40 fee. Those interested should call (432) 332-PASS (7277) or visit the team’s offices in the Bank of America building in downtown Odessa.
Players should report to the junior high school, located at 600 E. 38th St., no later than 8 a.m. Players should arrive dressed in running shows and athletic clothing for a combine-style workout that will last into Saturday afternoon.
The Roughnecks are members of the National Indoor Football League, and play their home games at Ector County Coliseum.
Ex-Eagle part of NMSU’s softball camp
Former Pecos Eagle softball player Stephanie Herrera will be one of the instructors for 8-13 year old girls next weekend at the New Mexico State University Softball Camp.
The NMSU Aggie Softball Camp will take place on Dec. 11-12 at the school’s softball complex in Las Cruces, N.M. and will include current NMSU players like Herrera, along with past players and coaches and instructors. The class will run eight hours on Dec. 11 and nine hours on Dec. 12, beginning both days at 10 a.m. CST. Sunday’s activities will conclude with a competitive scrimmage.
The cost of the camp is $100 per player, with a non-refundable $25 deposit. A second camp, for players ages 14-18, will be held in Las Cruces on Jan. 8-9, 2005.
Registration forms are available locally at Hair by Connie, located at Washington and Eddy streets in Pecos. For further information, contact Coach Holowich at (505) 646-3474.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 432-445-5475, FAX 432-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
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Copyright 2003-04 by Pecos Enterprise
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