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Van Horn Advocate

Sports

Friday, October 10, 1997

Pecos, Monahans golfers begin River Cup play


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PECOS, Oct. 10 -- Eight golfers from Pecos and Monahans teed off this
morning and eight more will do so this afternoon in the ninth annual
Pecos River Cup, which runs through Sunday at the Reeves County Golf
Course.

"It's patterned after the Ryder Cup, which was held a couple of weeks
ago, except that they had 12 per team and here all eight (on both teams)
play in each match," said course manager Royce Cassell.

Pecos' team this year is made up of Jim Bob McNeil, Kim Anderson, Matt
Burkholder, Danny Hernandez, Craig Davis, Steve Valezuela, Tim Windham
and Tweeter Wafer. Four played this morning in two man alternate shot
competition, while four more play this afternoon in a two-man low ball
format.

They'll repeat that schedule on Saturday, then will pair off on Sunday
for eight individual 18 hole matches. Play began today at 8:30 a.m. and
will start at that time on Saturday, while the individual matches will
get underway at 9 a.m. on Sunday.

Monahans has won the last three River Cups, and holds a 6-2 lead in the
series, which dates back to 1990. Cassell said Monahans' team is made up
of Curtis Howard, Mike Claburn, Steve Burkholder, Steve Fine, Larry
Fine, Rusty Shaw, Billy Neace and Greg Watson.

Most of the players entered in the River Cup competed her last weekend
in the annual Best of the Best Tournament. Cassell said a total of 91
players were entered in seven flights, with McNeil winning first in the
championship flight over Monahans' Mike Claburn and Steve Burkholder.
McNeil shot a 70-68-138 to Claburn's 69-70-139 and Burkholder's
69-72-141.

The results were reversed in the first flight, where Chuck Claburn of
Monahans' nearby neighbor, Wickett, took first with a 75-70-145 score,
while two Pecos players, Matt Burkholder (75-72-147) and Mike Goode
(72-77-149) were second and third.

In the second flight, local golfers John Burkholder and Paul Hinojos
tied for first, with 79-77-156 and 80-76-156 scores respectively, before
Burkholder won a playoff. Charlie Claburn of Sonora was third, with a
79-78-157 total.

Third flight winner was Gary Hennessey of Odessa, with an 80-76-156
total. Terry Page was second with an 81-77-158 and Dennis Glenn of
McCamey was third, with a 78-81-159 score.

In the fourth flight, Bob Burkholder won, shooting an 86-80-166, while
Landon Soles of Monahans was second with an 87-81-168 and Dan Maldonado
of Odessa was third, at 86-84-190. The fifth flight winner was Odessan
Tito Hinojos, with an 82-79-161, while Richard Espinoza of Eunice, N.M.,
was second, with an 82-84-166, and Tony Ruiz of Marfa won a playoff for
third, after shooting an 80-87-167. In the sixth flight, Ed Anderson of
El Paso won, shooting an 88-79-167, while another El Paso golfer, Rick
Packer, was second at 92-81-173, and Alfred Chavez of Eunice was third,
with a 92-85-177 score.

Cassell said the tournament, which attracted golfers from as far away as
Tucson, Ariz., was the last major one at the Reeves County Golf Course this season.

Eagles grid squads post sweep, split, loss


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By JON FULBRIGHT
PECOS, Oct. 10 -- Pecos' seventh grade `A' football team remained
undefeated, while the Eagles' freshmen and eighth grade `A' squads are
still seeking their first victories of the season after games Thursday
afternoon.

Playing at home, Zavala's seventh graders upped their record to 4-0 with
a 32-0 victory over Fort Stockton, while the gold team downed the
Panthers by a 12-0 final score.

Pecos' freshmen fell to 0-5 on the season, as they were beaten by
Alpine's junior varsity, by a 34-8 final score.

Meanwhile, in Fort Stockton, the Eagles' eighth grade football teams
split their games with the Panther Cubs, as the gold team won 16-0,
while the purple team dropped a 20-0 decision.

"They just pushed us around in the second half," freshman coach Tino
Acosta said, as the Bucks scored three times to break open a 14-8 game.
The ninth graders' lone score came off a 40 yard run by Trent Riley,
with Alex Garcia passing to Michael Herrera for the two-point conversion.

Over at the Crockett Middle School field, the seventh grade purple team
jumped out to a 18-0 halftime lead off a pair of touchdowns passes from
Matthew Levario of 10- and 24-yards to Robbie Ontiveros and Abel Lopez,
and a 35-yard run by Eddie Mata. In the second half, Mata scored on a
seven-yard run and Matthew Hanks got Pecos' final TD, from four yards
out. Levario had the lone two-point conversion run, after the final TD.

The gold team got their scores in the first and third periods, off a 55
yard run by Will Armstrong and a 72 yard interception return by Dominic
Jenkins. Fort Stockton's lone TD, off a 67 yard run in the final period,
was called back by a clipping penalty.

The eighth grade purple team slipped to 0-3-1 with their loss, as the
Panthers scored all of their points in the first half.

"Benny Juarez had a good game, Ricky Plummer played well and Jason
Gonzales also played well," said eighth grade coach Lea Daggett of the
purple team's loss.

The gold team improved to 2-0 behind a pair of touchdowns by Bryan
Fuentes in each half. Fuentes also had a two-point conversion, as did
Chris Juarez, and Daggett said Peter Juarez also played well in the
victory.

Tonight at 7:30 p.m., the Eagles' varsity opens District 4-4A play
against Big Spring. The Steers are the only team Pecos has never
`officially' beaten in district play, since Big Spring dropped down to
Class 4A in 1986. Pecos did earn a 2-0 win over the Steers two years
ago, after Big Spring used an ineligible player, a move that cost the
Steers a shot at the playoffs.

Pecos, Big Spring and Fort Stockton will be trying to get into
post-season play this year, while Lake View, Andrews and Sweetwater are
trying to stay there. The two Mustang squads meet tonight in Andrews,
while the Chiefs host the Panthers in the other 4-4A opener.

Sweetwater (5-0) at Andrews (4-1): Sweetwater routed their Lubbock
opponent, Monterey, last week by a 39-13 score, while Andrews had the
better stats, but lost to Estacado, 16-10. The Mustangs also lost their
second quarterback in as many weeks when Jeremy Pitkin sprained an
ankle, but their third string QB, Cody Chesshire, was actually battling
David Kessler for the No. 1 job last year, and was moved down in the
order only because Andrews was using him as their main wide receiver.

Anyway, so long as Shaud Williams and the Mustangs' defense stays
healthy, Andrews has a chance, especially playing at home. Sweetwater
has gained over 925 yards in their last two games, with first Andrew
Boatright and then Willie Amos having big rushing games. But this will
be their toughest test since their season-opening victory over
Brownwood, a game in which coach Steve Freeman said his team "threw too
much" that night. Don't expect to see `Air Andrews' this evening.

Fort Stockton (5-0) at San Angelo (3-2): On the other hand, you will see
`Air Lake View' tonight, especially since the Chiefs are averaging over
200 yard per game passing this season. Last week's win over Snyder was
only the second time San Angelo has run the ball well this season, but
they'll need to have some sort of a ground game tonight, to keep the
ball out of the hands of the Panthers' offense. A healthy Kendall Jones
helped a week ago, and he may also be needed tonight in the secondary to
try and run down Fort Stockton's Jacob Vasquez.

The Panthers got two of their four touchdowns last week throwing the
ball, after hardly passing at all in their first four games. Brownwood,
Kerrville Tivy and even Lamesa have had success running the ball on Lake
View this season, and that's something the Chiefs will have to correct,
or else they'll have to hope they can pull out an old AFL-style shootout victory before their homecoming crowd.

Eagles' need win streak to assure playoff repeat


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PECOS, Oct. 10 -- The Pecos Eagles find themselves in a familiar
position, going into their 3 p.m. match Saturday against the Sweetwater
Mustangs. In fact, it's the same position the Eagles were in a year ago.

That is, win three matches over the next eight days, and the Eagles will
probably be back in the playoffs for a second year in a row. Lose one -
to either the Mustangs, Fort Stockton Prowlers or Big Spring Steers -
and the Eagles will then likely face a must-win match at San Angelo Lake
View to close the season on Oct. 25.

The Eagles put themselves in this position after their 15-2, 15-2 loss
at Andrews on Tuesday. It left Pecos with a 3-3 district record, a
half-game in back of Fort Stockton in the 4-4A standings.

Eagles' coach Becky Granado was angry that off-court arguments among her
senior players have affected the team's play this season. "They just
need to concentrate on the game instead of having other things on their
minds and not playing together," she said.

Sweetwater, meanwhile, is still seeking their first win in district
play, though the Mustangs have shown signs of improvement in the past
week. They took Fort Stockton three games before losing a week ago, then
dropped a 15-12, 15-6 decision to San Angelo Lake View, after losing to
the Maidens, 15-1, 15-1 in the first half of 4-4A play.

The Eagles won their first match against Sweetwater last month by 15-12,
15-4 scores, as they held off a Sweetwater rally in the first game, then
scored the final 13 points of Game 2. It extended a victory string by
the Eagles over the Mustangs which dates back to 1980, when the teams
first were paired in the same district.

Play will get underway Saturday at 1 p.m., with the freshman match-up, followed by the JV at about 2 p.m.

Bears fall to Cowgirls, battle `Horns Saturday


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PECOS, Oct. 10 -- The Balmorhea Bears' volleyball team will be in
Imperial on Saturday for their second district game of the season, as
they face the Longhorns in junior high, junior varsity and varsity
matches starting at 5 p.m.

The Bears opened district on Tuesday with a 15-8, 15-9 loss at home to
the Grandfalls-Royalty Cowgirls, who are picked to battle Wink for the
District 8-A title.

"We played them real close up to the eighth point, then they got away
from us," said coach James Meredith of the opening game loss. He added
that Amanda Lozano had five kills for the Bears in the opener, "and was
by far the outstanding server," while Sally Dominguez played well for
Balmorhea in their 15-9 second game loss.

Meredith cited Ampar Balderas as playing well for the Bears' JV in
their 15-12, 15-4 loss to Grandfalls, and said his junior high girls
"played real good and showed a lot of promise," in a three game loss to
the Cowgirls. Balmorhea won the opening game, 15-10, before Grandfalls came back to score 15-6 ad 15-5 wins.

Grissom's three-run homer stuns Orioles


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By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer
BALTIMORE, Oct. 10 - The Cleveland Indians haven't had five days like
this in 128 years.

For the second time this week, Cleveland rallied to win in the eighth
inning with a series and a season on the line.

On Thursday night, Marquis Grissom hit a three-run homer with two outs
off Armando Benitez, giving the Indians an improbable 5-4 win over the
Baltimore Orioles in Game 2 of the ALCS.

With the Indians on the verge of elimination in Game 4 of their
first-round series against New York, Sandy Alomar hit a game-tying homer
in the eighth off Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. Cleveland went on to
win that game and the decisive Game 5.

``A lot of people didn't believe in us,'' first baseman Jim Thome said.
``But look where we are. We're in the ALCS. We're having fun. And we're
playing good baseball. What can you say? There's always tomorrow.''

Following a travel day today, the best-of-7 series will resume at a
sure-to-be-rocking Jacobs Field on Saturday. The Orioles will send ace
Mike Mussina to the mound against Orel Hershiser.

Baltimore, which rolled over the Seattle Mariners in the first round,
will have to win at least once on the road to bring the series back
home.

``It's kind of devastating in the sense that you're four outs away from
a win,'' said Orioles third baseman Cal Ripken, who hit his first career
postseason homer. ``No matter how difficult a loss it is, we're still
1-1.''

With the Indians trailing 4-2 in the eighth, Benitez struck out
pinch-hitter Jeff Branson to open the inning before walking Sandy
Alomar. He then struck out Tony Fernandez and appeared to get
pinch-hitter Jim Thome on a 3-2 pitch.

Thome checked his swing on the pitch and although TV replays showed his
bat crossed the plate, he was awarded first base. Grissom, who went
3-for-4, then drove a 1-1 pitch to the deepest part of the ballpark,
bringing the Indians out of the dugout.

``I thought it was a great call,'' a smiling Cleveland manager Mike
Hargrove said of Thome's checked swing. ``I didn't think he swung. It
depends on whose side your're on as to whether or not he went.''

Benitez struck out Grissom in their only two previous matchups. This
time, though, the center fielder got the best of the hard-throwing
right-hander.

``Shoot yeah, it is,'' Grissom said when asked if it was the biggest hit
of his career. ``In these type of games, you've got to get good pitching
and swing the bats. That's why we're here.''

In last year's playoffs, Benitez gave up a tie-breaking grand slam to
Albert Belle in Cleveland's 9-4 win in Game 3.

It was the Cleveland bullpen's night to shine. The Indians relievers
held the Orioles scoreless over the final 3 1-3 innings.

Paul Assenmacher got two outs for the win, Mike Jackson finished the
eighth and Jose Mesa pitched the ninth for the save.

Until Grissom's dramatic shot, it appeared Baltimore's new shortstop and
its old one would push the Orioles a little closer to the World Series.

Mike Bordick snapped a sixth-inning tie with a two-run single, and
Ripken hit a two-run homer as the Orioles took a 4-2 lead into the
eighth and turned it over to their brilliant bullpen, which was 83-4
when protecting leads after the seventh inning this year.

``It's just another loss, a tough loss,'' Orioles manager Davey Johnson
said. ``I can't think of another time this year that Armando didn't hold
the lead in the eighth.''

Manny Ramirez hit a two-run homer in the first inning for Cleveland,
which stranded seven runners through the first four innings.

With the score tied 2-2 in the sixth, the Orioles loaded the bases
against starter Charles Nagy on two fielder's choices and a walk.
Bordick, whose offseason acquisition as a free agent finally moved
Ripken from shortstop to third base, battled Nagy to a full count before
lining an opposite-field single, scoring both runners.

With a game-time temperature of 75 degrees, Cleveland took a 2-0 in a
top of the first inning that looked more Little League than major
league.

Baltimore starter Jimmy Key, one of the game's best control pitchers,
set a postseason record by hitting three batters in one inning. After
Key nailed Omar Vizquel with one out, Ramirez followed with his first
postseason homer, a drive to center that Brady Anderson couldn't get
despite scaling the outfield wall.
Notes: The game lasted 3:53, making it the longest night game in ALCS
history. The longest game - day or night - was the 4:13 marathon between
the Orioles and Yankees on the same date last year. ... Benitez
protected the lead in 46 of the 47 previous times he was given one. ...
Key's one-inning effort tied the record for hit batsmen in an entire
championship series set by Detroit's Frank Tanana in 1987. Key hit five
batters in 212 1-3 innings during the regular season, and 35 in 2,890
1-3 innings in his 14-year career. The Orioles haven't had much success
at Jacobs Field, posting just a 6-15 record there.


Pecos Enterprise
Mac McKinnon, 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
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Copyright 1997 by Pecos Enterprise
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