Weekly Newspaper and Tourism Guide for Ward County Trans Pecos, Big Bend of West Texas

Sports

Thursday, January 22, 1998

That's Rich

Day after day the date approaches when the UIL will reveal
whether the Loboes move up to 4A or remain in 3A. With each
day that approaches, it becomes more and more obvious to me
that most folks in Monahans would rather see our Loboes
remain in 3A.

I guess everyone in entitled to their own opinions. However,
when I first arrived in Monahans, I remember that to mention
the fact the UIL moved the Loboes to 3A was a sin. The town
was up in arms about the UIL decision until the Lobo marched
through the district and the playoffs.

Some people in this town have told me the Loboes record with
4A teams stinks and we are better off in 3A... so we can win
more games.

First off, let me just point out that I graduated as a
student athlete from high school and am currently on track
to graduate with honors for UTPB and the team I played for
was undefeated. My cousin graduated as a student athlete
from high school and is currently on track to graduate with
honors from a college in Abilene and the high school team he
played for didn't even have a .500 record. My point is
winning or losing in athletics had no effect on our
education; which I thought was the whole point of high
school. In fact I have yet to see on a job application a
place for my high school football record. However, I have
seen places where they asked to see my transcripts.

That being said, I would like to point out I don't think
there is a team in 4A the Monahans Loboes I saw on Friday
nights could not step up and give a great game. I remember a
Lobo team which went blow for blow against one of the best
running backs in the state at Ratliff Stadium. I have seen
our volleyball teams beat some of the best teams in the
Texas. I saw swimmers fall just short of the state
tournament. I have seen great comebacks on the basketball
court.

I am a strong believer in all the Lobo coaches, their
programs and the kids that make the magic happen every
Friday night at Lobo Field, on the court, at the ball park
and in the water. I cannot see any reason why the stands at
every Lobo sporting event are not packed to the brim; but
that is not happening.

How are our young Loboes supposed to feel about winning and
losing when the only time the stands are full is when they
are having a winning season? How are our young men and women
supposed to feel about moving to 4A when everyone thinks
they are going to lose every game they play?

I hope we do move up to 4A because I know our teams can and
will rise to the level of competition and do their school
and city proud.

GO BIG GREEN!!!

****

My time here in Monahans has had it's ups and downs and like
any other roller coaster ride sooner or later you have to go
over the last hill.

That time has come for me. This is the last time "That's
Rich" will grace the pages of the Monahans News. I am
leaving this wonderful town and it's people to pursue my
diploma and my life after college.

I would like to offer a grand and heartfelt thank you to all
the people who made the last few years so memorable; my
co-workers who made working in Monahans so much fun; Jerome
Curry for showing me the ropes and Steve Patterson for
letting me quit before he fired me.

Swimmers hold own in mega-invitational

LUBBOCK - Monahans High School Swim Coach Doug Ward says his
Lobo swimmers more than held their own in the
mega-invitational swimming competition at Lubbock on Friday
and Saturday, Jan. 16 and Jan. 17.

This, Ward says, was true "although they went up against 24
5A and 4A swimming programs. Lobo male swimmers finished
twentieth; the women swimmers, thirteenth. San Angelo
Central and El Paso Eastwood finished first and second in
the pretigious competition.Seven individual Lobo swimmers
and three relay teams put points on the board.

Lobo Summary

Men
200 Medley Relay - 13. Monahans "A" (Brendon Sutter, Carlee
Heuman, Josh Oliver, Chris Cain) 2:01.61
200 IM - 16. Heuman, 2:36.39
200 Free Relay - 16. Monahans "A" (Sutter, Heuman, Oliver,
Cain) 1:44.69
100 Back - 10. Sutter, 1:03.55
100 Breast - 11. Cain, 1:10.44

Bustos, Hanna, Stephens share MVP

Three Lobo football players shared the 1998 Most Valuable
Player Award presented by the Monahans News at the Monahans
High School annual football banquet.

The winners: devastating offensive lineman T.J. Bustos,
do-everything back Robin Hanna and surgical quarterback
Brandon Stephens.

It was the first time, reports Publisher Steve Patterson the
newspaper had ever given co-most valuable player citations
at the end of the gridiron season.

"In years past, it has been possible to identify quickly a
most valuable player," says Patterson. "But this time, it
simply was not. We were looking at three young men who
personify the cohesiveness, desire and ability required for
championship football. It simply was not possible for us to
legitimately say one was more important than the other."

Each of the trio, Patterson notes, was a leader on the
bi-district champions who now have won two consecutive 3-3A
Football district titles and were three of the four voted
team captain by their peers. The fourth being Rocky Rivera.

Other award winners were: Outstanding Offensive Lineman,
T.J. Bustos; Outstanding Offensive Back, Robin Hanna;
Outstanding Reciver, Nathan Swarb; Outstanding Linebacker,
Brandon Lee and Gabriel Ontiveros; Outstanding Defensive
Lineman Luciano Hinojos; "Doug Burk" Outstanding Defensive
Back, Rocky Rivera; Fighting Heart, Micah Wilson; "Todd
Welch" Big "E" Award, Brandon Stephens; Senior Lobo Academic
Achievement Award, Micah Wilson; "Todd Welch" Scholarship,
Quint Melius; "Bud Rollins" Scholarship, Micah Wilson.

Cornered Lobo basketballers get dangerous

For a moment, forget everything-all your worries, all your
strife; forget potential war with Iraq again; forget you
haven't paid your taxes; and forget the Monahans High School
men's basketball team is 6-13.

What? You can't forget that? You should be able to,
because these Lobo basketballers have.

After their slow start, things are finally coming together
for the boys basketball team this season. With a dismal
record that, in no way, represents the level of basketball
they play, it is hard to forget those games. However, the
mental toughness of the Green is pushing them through this
point in the season, and has improved their play.

The Loboes showed the first signs of emerging from their
pit with a 66-53 win over Jal last Tuesday in the Pep Rally
Gym. Like Jal before the game, the Loboes brought down the
main obstacle hanging over them. However, many spectators
wondered if this game was the beginning of a new chapter in
this season's novel, or just a single ray of light,
signifying that the book was almost over.

The Loboes opened district play against Fabens on Friday
night at the Sports Complex. In front of a crowd of more
than 500 people, the Loboes played arguably their best ball
of the season en route to defeating the Wildcats, 60-41.
Tuesday night, Monahans stopped another district Foe,
Presidio, 68-62.

The Loboes lead against Fabens was only six at halftime, but
a big third quarter, in which Fabens only scored four
points, put the game away. Brandon Stephens led the Lobo
attack with 16 points, while fellow senior Cody Avary
accumulated 11. Against Presidio, the Lobo, stone cold in
the first half and behind 32-23 at the intermission exploded
in the second half to score 45 points and take the surprised
Presidio five. Avary had 16 points; Nathan Swab, 13, to lead
the rally.

The Loboes have won three straight, but are they really
playing their best basketball of the season? Take into
consideration that the mens' basketball district is not
nearly as easy as the football district, and that the Loboes
overcame a tough Jal team, just one week after losing to
them.

But this is the same Lobo team that lost eleven straight.
What's the difference? Are they making more shots? Not
really, the Loboes have averaged nearly 50 points per game
this season. Have they switched to a new defensive scheme?
No, that's not the Lobo way.

If the system didn't work in the first place, they never
would have put it in. Have they improved the players? The
players have improved, but nothing that any other team
hasn't improved upon in the same amount of time.

The key is the Loboes are playing as a team. Now, granted,
they have not been a one-man show all season.

It would also be inappropriate to say that there wasn't a
team concept before. What's happening is that the Loboes
are finally working together. The changeover from football
to basketball took its toll on the team. Over half the team
played football, and their return to the hardcourt made
everyone have to adjust all over again. (Not to say that
they hindered the team-they didn't at all-but no one is
expected to come in out of the blue and play
competetively-in any sport).

The transition has taken almost two months, but those two
months have not been an issue.

District began Friday, and things are together now. The
team is beginning to enjoy the thrill of being up the
mountain, not in the valley.

What better time to be able to look ahead to where you are
going and not where you have been?

The Lobo men have been able to keep their eyes ahead, forget
the things that have gone on earlier in their season, and
take the top prize in District 3-3A.

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