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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Sports
Thursday, April 29, 1999
Eagles hope for upsets at regional
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Apr. 29 -- There are no gaudy numbers for the Pecos
Eagles track teams, going into this weekend's Region I-4A
meet at Angelo State University. But outside of a handful of
athletes, there aren't many great times, heights or
distances for anyone at this year's regional meet.
Field event finals open at 2 p.m. on Friday, with running
preliminaries set to start about 2« hours later. The finals
of the 3200 meet run will be held on Friday, while other
running finals will start at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
The Eagles will be seeking their first state qualifiers
since 1997, and have five boys in four events, plus the 1600
meter relay, entered. Pecos' girls also have their 1600
meter relay team entered, along with three others in
individual events and six girls overall.
Both teams added one alternate to the regional meet in
field events. Christina Arenivas will replace teammate
Maricela Arenivas in the girls long jump, while Len Carson,
who was injured in the boys pole vault at the District 2-4A
meet in El Paso on April 17, will get another shot at the
event Friday afternoon as regional alternate.
"Len's arch is still a little tender, but he's ready to
go," said coach Vance Washington, though he added the junior
hasn't had anyplace to practice since district, since there
is no runway on the Eagle Stadium pole vault pit.
"The runway got destroyed. Some kids pulled up all the
patches that were put on it," Washington said.
Patches on the long jump pit did survive, giving Orlando
Matta a chance to work out on the triple jump earlier this
week. "He worked on it the first two days of the week, but
didn't practice yesterday, because we were working on the
relay and the short sprint."
Matta and Carson both are members of the 1600 meter relay
team, along with Daniel Terrazas and Lee Lyles, who replaced
Carson at district due to his foot injury. Carson will take
Jason Payne's place, after he lost eligibility, and the
group only had Wednesday to work out together, since Lyles
was in San Angelo on Monday and Tuesday at the Region I-4A
golf tournament
"Lee's full of energy. I think he's going to do all right,
and Len's foot seems to be fine," Washington said. Terrazas,
who'll compete in the 400 meter dash as well, has the
fastest time in the quarter so far this season for Pecos,
though the Eagles' coach said, "He'll have to cut it to the
low 50s to have a chance," at reaching Saturday's finals.
Washington said in the 1600 relay, the best district times
this year were only in the low to mid 3:20s, slower than in
recent seasons. "We did a 3:30 earlier before we started
having all our problems, and I think if all four of our kids
can run somewhere around a 51, we'll be in good shape."
Washington is also hoping senior Lucio Florez can cut his
time in the 300 meter hurdles, one of two hurdle events
he'll compete in on Friday.
"We've set a goal of 39 seconds, and Lucio has cut his time
in every race he's run by a second," he said. "If he can cut
one more second off, he'll be in the hunt."
On the girls' side, coach Lily Talamantez said she'll keep
the same 1600 meter team that ran at district, in freshman
Arenivas, Jessica Rodriguez and Michelle Saenz and senior
Shaye Lara, the only Eagle to have run at regionals before.
"The three freshmen are really excited about going to
regionals," said Talamantez. Saenz replaced Crystal Garcia
on the relay at district after she became ill, while Yvette
Barreno and Liz Parent will serve as alternates at regionals.
Parent will be the only Eagle not competing on Friday, as
both of the events she won at district, the 800 and 1600
meter runs, are finals-only events set for Saturday night.
"Liz is running 62 (400 meters) right now, so she'll be
able to hold her own."
Arenivas will be the first to compete on Friday, in the
long jump, while Rodriguez will arrive in San Angelo after
the rest of the team, since she's playing with the Eagles'
softball team in Lubbock this afternoon. Friday's event will
then close out with Brandi Harrison running in the 3200
meters, after which she's headed up to the Panhandle for
junior high rodeo competition on Saturday.
"Jessica's parents will be going to the game, and they'll
be bringing her here," said Talamantez. "Brandi's got rodeo,
so her parents will be picking her up, and they've got to be
in Amarillo by 11 a.m."
Harrison rides in rodeo, runs at regional
By ROSIE FLORES
Staff Writer
A Pecos High School student who has made rodeo one of her
numerous activities will be competing in the Texas High
School Rodeo Finals in June, and will try to make it to the
state track and field finals on Friday night.
Brandi Harrison, a 16-year-old junior at Pecos High School
has advanced to state competition in high school rodeo and
hopes to someday make it to the national competition.
"I think I'll do good, if I work hard, practice and stay
positive and do the best that I can," said Harrison.
Harrison said that if she doesn't make it to national
competition this year, she hopes she can do it next year.
"That's my dream and my goal right now, that if I don't make
it to nationals this year, I hope I can do it next year,"
she said.
"Right now I'm just very excited to be attending state
competition," she said.
Harrison will be competing in a high school rodeo on
Saturday in Amarillo, which will require Brandi and her
parents, Roger and Angela Harrison, to make a 300-mile drive
overnight from San Angelo, after she competes in the finals
of the 3200 meter run at the Region I-4A track meet Friday
night. The top two finishers will advance to the state
finals in Austin on May 14-15.
Harrison, along with Pecos High School Rodeo Team members
Clay McKinney and Courtney Clark, competed for state berths
at the Region II High School Rodeo Finals held in San Angelo
on April 10.
The team competed in 15 rodeos during the fall and spring
semesters. The top 10 qualifiers in each event will advance
to the state finals in Abilene in June. The top four in each
event after state then advance to nationals in Gillette,
Wyo., in July.
In the team roping, McKinney finished one place out of the
top 10 for 11th place for the year. Clark finished the year
with a second in the girls cutting.
Harrison advanced to state in four events.
She placed fourth in pole bending, ninth in barrels, seventh
in goat tying and 10th in breakaway roping. She finished
fifth in the All-Around standings, enabling her to win
Rookie of the Year honors for region II.
"It's a great honor to receive this award," she said.
Harrison was elected to serve as junior barrel racing
director for the coming rodeo season.
Region II includes the Permian Basin, South Plains, Concho
Valley along with contestants from southeastern New Mexico.
This is Harrison's first year to compete in High School
Rodeo. She has been a member of 4-H and FFA for the past
three years.
Living on a ranch has its advantages, if you're going to
compete in rodeo events, according to Harrison. "I also show
steer at the stock shows," she said.
Being around animals has rubbed off on the teen, who has
been rodeoing since she was eight years old. "I've been
riding since I can remember," she said.
Spending time rodeoing, taking care of her animals doesn't
take away from her school activities. "I like all sports,
competing in anything," said Harrison.
"I enjoy anything that requires physical exertion," she said.
The active teen is currently ranked first in her junior
class and has a 4.0 average. Among her many extracurricular
activities and organizations, include being a member of the
National Honor Society, Pecos High School Student Council,
Pecos Youth Advisory Commission, High Plains Junior Rodeo
Association, school newspaper, Drug Awareness Safety and
Health (DASH) co-chairperson, Latin Club, Junior Engineering
Technology Society (JETS), Journalism UIL, First Baptist
Church Youth Group, Mu Alpha Theta, Extension Program
Council 4-H and Youth Committee, Duke University Talent
Identification Program (TIP), Gifted and Talented Program,
Texas Communities Futures Forum and American Quarter Horse
Youth Association (AQHYA).
Along with running track she is also a member of the Pecos
Eagles' junior varisty basketball team.
Harrison has received the Outstanding Pre-AP English I
student, Outstanding Pre-AP English II student, FFA Star
Chapter Farmer Award, Outstanding Student of the six weeks,
Who's Who Among American High School Students and JETS
District Winning Team and State qualifier.
She plans to attend Texas A&M University following
graduation from high school and major in veterinary
medicine.
Harrison also plans to keep up with her rodeo activities
while in college. Her younger sisters is also a member of
4-H and FFA and competes in High Plains Rodeo.
`Tennis Blitz' scheduled for Monday
PECOS, Apr. 29 -- A `Tennis Blitz' for young and first-time
tennis players, will be held on Monday at the Pecos High
School tennis courts.
The event will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the tennis courts,
and racquets will be provided to those who do not own one.
The event is one of a month-long series being held at high
schools in the Permian Basin.
For further information, contact PHS tennis coach
Bernadette Ornelas at 447-7222/7223.
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
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Copyright 1999 by Pecos Enterprise
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