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PECOS, Oct. 31 -- The Lake View Chiefs aren't putting up the offensive
numbers like they have in the past two years.
On the other hand, their opponents are putting up even less, and the
Chiefs are just two wins away from a third straight undefeated season in
District 4-4A play.
Right now, Lake View fans are looking towards the Chiefs' Nov. 8
showdown with the Sweetwater Mustangs to see if San Angelo can get it
done. But the Pecos Eagles are hoping to spoil those plans this Friday
night, when they close out the road portion of their 1996 schedule with
a 7:30 p.m. game on the Chiefs' home field.
Lake View has pulled off several last-minute escapes to keep their
record unbeaten since 1994. Last Friday, they weren't trailing in the
final period, but they needed a 12-yard touchdown pass from Sterlin
Gilbert to Michael Daly to tie Andrews in the third period, and a 1-yard
TD run by Gilbert with 1:56 to play to post a 25-18 win at the Mustang
Bowl.
It was only the sixth completion of the night for Gilbert, who's
accuracy numbers are down from the past two seasons, when he earned
all-district and all-state honors. However, the senior still leads all
4-4A quarterbacks with 74 completions for 1292 yards, 10 touchdowns and
just three interceptions.
"We had our fair share of drops, but we're coming around," said Chiefs'
coach Kyle Gandy. "We had a few dropped the other night, but Andrews did
a good job overall with their pass defense."
What also has to concern the Eagles is how easily San Angelo recovered
from the loss of running back Adam Binnix to a knee injury early in the
game. Kendall Jones came on and ran for 105 yards, including a first
half touchdown, while Gilbert picked up 97 yards on the ground, five
more than he had through the air last week.
Along with Daly, Gilbert can also go to Jorge Villarreal, Dennis
VonWiller and Morris Smith. All have over 10 catches this season, and
Smith's 525 yards receiving on 20 catches is 200 yards more than anyone
else in the district.
Keeping track of all those receivers creates other problems.
"I talked to coach (Mike) Lebby, and they said they tried covering
their receivers instead of rushing him," Eagles coach Mike Belew said.
"Our game plan is similar to what they had, but hew was able to hurt
them by running the ball."
Jones hurt Andrews on both sides of the ball.
"Kendall came in and did a good job. He recovered a fumble, hand an
interception and ran the ball well. He's a very good athlete and had a
very good all around game."
"Lebby said he was just as good or better than (Binnix), so we'll have
to do a good job against the run and the pass," said Belew.
Pecos had won seven of nine meetings between the teams until Gandy took
over in 1993. Since then, the Chiefs have outscored the Eagles 129-15,
including a 49-7 win in Pecos last season.
The Eagles actually outgained the Chiefs in that game, 329-305, but
five turnovers and a punt return for a touchdown allowed the Lake View
to race out to a big, early lead.
Last week's game against Andrews was the first time this season any
team has racked up huge numbers on offense against the Chiefs, a major
change from recent seasons. Andrews had 407 total yards, just four less
than they got in their 30-7 win over Pecos, but the Chiefs' defense was
able to shut the Mustangs out in the final 2½ quarters of play.
"I didn't see them last year, but I read where they had changed their
defensive philosophy from bent-but-not-break to a more stunting type of
defense," Belew said. It's allowed Lake View to lower their yards per
game to 250, the Chiefs' best numbers in over a decade.
"It a little different philosophy, a little more aggressive in terms of
out defensive front, and we've changed up our secondary coverage a
little," Gandy said. "Against Andrews, Shaud Williams had a lot of yards
in the first half. He ate us alive, but our defense did a good job in
the second half, and that enabled us to come back."
Lake View has gotten burned some through the air, giving up eight TD
passes, including a 74-yarder to Andrews last week, but they've gotten
six interceptions and recovered 19 fumbles, by far the best of any 4-4A
squad.
"On film, their safeties were being brought up to about six yards from
the line of scrimmage, so it's almost like having a nine man front. So
when they stunt we need to have our zone blocks down and have the
ability to throw the ball."
"When they run their stunts, they have to be in man coverage, so if we
can hold up against their pressure we'll have a chance to throw the
ball," Belew said.
Pecos had some chances to throw last week, but Jason Abila was picked
off twice inside the 20-yard-line by Sweetwater's Shedrick Willams, as
the fifth-ranked Mustangs notched a 21-0 victory.
"Jason has a fine arm, and he can throw the ball well. On that first
one, I thought our man (Nufie Flores) had a good shot at it, while on
the second Jason just threw the ball with his arm and not with his legs,
so it was short," Belew said.
"If we're going to have any chance of winning, we're going to have to
be able to execute. Against Sweetwater we had two or three good drives,
but we'd get down there an miss an assignment or get a penalty and it
would kill us," he added.
Defensively, Pecos will again have to do without middle linebacker
Joseph Strain, who missed last week's game with a knee injury. "The
doctor released him to play, but he still has some swelling and can't go
full speed, so we're going to hold him out another week, and hope he'll
be ready for the Fort Stockton game."
Chris Reyes took Strain's place, and Belew said he and Richard
Gutierrez would be there again this Friday.
Gutierrez has seen limited action on offense the past three weeks, but
is the only remaining starting linebacker, after Strain was hurt and
Jose Contreras was moved to defensive end. He's paired with Jason
Aguilar, who has taken over as the Eagles' main running back.
San Angelo can clinch their third straight playoff trip with a victory
on Friday, and the Chiefs, who are 3-0 in district and 7-1 on the
season, could still get their third straight 4-4A title even with a loss
to Pecos, if they can beat Sweetwater.
At 0-3 in district, 3-5 overall, the Eagles' post-season hopes are
slim, but not gone. They would need a win Friday, a Fort Stockton
victory over Andrews and a Big Spring loss to Sweetwater to remain in
the playoff race.
PECOS, Oct. 31 -- The Pecos Eagles swimming team will compete in their
first regular meet of the 1996-97 season Saturday, when they travel to
the Big Spring Invitational.
Eagles' coach Terri Morse said Pecos' regular District 4 rivals, plus at
least one of their two new district opponents, will be at the meet,
which gets underway with preliminaries at 10 a.m. at the Big Spring YMCA.
San Angelo Central, Odessa Permian, Abilene High and Abilene Cooper and
Lubbock Coronado are the other teams competing at the meet, which opens
a string of four straight weekends of competition for the Eagles before
Thanksgiving.
Pecos' boys and girls beat Monahans and Fort Stockton in a triangular
meet two weeks ago to open the season, as the girls look for their
seventh straight District 4 title and the boys try to reclaim their
district crown from Big Spring, after their string of six straight
championships was broken last February by the Steers.
Big Spring's boys finished third this past Sunday in meet competition at
Abilene, but the Eagles' times from their Monahans meet have them seeded
higher overall than the Steers going into Saturday's prelims.
"I was surprised we were seeded first in the 200 medley," Morse said.
"Big Spring lost three or four seniors that made their relays as fast as
they were. They still have some good swimmers in Stephen Smith and Slate
Broyles, but they don't have as much depth this year.
"If we can stay healthy and eligible, I think the boys district meet
will be real close. All the good swimmers are spread out among the
district schools, a I feel like that's going to help our chances."
Broyles is seeded first and Smith third in the 100 yard backstroke, with
Eagles' freshman Kevin Bates in-between. Kenneth Friar is seeded second
in the 500 freestyle and third in the 200 free, and the boys' 400
freestyle relay team is seeded behind San Angelo Central.
On the girls' side, the highest seeds are Liz Parent, second in the 500
free, and Megan Freeman and Randi Key, third and fourth in the 100
butterfly. Both the host Steers and Monahans will have higher ranked
individuals and relay teams going into Saturday's meet.
"I think it will be a little bit more of a challenge for the girls,"
said Morse. "Last year was a challenge because Monahans was so strong.
This year, Monahans is still strong, but Big Spring looks a lot better,
and Andrews always has some decent swimmers, so I feel like it will make
for a lot closer (district) meet."
Morse added that this year's District 4 meet, set for Jan. 26 at Fort
Stockton, will be an eight-team affair, with the addition of Abilene
Wylie and Clyde to the group. "They had been swimming against the 5As
(in Abilene's District 4-5A) and getting killed. They never would get
anyone to regional, so they petitioned the UIL and were allowed into our
district."
Wylie has several swimmers entered in Saturday's meet, while Clyde is
not participating.
"I don't know if they'll make that much of a different in the team
standings, but individually, they could have some good swimmers that
will knock somebody back, plus it will make a difference in the relays,
because if there are more than six teams we'll have to swim prelims and
that will knock somebody out," Morse said. Currently, the top six
finishers in each event advance to regionals.
By MARI MALDONADO
Staff Writer
PECOS, Oct. 31 -- Two veteran weightlifters were joined by a beginner to
the sport this past weekend in bringing home three first place trophies
from a New Mexico powerlifting meet.
Pecos Police Patrolman Billy Hull, a powerlifing newcomer, along with
veteran lifters Jeff Haile and Tony Garcia, had reason to smile, or
flex, after Saturday's 1996 Powerfest Extravaganza in Carlsbad, N.M. All
brought first place awards in their divisions for their bench presses.
Jeff Haile lifted 400 pounds in the 181-pound weight class for 33 to
39-year-olds, while Garcia pressed 420 in the 220-pound bracket for
their first place finishes.
After training for about 1½ years, Hull joined the competition circuit
with Haile, his brother-in-law, and Garcia for the first time, bringing
in a first place in the 198-pound bracket of the novice division. He
lifted 302 pounds of steel.
There were about 80 competitors that showed up for the Carlsbad meet,
said Hull.
Hull said he plans to continue powerlifting and will join Garcia and
Haile in preparing for next April's meet in Seguin.
In the meantime, Garcia continues to work on his center, "Tony's Fitness
Gym."
Although a dream of his for the past decade, Garcia, for the past three
years, has been steadily working on renovating his grandfather's old gin
warehouse into a hardcore gym for persons seeking hard bodies.
The gym is located on Canal Street in Barstow, across from the Union
Pacific Railroad. "It looked like a haunted house," said Garcia of the
old building before started work on it.
He said he plans to install showers in the near future and has already
purchased several types of weight apparatuses, along with integrating
weight sets he's accumulated over his years of training.
Garcia said he hopes to open the gym, "hopefully before Christmas."
Treadmills and stationary bicycles are included in his plans, as are
showers and classes for youngsters. He contends that the sport could
give younger groups, "something to do and keep them out of trouble,"
while, "boosting their self esteem."
Garcia works for the West Texas State School in Pyote, while Haile is a
correctional officer at the Reeves County Detention Center.
The two men have competed in all levels and collected numerous titles
since 1985 when Garcia started training, and 1988 when Haile joined the
competition.
For information on Garcia's endeavor, interested parties can call him at
445-6833 or 915-389-5555, ext. 219.
PECOS, Oct. 31 -- The Pecos Eagles' schedule has changed a little bit
tonight, and as a result, the girls' volleyball team won't be the only
squad playing a game in Van Horn.
Pecos' girls face El Paso Burges at 8 p.m. in the bi-district round of
the Class 4A playoffs, but two hours earlier and two blocks away, the
Eagles' freshman football team will take on Van Horn on the Class 2A
Eagles' home field, in a game that replaces Alpine on the ninth graders'
schedule.
It's the second time Pecos has faced Van Horn. They met in Pecos last
month, when the Eagles scored a 12-0 win, one of four victories in seven
tries this season for the freshmen.
Meanwhile, Pecos' junior varsity will be seeking their seventh win in
nine games and the eighth graders will try to snap a three game losing
streak when they take on Alpine. THe JV will host the Bucks at 7:30
p.m., while the eighth graders play in Alpine, in a 7 p.m. start.
The JV has lost two straight games by a single touchdown on the road, at
Andrews and Monahans the past two weeks. Last month, they scored a 29-8
win over Alpine, while the eighth graders, 1-4 this year, got their lone
victory by a 32-0 margin over the Bucks.
Pecos' seventh graders are idle this week. They, and all of the Eagles'
other teams, close their seasons next week against Fort Stockton.
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