The Galveston Daily News from Galveston, Texas • Page 36

Sports (je dahifcton Section Page 1 Local, State, World Sports Sunday Morning, April 27,1980 Sports 744-3611 TCs Hancock district's only state qualifier JL BvPAULARNETT Xews Sports Writer PASADENA-What a difference days make. Last" year Ball High dominated the III track and field meet en route to its solid state performance in This season not one Golden 'Tor will make the trip. In fact. Texas Kevin Hancock was the only in the District 24-4A to qualify for the state meet. His toss of 177-7 was good enough for second in the discus.

But that was it for this area. Such was not the case for the Bayou City. Houston Worthing, Houston Smiley. Houston Jones and Houston Yates finished first through fourth respectively. Before some 2.000 fans gathered in San Jacinto College Stadium, guys like Shelby Sanderson.

Dennis Brantley, Jerry Nichols and the Houston Yates 1,600 meter relay team put on quite a Saturday afternoon show. Sanderson of Houston Sterling set a record in the long jump. His springboard carried him That broke Kenneth Harrison's 1972 mark of 24-4 1 He was with Beaumont South Park at the time! Brantely was the main reason for Worthing's success. Watson leads N.O. open NEW ORLEANS lUPD- Player of the Year Tom Watson, Ibidding for his second consecutive jwire-to-wire victory, charged home with a 6-under-par 66 for a Ithree-stroke lead over Hubert Green in the third round of the $250,000 greater New Orleans Open.

Watson, who scored the tour's first win last week at the of Champions, had the lead with Green the first rounds before bolting from the Ttie Saturday with a textbook exhibi- ifion of putting. Playing in the group just ahead of Watson turned in 2-under-par and then shredded par on the back pine of the Lakewood "Country Club course, which was transformed from its cement-like by an overnight rain. Watson birdied the 10th and llth ftoles and then had consecutive bir- on the 15th and 16th to go 16- iunder-par for the tournament, in of the 72-hole record of 21- par set by Lee Travino in 1974. Watson's 200 total also tied for the lowest 54-hole score this year. already has won three PGA 'tournaments this year and is the tour's leading money winner with Green, playing in the last group of day, started his round tied with at 10-under par and continued his string of three rounds without a bogey.

But the former U.S. Open champion could not keep pace with Watson's torrid putting, carding three birdies for a 69 and a 203 total. Tied for third at 205 were Larry JNelson the tour's second leading winner last year behind and fourth-year player Mike Nelson carded a 68 Saturday "While Reid shot a 67. UPI Wirephoto TOM WATSON blasts out of a sand trap on the eighth hole during third round play in the Greater New Orleans Open Saturday. He leads the tournament by three strokes.

Robison built Buc track team in space of season By KEVIN SHERRINGTON News Sports Writer When Terry Robison arrived nine weeks ago fresh off the University of Texas at Arlington campus, two acute problems faced the O'Connell track team. First, the Bucs had only two meets on the schedule. That was bad enough, but then considering the team, maybe it was appropriate. Four members made up the entire squad. "Since then," said Robison, who will take five individual events and two relays to the state meet May 2-3 at Houston Strake Jesuit, "I've managed to add 14 more people and was able to get three more meet for them.

"I've only been here nine weeks and I've been buzzing all around since then." Because of his unfamiliarity with the area, the Dallas native is not sure of how his squad will compete in the state meet. But their second-place finish in the District 1-2A meet last week in Mauriceville should have some bearing. Mark Delgado set a district record in the shot put with a toss of 49', 11 to his top spot in the discus. Miler Eric Zapp ran a personal best of 4:51 in the 1600 meters for a third while Steve Simmons also took third in the 800 meters with a clocking of 2:11 and Sean Popovich took third in the 300 intermediate hurdles at 42.7. In the relays, O'Connell's performances in the 400 and 1600 meter relays gave Robison two seconds.

The team of David Jones, Travis Owen, Scott Travis and Dennis LeCompte turned in a 47.0 400 while Jones, Kent Dodge, Travis and LeCompte posted a 3:45.0 in the mile, their fastest time of the year. "But one leg (of the mile) was seven seconds slower than he's capable of running," said Robison, who graduated from UTA in December and took over the track duties from former football coach Willie Huggins. "I feel like if he hadn't had that injury we woulda been down close to 3:40. "I look for them all to be healthy for the state meet. If we run as good enough for second in the three-team meet in each of the varsity, freshmen and girl's divisions.

It could have been better, said Robison, if a couple of his top competitors had not faded. "Some of the guys just missed out," he said. "Lance Sharp had a bad mile, but he did a lot better in the high jump. It's kinda ironic. He had been working hard all year on the mile and he didn' do very well.

"But then he tied for third in the high jump and got in a jump-off for state." Unfortunately for Robison, Sharp lost in the jump-off, but it wasn't his only disappointment. LeCompte, the anchor on both relays, finished fourth in the 200 meters, only .5 off qualifying for state. Beaumont Kelly swept the top three spots in both the 100 and 200 and should be considered a top candidate in the state meet. As for O'Connell's chances, however, the situation is vague. "We've got some unknown areas," said Robison.

"I don't what some of the other teams are gonna be presenting. I only saw two of them this year (Kelly and Port Arthur Bishop Byrne)." But take heart, coach. If the situation at O'Connell had not changed after he took over, nobody would be seeing the Bucs at all. The senior hurdler went over the 110-meter high huddles in 13.8 seconds to break Ricky Alexander's 1979 mark of 13.95. Brantley gathered 20 of Worthing's 48 points.

He was also the winner in the 330-meter intermediate hurdles. Worthing finished one-two in the 110-meter event. Ernest Bell came in second with a time of 14.06. Jerry Nichols of Port Arthur Lincoln collected a record himself. His time of 47.14 in the 400 meter race broke Nat Bankette's 1978 record while he was with Houston Madison.

That time of 48.5 was broken by four runners in the eight man event. Yates vaulted into fourth place because of its relay team. Demetruis Martin, John Semien, Reginald Phillips and Keith Barnett turned in a record breaking time of 3:12.3. That broke the 1978 record of 3:12.63 held by Houston Jones, Jones finished third this windy afternoon just behind Baytown Lee. The two schools had times of 3:12.9 and Those weren't the only fine performances of the afternoon.

In a region where track is king, Pasadena Dobie's John Robinson just missed a record in the mile run. Leading from start to finish, Robinson came in at just off Doug Tucker's 1979 Had anyone pressed Robinson in might have been different. But the Longhorn runner was too impressive. Kyle Wright of McCullough finished second. His time was 4:15.64.

Unfortunately for area track fans, the District 24-4A didn't do too well. Ball High scratched Ellison Stinson in the long jump because of an injury. That problem occurred once more in the 100 meter run. Usually the featured event, yesterday's times that impressive. Floyd Furlow of Houston Smiley came in first with a time of 10.94.

He holds the region mark of 10.56 set in the 1980 preliminaries. Stinson place last with a time of 11.76 Just 15 yards from the finish line, Stinson grabbed that troublesome leg. Percy Perry wasn't that lucky. He jumped the gun in the 330-meter intermediate hurdles and was disqualified. Ball's 1,600 meter relay team placed last as well.

The Tors time of 3.17.62 was more than five seconds behind the winning time. Other county participants had their problems as well. Hancock was beaten in the discus by Greg Porter of Humble on that man's last throw. It upset Hancock so much, he placed ninth in the shot put. Melvis Dobbins of Dickinson placed fourth in the discus with a toss of 159-8.

No other county kid placed in the field events. In the running mat- chups, Texas City's relay team of Henry Smith, Kenneth Spencer, Vernon Spencer and Byron Collins placed fifth with a time of 41.7. Houston Jones won the event with a 41.07 clocking. Steve McLure of La Marque finished sixth in the 800 meter run with a time of 1:55.9. Gwain Guy of Dobie placed first at 1:53.0.

Paul Warren came in fourth in the 100 meters. The Gator runner was clocked at 11.04. He finished fourth in the 200 meters as well. Warren was timed at 22.06. Rollen Chambers of Beaumont- Charlton Pollard was first at 21.78.

Gary Moulton of La Marque was the final county finisher. His mile time of 4 37.51 was good enough for eighth. the following are the individuals heading for the state meet in Austin to be conducted on May 10. Pole Vault: Paul Miller, Pasadena Doble, 15-2 Danny Williamson. I'onroe.

M-o. I.OUR jump: Shelby Sanderson, Houston Sterling, Carl Turner, Smiley, 24-4'z. Disrus: Greg Porter, Humble. 179-5. Kevin Hancock.

Texas City, 177-7. High Jump: Don Jones, Pasadena. 6-8. Joe Konecki. Klein.

6-8. Shot put: Greg Bomkamp. Spring. 57-6S. G.F.

Walklns. Humble. 57-1. too mrlrr relay: Houston Jones, 41.07. Houston Wheatley.

41.09. SM mrter run: Gwain Guy, Pasadena Doble, 1:53.0. KyGuylon. Houston Smiley, 1:53 59. lie mtttr hurdles: Dennis Benlley, Houston Worthing.

13.8. Ernest Bell. Houston Worthing, 14.06. tea mrlrrdash: Floyd Furrow, Houslon Smiley. 10.94.

Byron Lewis. Baytown Lee. 11.01. meler dash: Jerry 1 Nichols, Port Arthur Lincoln, 47.14. KeithBarnetl.

Houston Yates, 47.78. 300 meter, intrrmridatr: Dennis Branlley. Houston Worthing, 37.08. Roger Coleman, Beaumont-Charlton Pollard. 37.54.

200 meter dash: Rollen Chambers. Beaumonl- Charlton Pollard. 21.78. Romeero Chevts. West Orange- Stark, 21.8.

Mile run: John Robinson. Pasadena Dobie. 4:13.0. Kyle Wright, McCullough, 4:15.61. "l.SOO mettr relav: Houston Yates.

3:12.3. Baytown Lee.3:13.85. Skip Walker TC coach bound for Canadian grid Photo by Chris Curran THESE BUCCANEERS will represent O'Connell as we have a High School in the coming TCIL state track meet, good chance." Left to right are David Jones, Kent Dodge, Eric Last week's performance was good Scott, Travis, Dennis LeCompte, Shawn Popovich, Mark Delgado and coach Terry Robison. Two other team members not present for photo are Steve Simmons and Travis Owen. ByPAULARNETT News Sports Writer TEXAS CITY-Skip Walker strolled through the green-tiled hallways of Lev! Frye Junior High School.

A smile rested upon the football coach's face. In only three weeks he'd be leaving this all behind; heading to Canada and that country's professional football league. Walker would miss his tiny students, the hours spent teaching them athletics, the rewards gained in those precious moments. With his Ron Cey stride, his gaze fell upon the kids scurrying here and yonder through the hallway. It was lunch time; the noon day bell signified that much.

But Walker wasn't thinking about that. He was recalling his junior high school days in Austin. Cool mornings spent listening to history teachers speak of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln like they were the first and second American presidents. Warm afternoons spent upon the football field learning to carry a football like a business man clutches his brief case. That was reason enough to smile.

Every football participant reminisces about those junior high school coaches trying to instill the right stuff of football into a tiny child's mind. Now he was one of those coaches. His four years at Texas had taught him the coach's technique; how to make a Texas boy love football through hard work, hours of running and even more hours of tackling dummies and real people. But that's not all Walker did in Ag- gieland. He was also a running back of some merit.

An original member of Bellard's Bunch, Walker ran along side Atlanta Falcon tailback Bubba Bean. He was primarily a blocking back. He opened holes on the right side of the line, allowing Bean to move his way into the National Football League. Walker wasn't that lucky. He was drafted in the 1976 llth round by the Houston Oilers, but didn't make the spring cut.

Dejected, but not out, Walker came home to Texas There he worked in the intramural office, practicing what he knew his life work would be; a football coach. "I worked there for three years," Walker said. "And it really helped me prepare for working here at Texas City. I've spent two years here, and enjoyed working with the kids, teaching them the basic skills and attitudes of football." But Walker's dream to play professional football never died. Many afternoons he'd look across that green pasture and dream of what might have been.

Gone were the little kids stumbling and fumbling in his eye's wake. The field was replaced with professionals. Cheers rumbled through the capcity packed stands, he, Skip Walker, had just scored the winning touchdown. "If only that dream would come true," Walker thought to himself. "If only, if For Walker fantasy has become reality.

On May 22, Walker will say goodbye to the flat lands of Galveston County and hello to the flatlands of Saskatchewan. That's right "I've been signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League," Walker said. "It's a two-year contract, and I'm really excited about it. Come six that afternoon, I'm gonna be playing professional football." The delight can be seen in Walker's eyes. He spent last summer trying out with the boys from Montreal, but was cut on the last day before regular season.

Montreal went on to win the Gray Cup (Canada's Super Bowl). Saskatchewan, the team with the worst record in the CFL, picked him up on waivers but never activated him. Now that's all changed. And Walker can hardly wait to hit that 65- yard wide, 110-yard long field. "I'm really confident I can make this team," Walker said.

"I almost made the cut on the best, I'm sure I can make the grade on the worst. After I was cut last year with Montreal, I really felt that was it for me. "But they got in contact with me, and I told them I was ready to go." Which is really amazing. Walker hasn't played organized football since 1976, his last year in Aggieland. He was on the infamous 1975 team which carried a 10-0 record into Arkansas, a No.

2 rating and a shot at the National Championship. They came away that day losers 316. But Walker tends to dwell upon happier moments. Days when he rushed for 187 yards and three touchdowns against Texas Tech, nights in LSU and TCU where every running back got a 100-yard performance. Walker was 5-10, weighed 185 and covered 40 yards in 4.5 seconds.

Some 1,000 days later, the 25-year-old carries the same statistics. "I'm in good shape," Walker said. "I jog two miles to school every morning, and work out with weights five days a week. Coach Weaver gets on me about those weights. On the free bar, I can bench press 250 pounds.

"That upper body strength is real important. But what I have to be able to do best is catch the football. They only have three downs, plus the football field is designed for passing. I'm real quick in the open field and that will be important." No negativism can be found in Walker's system. He knows this is his last chance; the last moment to fufill a dream.

Texas teammates Bean, Pat Thomas (Los Angeles), Tony Franklin (Philadelphia), Tim Gray (St. Louis), Jackie Williams (Buffalo), Robert Jackson (Cleveland), Glenn Bujnoch (Cincinnati) and Ed Simonini (Baltimore) have all realized that dream. Now it's his turn. "I'm not thinking about anything but making the team," Walker said. "If 1 wonder about it too much, I'll be back in Texas sooner than I want to be.

I played with a group of talented guys, that rubs off on you. "I want to prove to them I can do it too. And I am. At least I know I've got the chance to do it." Texas City High sports banquet slated May 15 'TEXAS CITY-The Texas City Booster Club's annual banquet honoring Texas City High School spring sports athetes will be held at 7:30 p.m. May 15 in the high school cafeteria.

Tickets priced at $6 each will be on sale May 1-12 at the Texas City Stadium Ticket Office on Palmer Highway. Athletes in the following sports will be honored: baseball, basketball, golf, tennis, swimming, track, cross country and volleyball. May 12 will be the last day athletes can pick up their tickets at the ticket oUice.