Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 41

star SpOltS Dl Sunday, September 1 8, 1 988 Star-Tribune, Casper, Wyo. Cowboys rout LorasiamaTec. II. 1111 Jill .1.1 mill lll LBJ Illl I 1 -I -1 Ill IUI.IJI A y- AP Welniak sparks unbeaten Pokes to 38-6 triumph By DENNIS DURBAND Star-Tribune sports editor LARAMIE Wyoming disdained the ratings and worked on its morale in Saturday's 38-6 cakewalk over Louisiana Tech at War Memorial Stadium the Cowboys' 12th consecutive win in regular season. For the third straight game, Wyoming ran up a big first-half lead and coasted to an easy victory.

At 3-0, this is the Cowboys' best start in eight years. Wyoming's domination was thorough, all right. The Pokes scored on five of their first six possessions and the game was quickly over for the 0-3 Bulldogs. UW quarterback Randy Welniak picked apart the LT secondary in a 367-yard passing performance that included one touchdown pass. Head Coach Paul Roach said he's "never had much interest in trying to roll it up," following his use of anybody and everybody wearing brown and yellow uniforms.

Wyoming substituted early and liberally, and three quarterbacks saw duty. "It is far more important to let backup players play," Roach said. "For these young people to have that experience is critical. It bodes much better for morale to have a lot of people play than how you are ranked in the polls." Welniak passed for 315 yards alone in the first half and Wyoming went on to outgain the Division I-AA Bulldogs for the day, 582 yards and 32 first downs to 140 yards and eight first downs. First-half total yardage was a lopsided 377 to 84 in favor of Wyoming, a team rated "ft fcOTI.

i i Nil III, AP Cowboy QB Randy Welniak streaks past Louisiana Tech defenders toward end zone four minutes elapsed. Five plays after a 32-yard pass play involving Welniak and tight end Tom Kilpatrick, Dabby Dawson scored on a 4-yard run to give UW a 14-0 lead. Defensive linemen Craig Schlic-ting and David Edeen helped set the tone with first-quarter sacks of Tech QB Conroy Hines. Midway through the first half, Tech did get its running game going and Matt Stover's 38-yard field goal with 13:30 remaining in the first half made it a 14-3 game. That score ended a run of 88 consecutive points by Tech's three opponents this season.

The Pokes scored on their last 20th in Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News and 21st in the CNN USA Today poll While the offense enjoyed a stellar performance, UW's defense was its usual resistent self. Tech gained only 2.6 yards per play. "Overall, we had a really a great first half," Roach said after upping his career record to 13-3, the best start of any UW football coach. "Our defense played superbly again. Our quarterback played a really good first half." The Pokes scored touchdowns on their first two possessions in taking immediate control of the game.

Peter Gunn, a reserve halfback, scored on a 2-yard run with less than three possessions of the first half: Kilpatrick carried a Welniak pass 28 yards into the end zone with 9:43 remaining to make it 21-3; On a QB draw, Welniak wriggled 9 yards to a touchdown at the 4:58 mark; Finally, Sean Fleming made a 42-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining. That score made it 31-3 at the half. The crowd of 18,128 fans settled back for a yawn and the second half. "Sometimes, when you go in 30 points up, it is difficult to get them aroused," Roach said. "For the second half, the first six, seven Please see COW BOYS, D3 Tom Browning, center, is greeted by a teammate mob Silent treatment helps Browning stay perfect Casper native looks back on history CINCINNATI (AP) No one would speak to Tom Browning, so the left-hander talked to himself.

He ended up talking his way right U.S. divers win medals as competitions begin Soviet wins first Seoul gold, while Americans struggle in swimming pool three swimming gold medals, won her qualifying heat for the women's 400-meter individual medley, but she had only the third fastest time of the day. Noemi Lung of Romania was fastest in 4 minutes, 41.96 seconds, while Evans had 4:43.04. Erika Hansen of King of Prussia, was 11th, failing to qualify for the final by three places. Related story, D4 on a 2-2 count.

Robinson had to settle for 3-2 victory. Robinson's near-perfect game one of six no-hitters lost -n the ninth inning in the majors this season was on the Reds' minds after Rick Dempsey flied out to the warning track in right field and Steve Sax grounded to shortstop Barry Larkin in the ninth. Browning went to a 2-2 count on Woodson. His next pitch a sizzling fastball let his teammates catch their breath. Woodson, in an 0-for-ll slump, swung mightily and missed, touching off a rowdy celebration.

The Reds streamed onto the field as Browing pumped his fist in celebration. They dove on top of him, forming a large pile near the mound for about a minute. Then they picked him up onto their shoulders and exchanged hand slaps before spraying him with champagne. He has won eight of his last nine decisions, and has just two losses since June 6. His perfect game was the first in the Reds' 119-year history and the first Reds' no-hitter since Tom Seaver blanked St.

Louis at Riverfront Stadium on June 16, 1978. He threw just 102 pitches, including first-pitch strikes to 21 batters. He didn't go to three balls on a single batter. He struck out seven and allowed just nine balls hit out of the infield. He threw 70 strikes and 32 balls.

He ended up outpitching the Dodgers' Tim Belcher. "There was something in the air tonight," Belcher said. Yes. Perfection. into baseball history.

The 28-year-old from Casper found little conversation when he sat down next to catcher Jeff Reed in the Cincinnati Reds' dugout Friday night, three outs away from a perfect game. "I was trying to take it easy myself," Reed said. "I wasn't going to say anything about it, and he's not going to say anything about it." So when Browning took the mound with a 1-0 lead against Los Angeles in the ninth inning and 16,591 fans screaming, he talked himself into staying calm. "I just had to maintain my composure," he said. "We were only one run up, and I didn't want to give them a chance to get a rally together.

Minutes later, he fired a fastball past pinch-hitter Tracy Woodson to complete the 14th perfect game in major-league history and set his teammates whooping. "We're all little boys at heart," said third baseman Chris Sabo, who made the only difficult play behind Browning to preserve perfection. "It's something dreams are made of. He got a dream tonight." Browning lost a no-hitter when Tony Gwynn singled with one out in the ninth inning on June 6 in a 12-0 victory over San Diego. Teammate Ron Robinson came even closer, pitching 8 2-3 perfect innings at Riverfront Stadium on May 2 against Montreal before pinch-hitter Wallace Johnson singled SEOUL, South Korea (AP) U.S.

divers got their Olympic effort going with a big splash early today, winning silver and bronze medals in women's platform, but high hopes of America's swimmers slowly appeared to be sinking. Xu Yanmei of China won the diving with 26-year-old Michele Mitchell of Boca Raton, taking the silver in the final meet of her career, and Wendy Williams of Bridgeton, Mo. capturing the bronze. Chen Xiaodan, a 14-year-old from China, led until she nearly belly-flopped her last dive, a difficult backward 3 and she finished out of the medals. That also opened the door for Williams to finish third.

"I think today was the experience of age vs. the resiliency of youth, and I was hoping that experience would pay off," Mitchell said. "And it did for me." The Soviet Union won the first gold medal of the Games, in women's air rifle, and the U.S. basketball, volleyball and boxing teams got off to successful starts. But the swimmers, particularly the women, were a disappointment in Sunday's preliminaries.

Both Matt Biondi and Janet Evans, America's two best swimmers, won their individual heats but finished behind Eastern Europeans. Not to worry, said Coach Richard Quick. "They did what they intended to do, which was to get to finals in good position," Quick said. "It looked like Matt didn't want to push it all the way. He knew he was in good shape." Evans, of Placentia, favored to win winning streak over Japan to 28 matches.

"Streaks are made to be broken," U.S. team captain Karch Kiraly said, "but we didn't let it happen today." Japan led the favored United States, playing without injured setter Jeff Stork, 10-6 deficit in the first game before the U.S. team rallied to a 15-13, 15-2, 15-2 vittory. The winning shot came on a kill by Steve Timmons, one of the most feared spikers in the game. In boxing, the U.S.

team made a successful debut when Arthur Johnson of Minneapolis won his bout with tough Andrea Mannai of Italy in the 1 12-pound class. "I wanted to get the first win for the team," Johnson said. Irina Chilova of the Soviet Union won the women's air rifle with 498.5 points after 10 shots, followed by Silvia Sperber of West Germany with 497.5 and another Soviet, Anna Maloukhina, at 495.8. Launi Meili of Colorado Springs, was sixth with 493.3 points. In men's 100-kilometer team time-trial cycling, East Germany won the gold medal, followed by Poland and Sweden.

The world's two fastest humans, Ben Johnson and Florence Griffith Joyner, meanwhile, proclaimed themselves ready to race. Johnson, of Canada, world record-holder in the men's 100 meters, and American Florence Griffith Joyner, who holds the world record in the women's 100, both said they were untroubled by injury. Johnson injured a hamstring during the indoor season, and Griffith Please see OLYMPICS, D4 Biondi, of Moraga, who is entered in seven events, could do no better than second-fastest in the men's 200 freestyle. Although he won his heat and had a faster time than archrival Michael Gross of West Germany, Biondi was second-fastest to Artur Wojdat of Poland. Wojdat was timed in 1:48.02, Biondi in 1:48.39.

And those were the least of the swim team's problems. Top-ranked American Mitzi Kremer of Titusville, failed to make the final of the 100 freestyle, while Dara Torres of Beverly Hills, swimming because Angel Myers was banned for testing positive for steroids, barely made it by finishing seventh. Rich Schroder of Lindsay, ranked second in the world, was only the seventh qualifier for the 100 breaststroke, and Daniel Watters of Pensacola, failed to advance. In volleyball, the United States extended its -ZrS-yAj'XrK7 IM if Miami scores 17 in final minutes to stun Micliigan I 1 .1 Sheridan, Central, Rock Springs, Cody win conference tennis titles By the Star-Tribune staff CASPER Sheridan's girls, powered by a one-two finish from the Jacobson sisters, romped to the Eastern Wyoming Athletic Conference tennis title Saturday afternoon at the Casper Country Club, while Cody waltzed to the WWAC title in Rock Springs. Christy Jacobson defeated sophomore Jennie in the final match, 6-3, 6-2.

Sheridan totaled 32 points and second-place Cheyenne Central, which has won six consecutive state titles, had 10 points. Natrona was third with eight points, followed by Kelly Walsh and Gillette tied for fourth, East in sixth with a third-place finish by Kim Gates, and Laramie and Torrington tied for eighth place. Not surprisingly, the boys were paced by defending state champion Cheyenne Central, which won by 15 points. Gillette took second place with 15 points, Sheridan was third with 10, Laramie finished fourth with nine, Kelly Walsh and Natrona tied for fifth with five, East was seventh and Torrington finished in eighth with two points. Chris Dray of Central, seeded first entering the regional tournament, won the boys' singles competition with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Indian teammate Brent Powers.

Mike Collodi of Kelly Walsh took third, defeating Richie Eurioste of Laramie, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Please see TENNIS, D4 -J fr' ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) Carlos Huerta kicked a 29-yard field goal with 43 seconds left, capping an incredible 17-point comeback in the final 5 Vi minutes, as top-ranked Miami, beat a stunned No. 15 Michigan team 3 1-30 on Saturday. The Hurricanes trailed 30-14 after Michigan's Michael Taylor threw his third touchdown pass of the game, 16 yards to Chris Calloway with 10:32 remaining.

But they rallied behind the sensational passing of Steve Walsh, who completed 11 of 18 passes, including touchdowns of seven yards to tight end Rob Chudzinski with 5:23 remaining and 48 yards to fullback Cleveland Gary with 2:58 left. Walsh's two-point conversion pass to Dale Dawkins, after the first of those two passes, made it 30-22. But Michigan cornerback David Arnold intercepted at the goal line when Walsh tried a two-pointer that would have tied the score after Gary's touchdown. Please see COLLEGE, D3 'V1 Zbigniew BzdakStar-Tribune Scott Johnson of Laramie chases down a scrambling calf on Saturday afternoon at the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds during the Wyoming Rodeo Association Finals. The rodeo concludes today.

For results, see D5. Running scared.