Morenci High School - Copper Cat Yearbook (Morenci, AZ)

Page 29 text:

Cowboys Put Cats in the Bag Willcox eliminates Morenci in divisional tournament ‘7 always concentrate on executing the right pitch. ” —Jeremy Vanegas j FOLLOW THROUGH. Pitcher Jeremy Vane gas throws a strike past the Hayden batter in the Cat’s 7-6 loss to the Lobos in the semi-finals of the Lions Invitational Tournament. Vanegas had six strikeouts in the game. Down one run with the bases loaded and no outs in the sixth inning, fans and players alike were optimistic the Cats would rally to beat Willcox in the finals of the divisional tournament. No one was prepared for the number 2, 3, and 4 hitters to strike out ending Morenci’s bid for back-to-back state championships. Following the game. Coach Aaron Isaacs commented: “I just can’t believe that Jesus Neito struck out our best bat- ters. It couldn’t happen any other day.” Morenci had ended the regular season in a three-way tie for second place with Willcox and Thatcher. A coin toss deter- mined seeding for the divisional tourna- ment where the Cats, seeded second, hosted Duncan in the first round. Following their 11-1 win over the Wild- kats, Morenci faced Thatcher in the semi- finals. With the Cats down 4-9 in the fifth inning, Thatcher pitcher Curtis Reed dropped a fly ball. Morenci rallied to score 5 runs and tie the score at 9 each. In the seventh inning, the Eagles scored twice to reclaim the lead, but Morenci countered with 3 runs to claim the victo- ry. “The Thatcher game was such an emotional one that we found it hard to get up for Willcox the next day,” re- marked Richard Ruedas following the Cats loss to the Cowboys. The J.V. team ended the season with an 8-4 record thereby becoming the only J.V. squad competing in the ’86-87 school year to post a winning record. The highlight of the season was the squad’s come-from-behind victory over Thatcher. Down 5 runs in the bottom of the 7th, Morenci tied the score and then held off the Eagles until scoring the win- ning runs in the 10th. 1987 VARSITY BASEBALL TEAM: FRONT ROW: Richard Anderson. David Gonzales. James Moreno. Jeff Aguilar. Ernie Zevallos. Paul Trujillo, Rene Varela, Gary Herrin, mgr BACK ROW: Coach Aaron Isaacs. Felix Macias, mgr.; Steve Wene, Darren Sanders, Jeremy Vanegas, Richard Ruedas. Ralph Mendez. Clifford Peete. 1987 J.V. BASEBALL TEAM: FRONT ROW: Alex Olivas. Chris Castel de Oro. Benji Morales. Rene Sandoval, Chris Valdez, Todd Johnson, Eugene Herrera, Jerod Aker BACK ROW: Coach Kelly Sears. John Lopez, Mark Vallejo, Quincy Goseyun, David Willard. Bobby Cervantez, John Hawkins. Vince Lozano. Lance McCullin, mgr. DISCUSSING THEIR OPTIONS. Following a ral ly by the Pima Roughriders in a conference game. Coach Aaron Isaacs discusses the situation with catcher Darren Sanders and pitcher Jeff Aguilar Morenci won the game 9-7. Baseball 25

Page 28 text:

PLAYING IN. First baseman Steve Wene comes off the bag preparing to turn a double play. The Cats slipped by Pima, 5-4, in the first game of the Lions Tourney. RALLY CAPS. Members of the squad continue their tradition of turning their caps backward while encouraging their teammates to rally from a 9-2 deficit against Thatcher. The Cats won, 1211. w m 87 VARSITY BASEBALL 7 Safford 10 3 Tombstone 4 6 Thatcher 8 3 Safford 12 10 Clifton 0 15 Duncan 1 10 Pima 1 16 Clifton 3 9 Pima 7 5 Willcox 15 1 Benson 0 11 Duncan 2 10 Thatcher 3 7 Willcox 9 6 Hayden 7 22 Duncan 3 5 Pima 4 11 Duncan 1 12 Thatcher 11 3 Willcox Won 12 Lost 8 ’87 J.V. BASEBALL 7 nMf 9 4 8 Safford 13 14 Thatcher 12 8 Safford 14 10 Duncan 7 35 Pima 14 9 Pima 10 7 Willcox 6 8 Duncan 7 16 Thatcher 3 8 Willcox 6 9 Lordsburg 19 16 Lordsburg Won 8 Lost 4 5 HOOK SLIDE. During a close play at third. Ernie Zevallos avoids the throw down from second base. Morenci lost to Hayden. 7-6, in the semi finals of the Lions Invitational Tournament. 24 Baseball

Page 30 text:

HOP. SKIP. JUMP. Clearing the 28'9 mark in the triple jump at the Rotary Invitational Track Meet. Kelly Boggess qualifies for competition at the state track meet. Cats Take It In Stride Track teams regroup with freshmen and sophomores Starting over was the situation faced by head track coach Jack Edens following the graduation of most members of the highly successful ’86 boys’ and girls’ track teams. Only two upperclassmen returned from each squad — Jon Day and Richard Sandoval for the boys, and Libby Chavez and Shelly Bryant for the girls. “Most of our team was sophomores and fresh- men,’’ commented Marnie Van Ness. “We had very little experience on the squad.” High point boy for the season was Day who scored points in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and in both the 400- meter relay and the 1600-meter relay. For the girls, freshman Cheryl Brannon scored the most during the season with place points in the 300-meter hurdles, the 100-meter dash, and the 400-meter re- lay. At the state track meet held at Chan- dler High School, Brannon finished 5th in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 50.26. Mamie VanNess placed 8th in the 400-meter dash, 65.00; and Heidi 26 Scheier was 7th in the 100-meter hurdles, 18.62. Kelly Boggess competed in the triple jump but did not place. This was the first year for the triple jump event. For the boys, Joel Bouriaque placed 6th in the 110-high hurdles, 16.94, and finished 8th in the 300-intermediate hur- dles, 44.77. Steve Butler was 8th in the triple jump. The 400-meter relay team — made up of Jon Day, Clifford Peete, Richard Fal- con, and Joel Bouriaque — finished 7th with a time of 46.5. In the 1600-meter relay. Jay Petty, Richard Falcon, Richard Sandoval, and Glen Strom ran the race in 341.9 seconds, good for 8th place. Also competing for the Cats at state was sophomore Edward Dunham, who ran in the 3200 but did not place. Coach Edens was generally pleased with the results of the state meet. Com- menting after the season was over, he said: “It was a very enjoyable season. I see a lot of promise in our young athletes. I m sure we’ll be much improve next year.” “Long jumping was a lot of fun, and it got me to the state tournament —Steve Butler SOARING HIGH. Sophomore Steve Butler gains a fourth place finish with his jump of 18’ 1 3 4“ at the Lions Tournament. 26 Track