The Second Season - Part 2
"Sure the kid can hit, but he's got two left feet."
The remark is attributed to Jersey Joe Walcott, then the heavyweight champion of the world and a future opponent of one Rocky Marciano. Most everyone over forty can recall the ending of that story. Marciano knocked out Walcott for the title and did the same thing in a return bout on the way to becoming the first and only unbeaten heavyweight champion in the history of boxing.....
In the early 1970s, a kid from Louisiana Tech University was said to have all the tools to become one of pro football's greatest quarterbacks. Even so, Terry Bradshaw had a fair share of critics. Most of the question marks centered around Bradshaw's ability to think. To put it bluntly, his critics didn't feel Bradshaw was smart enough to play quarterback in the NFL.
Before his career was over, Bradshaw led the perennial doormat Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl championships. He usually called his own plays too....
Closer to home, I can remember a time when a number of people right here in Lovington, New Mexico were of the opinion that one Scottie L. Watkins would never hack it as a varsity coach. That was before Scottie took over the Wildcat track program in 1976. Boy, were they wrong!
Scottie has silenced almost all of his critics today -- save a few who keep insisting that he's always loaded with talent -- and he is recognized by his peers as one of the top coaches in the state. I suspect that any contempt towards Scottie, should there be any, stems from a simple case of jealousy.
Today's column is dedicated to Scottie Watkins and two other Lovington High School head coaches, Dana Anstey and Gene Murphy. By now most Lovington sports fans are aware of the fact that all three men resigned their coaching positions at LHS. Dana Anstey is the girls' track and cross country coach while Murphy coaches both the boys' and girls' golf squads.
Together, the three have won nine state championships and a total of 25 district titles during their high school coaching stints. On the state level, that's 75 percent of the 12 championships Lovington has claimed during the last decade. In district competition, the percentage is 67 percent out of a total of 37 4AAA titles.
Watkins, who is also retiring from teaching at the conclusion of the current school year, is the winningest coach in the history of Lovington High School. His teams have won six state track crowns in the nine seasons he's been at the Wildcat helm. The Wildcats have been second twice and third once under Watkins at the state meet. He was also an assistant coach on the 1969 and 1970 state champion teams.
Watkins' district record is equally impressive. In fact, during the nine years he's headed up the track program, Lovington has yet to be unseated as the district champion. Throw in four boys and two girls' 4AAA cross country titles for a grand total of 15 district championships. Scottie isn't through yet either.....
Anstey is bound for Colorado Springs, Colo. where he hopes to land a coaching position in the next couple of months or so. An eight-year veteran of the local school system, Anstey has greatly influenced both the track and cross country programs. After serving as Watkins' assistant in 1981, Anstey was promoted to girls' head coach the following year. Besides winning three straight district titles, Anstey's Lady Cats own two class AAA state championships in track (1983 and 1984) and a state runner up finish in 1982.
His impact on the girls' cross country program has been just tremendous. Prior to Anstey's arrival, a southern New Mexico school had never placed in the top three at the state level. Under Anstey, the Lady Wildcats were third in 1982, second in 1983 and fourth last fall. Lovington girls have won a trio of district titles with Anstey heading up the program.....
Turning to golf, Gene Murphy is stepping down after seven successful seasons. Murphy, who has coached at Taylor School since 1966 and will stay on in that capacity, has some pretty fair credentials himself. In 1984, Murphy's Wildcat golf team made history by winning the school's first state championship in the sport. That capped off a string of three consecutive 4AAA crowns.
The girls' golf program has also made plenty of progress because of the work and dedication of Murphy. The Lady Wildcats placed third at state in 1984 after finishing fourth the previous year. Lovington, the winner of last year's first official district golf title, is well on the way to repeating this spring.....
Having worked around and with Scottie Watkins for a number of years, I was not surprised by his retirement. After 25 years of teaching and coaching he has earned himself a rest. No one can argue with that.
In the case of Dana Anstey, I have often wondered why he might be leaving, but the development did not come as a shock. Dana informed me at the start of the current school year that this would be his last year in Lovington.
Gene Murphy? Now this one was a surprise. I had heard rumors of the sort, but only recently did I learn that Gene was actually checking it in.
A couple of days ago, I had the chance to talk with both Murphy and Anstey about their decisions. I was of the opinion that Murphy might be unhappy about developments dealing with the golf schedule, and that Anstey wasn't entirely satisfied with his situation in the system. In being fair with both these men and everyone else concerned, I asked each one for a statement. Both were direct and to the point.
"I'm not leaving with any hard feelings or anything like that," said Anstey. "I simply feel like I have done all I can do here. I also feel the administration has been supportive of my program. I'm certainly going to miss working with the kids here in Lovington, but I do think I am leaving the program in good shape. Of the twelve girls who have qualified for state this year, only three are seniors."
Murphy remarked, "I'm not unhappy with anything. My reason for resigning as golf coach was because I have a full schedule teaching and coaching at Taylor. I have a lot of responsibility and it's gotten where my energy level just isn't as high as it used to be. The golf program will continue to progress. We have a lot of good, young players and they're going to get stronger."
So much for that.....
I can say that I consider Scottie Watkins, Dana Anstey and Gene Murphy all to be friends of mine. They are also very fine coaches. It's been a long time, if ever, since Lovington has lost three of this caliber in a single school year...
Lovington Invitational: Our second opportunity to qualify state was at our home invitational. Scottie and I were given a really nice tribute from the fans as well as coaches and athletes from all of the schools attending.
Turning to golf, Gene Murphy is stepping down after seven successful seasons. Murphy, who has coached at Taylor School since 1966 and will stay on in that capacity, has some pretty fair credentials himself. In 1984, Murphy's Wildcat golf team made history by winning the school's first state championship in the sport. That capped off a string of three consecutive 4AAA crowns.
The girls' golf program has also made plenty of progress because of the work and dedication of Murphy. The Lady Wildcats placed third at state in 1984 after finishing fourth the previous year. Lovington, the winner of last year's first official district golf title, is well on the way to repeating this spring.....
Having worked around and with Scottie Watkins for a number of years, I was not surprised by his retirement. After 25 years of teaching and coaching he has earned himself a rest. No one can argue with that.
In the case of Dana Anstey, I have often wondered why he might be leaving, but the development did not come as a shock. Dana informed me at the start of the current school year that this would be his last year in Lovington.
Gene Murphy? Now this one was a surprise. I had heard rumors of the sort, but only recently did I learn that Gene was actually checking it in.
A couple of days ago, I had the chance to talk with both Murphy and Anstey about their decisions. I was of the opinion that Murphy might be unhappy about developments dealing with the golf schedule, and that Anstey wasn't entirely satisfied with his situation in the system. In being fair with both these men and everyone else concerned, I asked each one for a statement. Both were direct and to the point.
"I'm not leaving with any hard feelings or anything like that," said Anstey. "I simply feel like I have done all I can do here. I also feel the administration has been supportive of my program. I'm certainly going to miss working with the kids here in Lovington, but I do think I am leaving the program in good shape. Of the twelve girls who have qualified for state this year, only three are seniors."
Murphy remarked, "I'm not unhappy with anything. My reason for resigning as golf coach was because I have a full schedule teaching and coaching at Taylor. I have a lot of responsibility and it's gotten where my energy level just isn't as high as it used to be. The golf program will continue to progress. We have a lot of good, young players and they're going to get stronger."
So much for that.....
I can say that I consider Scottie Watkins, Dana Anstey and Gene Murphy all to be friends of mine. They are also very fine coaches. It's been a long time, if ever, since Lovington has lost three of this caliber in a single school year...
Lovington Invitational: Our second opportunity to qualify state was at our home invitational. Scottie and I were given a really nice tribute from the fans as well as coaches and athletes from all of the schools attending.
While the boys were overwhelming favorites the same can't be said for the girls. According to Dallas:
"It is a different story in the girls' division where the Tucumcari Rattlerettes present a major problem for the Lady Wildcats. Lovington has long dominated the district teams, but Tucumcari defeated Lovington in the only meeting between the two schools this spring, an 80 - 70 decision at Tucumcari's Rattler Relays.
Lovington, its ranks bolstered by the addition of eight ninth graders, must have a superb performance if the Lady Wildcats are to repeat again. According to LHS coach Dana Anstey, the team title might not be decided until the last event of the meet, the 1600 meter relay."
The preview by Morris in the Hobbs News Sun was similar:
"It is a different story in the girls' division where the Tucumcari Rattlerettes present a major problem for the Lady Wildcats. Lovington has long dominated the district teams, but Tucumcari defeated Lovington in the only meeting between the two schools this spring, an 80 - 70 decision at Tucumcari's Rattler Relays.
Lovington, its ranks bolstered by the addition of eight ninth graders, must have a superb performance if the Lady Wildcats are to repeat again. According to LHS coach Dana Anstey, the team title might not be decided until the last event of the meet, the 1600 meter relay."
The preview by Morris in the Hobbs News Sun was similar:
You've got to know when to hold them,
Know when to fold them.
Know when to walk away,
When the dealin's done.
- Kenny Rogers (from "The Gambler")
"The dealin' will be done by Dana Anstey and George Chavez, a couple of gamblers in short pants disguised as successful head track coaches.
Instead of a riverboat on the mighty Mississipp', Anstey and Chavez will be doing their gamblin' on the track in Saturday's Lovington Invitational.
Anstey's Lovington Lady Wildcats and Chavez' Tucumcari Rattlerettes are the teams to beat in the girls' division of tomorrow's meet, which gets underway at 1 o'clock with the running prelims and field events. The finals start at 6:00 p.m.
On the boys' ledger all the smart money is on the Lovington Wildcats to once again overwhelm the field, which includes all District 4AAA teams plus Ruidoso.
Though all the cards won't be put on the table for this second qualifying meet of the season, there won't be any cards up the sleeves of Anstey and Chavez, two friendly coaching adversaries who know one another's teams as well as their own.
'I've got a lot of respect for George as a coach,' said Anstey. 'He brings his kids along well. It's a good rivalry. We always enjoy running against Tucumcari.'
And for all but this season, Lovington also enjoyed beating Tucumcari like a base drum -- all the time.
But the Rattlerettes defeated the Lady Wildcats for the first time ever in cross country. And, a few weeks ago Tucumcari defeated Lovington at the Rattler Relays.
Tucumcari has not run in Lovington since 1983. A favorite ploy of Chavez is too keep his team's talent a secret until the district meet. However, there is no hiding the Rattlerettes' talent."
And the meet itself? What was the outcome after such a big buildup? And so much focus on Coach Watkins and myself leaving? Simply put, the challenge from Tucumcari was more than met by the Lady Wildcats. The girls qualified for state in 13 of 16 events and of the 37 performances by Lady Wildcats, 22 were personal bests including school and meet record performances.
The final scores were certainly a confidence builder for the girls going into the District Championship the next week. Lovington 131 1/2; Tucumcari 72, Goddard 59 1/2, Portales 25, Artesia 16. Ruidoso did not bring their girl's team.
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