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Show CkROMcU TtEscUy, Paqe Ten jANLARy 19, 198f SPORTS y U sns yp soson Sim graini u sfyte wows crowd again, Garrison-Steve- s but U., behind Portell, capture first win By Glenn Seninger Chronicle assistant sports editor es The last time the Lady "Utes" stepped onto the floor in the Huntsman Center and competed, it was the NCAA Gymnastics Championships and it wasn't a pleasant experience. But Monday night's victory over the Sooners of Oklahoma in the McDonald's Challenge Cup, seemed to be a national happier time for the six-tichamps. "It was good to get out and forget about last year and just worry about tonight," Hilarie Portell said. "I really feel a lot of support from the team and I felt good about my routine." For the Sooners it was also a good night for one of their top guns and possibly the 187-184.- 65 me nation's top gymnast Kelly Garrison-Stevedominated the competition, winning every event and Garrison-Steve- s. s capturing the was closely However, Garrison-Steve- s followed in every event. Utah's Kristi Pinnick received Utah's top score in the vault with a 9.6 and by the end of Utah's turn on the vault, Utah and the Sooners were tied. The uneven bars were also dominated by Garrison-Steve- s, who hauled in a 9.75. all-arou- nd. U. Portell was the next closest finisher with a finished out her night 9.6. Garrison-Stevwith wins on the floor (9.85) and balance beam (9.75). "Tonight was a good night for me," Portell admitted. "I seemed to hit all of my flips and moves and there seeemed to be just the right amount of challenge in my routines." Portell is experiencing what all Utah gymnasts are more difficulty in their routines. "We have been incorporating some difficult moves in order to raise some of our scores," Utah's Head Coach Greg Marsden said. And that incorporation seemed to have paid off for Utah. Utah also received a shot in the arm from two of its freshmen, Jessica Smith and Patti Massoels. Smith finished second in the floor exercise with a 9.5 behind Oklahoma's Garrison-Steve- s. Not bad for a freshman competing against one of the nation's toughest. Massoels also performed well in her first collegiate meet. She tied Portell for the top Utah score on the balance beam. "I really didn't know what to expect before I went out there tonight," Massoels said. "But I really like the team concept of competition." plucks Falcons, Special to the Chronicle COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. And Utah moves into first place in the Western Athletic Conference. The U. used a stifling defense Saturday afternoon to shut 0, down the Air Force Academy, and gain a share of the conference lead with UTEP, which swept a pair of games from San Diego State and Hawaii. Both teams stand at 0. Utah jumped out to a big halftime lead in Cadet Fieldhouse and coasted the rest of the way to its 12th win of the season. In fact, Air Force never really threatened after mark of the first half. the For the season, the Falcons are 8. They tumbled to 4 in the conference. "Our failure to shoot well early started the snowball rolling downhill," Air Force Coach Reggie Minton said. 70-5- 4-- 20-poi- nt 10-min- ute 6-- 0-- 70-5- 0, ifeiP!N ?.. Utah was in an unfamiliar position Monday night, but behind the performance of Hilarie Portell, the U. looks like it will again battle for the national championship. "I think they both did a really good job," Marsden added. "I put both of them in a high pressure situation and they both handled that situation very well." With their first win under their belts, the Lady "Utes" will face Arizona State, Utah State and Washington in a Tempe on Jan. 29. tri-me- et free-thro- 5-- Last year's WAC Newcomer of the Year, Raymond Dudley, seemed frustrated the entire afternoon and never got his game in gear. He finished with 13 points but only hit 4 of 1 1 from the field. The Falcons' leading scorer for the season, Rob Marr, only had six points, which says a lot for Utah's pressure defense. Mike Hammond ended up leading Air Force with 15 points. "It was just great defense," Utah Coach Lynn Archibald an said. "We played smart, didn't get into foul trouble and took them completely out of their motion game." Archibald was also pleased with his reserves, namely Hansen's 10 points and career-hig- h seven rebounds. John Clark also came off the bench for eight points. "Look at those minutes," Archibald said of the time his reserves were able to play Saturday. "Twenty-fou- r for Hansen, 19 for Clark and 15 for (Keith) Chapman. That will be very valuable to us when we get to New Mexico and UTEP next week." While New Mexico proved it is susceptible on the road, (the Lobos lost consecutive games to San Diego State and Hawaii over the weekend), UNM has proven what it can do at home in the Pit the place Utah will play Thursday. Utah did win two on the road at Colorado State and Air Force. Winning at UTEP and New Mexico will be a little more of a struggle. Glenn Seninger Broncos won, but QB debate is Well, it seems as though the playoff quarterback controversy is over, at least for the next few weeks. Who is the best quarterback in the NFL? When we last left our little soap opera, there was John "The Duke" Elway. A man whose abilities appear to stand above and beyond the rest of his the "Duke" had been competition. accused of not being the top gun in Yet town. Winning honors like the MVP of the league was not a concern for the "Duke." All he wanted was to lead his team to a Super Bowl showdown on Jan. 31. But there was only one cowboy who stood in the "Duke's" way. The relatively unknown, yet talented, Bernie "The Gambler" Kosar. He was well known in all parts for having one of the fastest guns around. And the "Duke" knew he was in for more than just an ordinary game. A barn burner was going to be the order of the day. The two squared off in typical ' western gundown fashion as the Broncos, from the Mile High town, prepared for the showdown with the Browns of Cleveland. The setting for our story is the cool Rocky Mountains, a place the "Duke" calls home. The first scene opens and finds a capacity crowd of Denver faithful packed into Mile High Stadium to watch this gunfight. As the whistle blew and the two prepared to lead a charge, everyone knew that when the final gun sounded there would only be one left standing. Because in a gunfight there can only be one man left standing. You see, this meeting between the "Duke" and the "Gambler" was for all the marbles, the whole pie, the big prize, it's for all the gold, it's for . . . well you get the idea. The answer to the question then, who was the better of these two gunfighters? It still seems unclear. When the dust had settled it was the Broncos who had won their second consecutive AFC Championship in as in for share of WAC lead Air Force hit 3 of its first 12 shots to begin the game and finished 20 of 49 for the game. The Falcons were only 8 of 13 w from the line. Watkins "Boo" Singletary led the U. with 15 points (5-- 5 from the field, 6 from the line), while reserve Jon Hansen chipped in 10. Center Mitch Smith had an uncharacteristic poor offensive showing only scoring six points. But it didn't matter because this was never a contest. man-to-m- Chronicle photo by Steven C. Wilson many years. But it wasn't easy. Although the Browns were down by the score of 21-- 3 at halftime, Kosar and the Browns didn't give up. The final tally of the two stats? Well you make the choice. For the "Gambler," his stats on the day were impressive 1 for 356 yards with three touchdown passes and one interception. For Elway, it was an equally impressive day as he completed 6 for 281 yards and three touchdown passes and one interception. Remember, I said equally impressive. Now that all of the stats are out it's easy to decide who is better, right? There will be those who will say the "Duke" is the best while others will still argue the "Gambler" was the best. But when it's all said and done, there is still no clear-canswer. But hats have to go off to both teams for their performances Sunday. A big salute to Broncos Coach Dan Reeves, for masterminding his team through a season that saw a strike and tough 26-4- 14-2- ut still up in air playoff schedule. Reeves beat a tough Houston Oiler squad in the playoffs, the only team to beat them at home all year. And let's have a big round of applause for the Browns Coach Marty Schottenheimer, who has won the AFC Central for the past three years and has taken his team to the playoffs in each of those years. And to the "Duke" who once again showed that a quarterback can have eyes in the back of his helmet and lead his team to victory and another Super Bowl appearance. And to the "Gambler," Kosar, who brilliantly led his team from the depths of despair to engineer three scores in the third quarter and come as close as a fumble away from an overtime period. So now that you think you know who is the toughest, fastest gunfighter in the NFL, who is it actually? Is it Elway the "Duke," or Kosar the "Gambler." If you need some time to decide, I'll give you two weeks. |
