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PRINT THIS PAGE | E-MAIL THIS PAGE Sunday, October 25, 1998 Arlington Heights' kicker denied chance at record FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- With 24-seconds to play, an on-field fight has denied Tomas Sanchez of Fort Worth Arlington Heights his bid to break the national high school career field goal record. The other team, Fort Worth Dunbar, took offense Friday night when Arlington Heights, leading 35-21, lined up for the field goal. Sanchez has a share of the national record with 43. As Dunbar brought 11 men to block the attempt, a Heights player jumped offside. It triggered a cascade of Wildcats over the line of scrimmage and a shoving match ensued that brought both coaching staffs off the bench to clear the field. Arlington Heights head coach Phil Wester decided to call the game, indicating his quarterback would take a knee and run out the final seconds. "We've got two more games and the playoffs to kick the record," Wester said. "I don't want anyone to get hurt out here. I'm here to protect my kids and when the game is out of hand and we're ahead, we have the option to call it." Dunbar coach Bob Jones lauded Wester's decision to call the game, but questioned his counterpart's play-calling. "They're up 35-21 with 26 seconds left and they decide to kick a field goal," Jones said incredulously. "I don't think they should do that. That kid'll have plenty of chances to kick that field goal, and we don't need to rub these kids' faces in it. He doesn't need an asterisk by the record." Sanchez's four field goals last Friday against Fort Worth Trimble Tech tied the record at 43. Since then, the field has been crawling with reporters and television crews. "It's taking its toll on me," the high school senior said. "The only time I feel good is in practice because I know I can't miss the next one. I'm trying as hard as I can, but I'm kind of ready to get it over with." Wester said the whole school is behind Sanchez, 17, to break the record, which was set in 1986 by Philip Doyle, the place kicker for Huffman High in Birmingham, Ala. Doyle said he didn't even know such a record existed. "Our team was in the state quarterfinals and I didn't know until the day before that I could break that record," Doyle said. "To me, it was no big deal. Going to the state semifinals was so much more important." Doyle went on to kick for the University of Alabama and was later drafted by the New York Giants. When Sanchez began the season, Oklahoma was the biggest school to send him any recruiting correspondence. Now, he's hearing from Florida, Tennessee, Washington and Texas A&M, among others. The letters have been pouring in. "It's something people talk about all their lives -- setting a record -- and I can't believe it's happening to me," Sanchez said.   Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below: texnews.com Reporter OnLine Local Sports Texas Sports Copyright ©1998, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below:

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