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| DALLAS - Dezmond Chumley changed the momentum of Longview's bi-district playoff game against Rowlett with one throw.
The Sophomore quarterback lofted a 35-yard touchdown pass to junior Chris Pellum on the final play of the first half, a score that put the Lobos ahead 7-6 heading into the break and set the stage for a second-half rout. Longview built on the last-second touchdown in the second half, outscoring Rowlett 20-0 in the third quarter to pull away for a 27-6 first-round playoff win at Kincaide Stadium. "We were needing a shot in the arm and we got it," Longview coach John King said. "The kids were excited coming off the field at halftime. I knew that if we could just go out and secure the football and play good defense like we had, we could move the ball and have an opportunity to win the game." The Lobos (8-3) moved the ball effectively all game and racked up 393 yards of offense, but had to overcome three lost fumbles in the first half that helped Rowlett take a 6-0 lead on two field goals. "Trying to survive at this stage of the game," King said. "But we're going to have to clean it up. Turnovers will bite you in the butt." Senior running back Tory White ran for 130 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, but lost two key fumbles in the first half. Rowlett recovered his first fumble at its own 2-yard line in the first quarter, a miscue that ended a Lobo scoring threat. Longview was driving again later in the quarter when receiver Justinn Spady lost a fumble after a big catch. Neither team scored until Rowlett kicker Aspen Hulme hit a 38-yard field goal midway through the second quarter. White lost his second fumble on the ensuing drive, setting up Hulme's 28-yard field goal with 1:26 remaining. That was all the Longview defense allowed. The Lobos held the Eagles to just 240 yards, including just 35 rushing. "Thought our defense played well in the first half, holding them to two field goals," King said. " Longview built on the momentum from Chumley's touchdown pass with another big play early in the third quarter. Following a Rowlett punt, cornerback Nakia Brown broke an 81-yard punt return for a score, his fourth touchdown return of the season. "It's more than Nakia," King said. "Of course, it starts with him catching the punts and making the first guy miss. But our punt return team does a good job setting up a wall and he finds a crease and takes it to the house. That comes from good preparation. That's not by chance." The Lobos stretched the lead to 20-6 on Sophomore running back JaMycal Hasty's 22-yard touchdown with 4:59 left in the third quarter. Hasty picked up all 45 of his yards on three carries in the drive, spelling White successfully and contributing to a rushing attack that finished with 217 yards. "It was huge," King said. "Being able to run the football effectively does a lot to set up our throwing game. We were able to do that and I thought the offensive line played well all night long." White scored on a 2-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to push the lead 27-6. Rowlett quarterback Carson Hyles struggled mightily in the second half and the Eagles failed to mount a serious threat. The senior threw two of his three interceptions in the second half and was sacked four times. Chumley didn't have to do much in the second half and threw just three passes after halftime. But he put together another strong performance in the first half and finished the night 13 of 17 for 159 yards and the touchdown. Longview advances to play Dallas Jesuit (9-2) in the Class 5A Division II Region II area playoffs next Saturday at 6 p.m. in Richardson's Wildcat-Ram Stadium. |