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| MESQUITE - Postseason football is locked in for the defending state champions.
Longview took care of business on its end, scoring on its first seven possessions in a 55-0 demolishing of North Mesquite in District 11-6A action at E.H. Hanby Stadium on Friday night. With the win, the Lobos move to 8-0 on the season and 4-0 in district play and, paired with Rockwall-Heath's 47-31 win over Mesquite Horn elsewhere in league play, Longview clinched a playoff spot for the 19th-straight season. It was an efficient and dominant night from the Lobos from the start against the Stallions, who drop to 2-6 overall and 0-4 in 11-6A. Haynes King and Kaden Meredith combined for six first-half touchdowns as Longview, who opened up a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, exploded for 28 points in the second. Meanwhile, the Lobo defense turned in its third shutout of the season and, outside of North Mesquite's opening drive, shut down anything the Stallions tried to do throughout. North Mesquite finished with 40 yards in the first quarter, was held to negative-10 yards in the second and finished with 56 overall in the end, 30 on the ground on 28 carries. The Stallions punted eight times and went three-and-out on six of seven drives with the halftime being the outlier. King finished 14-of-17 passing for 208 yards and three touchdowns to three different Lobo receivers. Kaden Kearbey hauled in a 45-yard score on a three-catch, 64-yard night. Kyas Moore had a four-yard touchdown and finished with 49 yards on five catches and CJ Hopkins had three catches for 50 yards, including a nine-yard score. Hopkins added to a two-touchdown night with a 35-yard touchdown run in the third quarter on a jet sweep. Meredith totaled 94 yards on nine carries with scoring runs of 27, five and three yards. Xavier Jimmerson finished with 56 yards on seven carries in a 289-yard night on the ground for the Lobos. JD Williams finished with 62 yards of total offense for the Lobos, including a 25-yard catch on a first-half scoring drive and a 35-yard run on another. North Mesquite picked up four of its five first downs on the opening drive after a four-play, 75-yard drive - Longview's longest march of the night - put the Lobos ahead early on King's pass to Kearbey. That drive from the Stallions ended at the Lobo 26 after Malik Cannon got a hand on a ball at the line and was picked off by linebacker Cedric Smith. That concluded North Mesquite's night on offense against the Lobo defense, who got big nights from Tyshawn Taylor, Tyree Hale, Kybrien Jackson-Jamerson and Drew Beltran. Following Smith's pick, King, who completed his first seven pass attempts, hit Moore for 34, Kearbey for 14 to set up Meredith's first score to give Longview a 14-0 lead after the first quarter. Williams burst for 35 yards on the ground and King hit Moore for six and four yards, the second to make it 21-0. After another three-and-out from North, Meredith raced 27 yards untouched for his second score. The junior and the Lobo passing attack exchanged scores the rest of the half, which sent the Lobos into halftime with a 42-0 lead. Longview closes out its home regular-season slate against Tyler Lee next while North Mesquite takes on Mesquite Horn. |