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| DALLAS - Longview battled through swampy conditions and a two-hour lightning delay during Saturday's state semifinal at Dallas ISD's John Kincaide Stadium, but its double-digit halftime lead didn't hold in a 17-14 loss against Aledo.
The Lobos finished the 2022 football season with a 14-1 record, while the Bearcats will take a 13-2 mark to the 11 a.m. Class 5A Division I state championship game against either College Station or Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial at Arlington's AT&T Stadium on Saturday Dec. 17. "It's never easy to stomach, and I hate it for the kids," Longview athletic director and head football coach John King said after his team's season-ending loss on Saturday. "[There are] some outstanding seniors who have been great leaders for this football program. I'm proud of these kids." Longview was kept off the scoreboard in the first quarter, and Aledo took an early 3-0 lead during Clay Murador's 37-yard field goal attempt with 13 seconds remaining in the opening period. Aledo's offense was on the field again in the early minutes of the second quarter, but the tide started to turn when Ta'Darion Boone picked off a Hauss Hejny pass at the 9:50 mark of the frame, and returned the ball 10 yards to the Bearcat 39-yard line. Longview's offense took advantage of the field position because Jordan Allen found Jalen Hale on a 27-yard touchdown pass. That gave the Lobos a 7-3 lead at the 5:49 mark of the period. Hale, a University of Alabama verbal pledge, outjumped two Aledo defenders for the catch. Allen completed seven of his 12 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns in Longview's loss. Longview's defense then forced an Aledo punt a few minutes later, and Allen struck gold with a 55-yard touchdown pass to Hale with 3:01 left in the quarter. That gave the Lobos a 14-3 advantage. The defensive trend continued when Ja'Keyvon Curry recorded the Longview defense's 22nd interception of the 2022 season with 1:54 remaining in the first half. Aledo immediately bounced back on its first drive of the second half. The Bearcats' handoff to Hawk Patrick-Daniels resulted in a 60-yard touchdown run that cut Longview's lead to 14-10 at the 10:52 mark of the third quarter. Longview's offense was stagnant throughout the second half, and Aledo continued to run the ball until Davhon Keys' 10-yard touchdown carry gave the Bearcats a 17-14 lead with 5:44 remaining in the period. The score remained the same as the fourth quarter began, but a lightning sighting eventually paused the game at 4 p.m. The teams eventually returned to the field at 6 p.m., but the late action didn't change the score. Allen had back-to-back incompletions before his batted fourth and 16 pass attempt landed in the hands of Lobo offensive lineman Tavion Morgan, and only resulted in a loss of a yard. Aledo finished the game with 32 carries for 212 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns. Patrick-Daniels led the charge with 10 carries for 109 yards and a touchdown, Hejny followed with 12 runs for 58 yards, Murador picked up a third quarter first down during a 24-yard run after a punt miscue, and Keys finished with four carries, 18 rushing yards, and a rushing touchdown. Longview countered with 37 carries for 89 rushing yards. Taylor Tatum earned 51 yards on 21 carries, and Alijah Johnson added 49 yards on seven runs, while Allen's eight rushes resulted in -11 yards. |