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| LONGVIEW - Vinny Portley and Bryce Redman are 260-pound offensive guards for Longview's football team. Once a week for the past 15 weeks, they have rolled over defenders that opposed the Lobos.
The opposing defenders are the luck ones. They only had to face Portley and Redman once. Logan Washington is a member of Longview's scout teams, and he lines up against the fearsome duo three times each week. "It's like getting hit by a freight train, and they get a few big hits in every practice," said Washington, a junior who plays linebacker. "You get some headaches sometimes after practice." Needless to say, being on Longview's scout teams can be tough, but to borrow a slogan from the Peace Corps, it's a job Washington and his peers love. Longview's scout teams mimic the offenses and defenses opponeing teams run in Monday through Wednesday practices. The junior varsity makes up the bulk of the scout teams, although other varsity players and freshmen sometimes have roles as well. Longview caoch John King said he respects the work the scout teams do as much as any unit of his team. "The scout teams have h te most important role that gets the least publicity," King said. Not too long ago, Washington and fellow scout team member Dakota Anthony had a degree of publicity. Washington played quarterback at Forst Park Middle School, while Anthony was a standout tailback across town at Judson. Anthony, a 5'4, 120-pound sophomore, now gets tackled by Longview defensive linemen Bubba Vactor and Christ Knighton - players that outweight him by 100 pounds. Anthony said he also sometimes has headaches at the end of practices, but as far as other aches and pains, Anthony and Washington say they rarely think about it, or quickly put out of their minds. "This is Lobo Land. Only the strong survive," Anthony said. "I may get a headache, but I feel energized after practicing knowing we're playing Lake Travis for the state championship. I felt energized back in September too." Anthony and Washington are currently paying a price most of the varsity playres they take hits from already paid. King said approximately 90 percent of varsity players have seen time on the scout team. The rare exectations are sophomore that are ready to make steady contributions to the varsity. Some examples are Redman and quarterback Aaron Johnson, which both got their varsity promotions last year as sophomores. Somtimes varsity players have to endure extended tenures with the scout teams, such as Portley as well as linebackers Conrad Cooks and Melvin Templeton. "They had to spend two years on the scout teams," King said. "I think one reason they have played well this year is because they appreciate being here after their time with the scout teams, not that other players don't appreciate it." Longview players rarely wear uniform numbers during practice, but there are exceptions in scout team work. In preparation for a Sept. 5 game against Tyler Lee, Anthony wore the number two, the number of Lee running back Da Da Brown. Longview won that game 21-0, holding Brown to 25 yards on 18 carries. "They asked me to run like Brown," Anthony said. "I had to do a lot of running toward one side of the line, then cut back and go the other direction, like Barry Sanders." Washington said a game he felt like the scout-team defense played a big role was before a Region II semi-final against Dallas Carter three weeks ago. Longview defeated Carter 35-20 with 322 total yards of offense. In prearping for that week, Washington got to dish out some of the punishment he was taking. "I got to give out some cheap shots on our fullbacks," said Washington, tongue in cheek. "Carter blitzes their linebackers on every play. They made our guards and tackles back up. I think they did a good job protecting Aaron Johnson." During the regular season, most of the scout teams participate in Thursday junior-varsity games. King said as a reward for their work, the junior varsity teams and selected freshmen are promoted to the varsity team for the playoffs. Playing time for these scout treams players in the playoffs is rare, but King said their roles during the week are important, this week more than ever in preparing for the Class 4A Division I state titel game Saturday in Waco. King said this time, and this week, the scout team has had company from players who get their names in varsity stat sheets on a weekly basis. "We have had varsity quarterbacks and varsity receivers, like Rayshone McGee and Aaron Hollins, work with the scout team," King said. "We want our defense to get more of a feeling of what Lake Travis will show them." This week could be the last time Washington will be on Longview's team, but he said that possibly getting promoted to the varsity next season rarely crossed his mind. He said he prefers to focus on his current scout team role. While obviously he would be pleased with the Lobos winning a state titel, his desire for an ultimate reward is modest. "Anybody saying, 'Thank you' or 'Good job' would be nice. That's it," Washington said. "I already know that everything we went through was worth it for the team."
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