STATE PREVIEW: LONGVIEW VS LAKE TRAVIS

LONGVIEW - A glance at the 2009 Class 4A Division I State Championship.

LONGVIEW (14-1) VS LAKE TRAVIS (15-0)

Time: 6 p.m., Saturday

Stadium: Floyd Casey Stadium, Waco

On the Air: KKUS-FM (104.1) KFRO-AM (1370), KCUL-AM (1410), KTXZ-FM (95.1), KTXZ-AM (1560). Internet: www.theranch.fm, www.tsrnsports.com, www.foxsports-southwest.com. Replay of the game: MYTX (Cable channel 10 in Longview; satellite channel 18) 9 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday. The game will also be rebroadcast on Dec. 29 at 11 a.m. on Fox Sports Southwest.

Coaches

Longview: John King

Lake Travis: Chad Morris

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Longview - d. Allen 28-25; d. Tyler Lee 31-7; d. Natchitoches (La. Central) 54-14; lost to Lufkin 28-14; d. Texas High 28-25; d. Sulphur Springs 45-0; d. Mount Pleasant 44-0; d. Marshall 47-30; d. Hallsville 45-0; d. Pine Tree 56-7; bi-district - d. Whitehouse 52-9; area - d. Hewitt Midway 14-13; Region II semifinal - d. Carrollton Newman Smith 28-25; Region II final - d. Waxahachie 50-26; state semifinal - d. Denton Guyer 49-28.

Lake Travis - d. Round Rock Westwood 55-31; d. Austin Westlake 42-21; d. Cedar Park 54-17; d. Boerne 52-0; d. Killeen 56-31; d. Hutto 57-16; d. Lampasas 38-7; d. Pflugerville Hendrickson 58-15; d. Dripping Springs 52-0; d. Marble Falls 52-7; bi-district - d. Austin Crockett 58-7; area - d. Cibolo Steele 27-20; Region IV semifinal - d. Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 52-13; Region IV final - d. Alamo Heights 27-13; state semifinal - d. Pearland Dawson 57-12.

LAST WEEK

Longview - The Lobos rushed for 482 yards as team to pull away from Denton Guyer 49-28 last Saturday at Kincaide Stadium in Dallas. Longview had three players go over 100 yards rushing: Aaron Johnson (157 yards), Da'Cedric Hunt (154) and Tyler McCray (116). Guyer had 362 total yards of offense, but was harassed by nose tackle Bubba Vactor, who had 10 tackles.

Lake Travis - Quarterback Michael Brewer accounted for 334 total yards and seven touchdowns as Lake Travis routed Pearland Dawson 57-12 last Saturday at Kyle Field in College Station. Andy Erickson had three receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Ian Lazarus had 10 tackles and an interception, one of three picks for the Cavaliers.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Longview - QB-P Aaron Johnson (6-0, 175, Sr., 2,060 total yards, 18 total TD, 1 INT, committed to Houston)...RB Tyler McCray (5-11, 185, Sr., 1,188 yards, 19 TD rushing)...RB Da'Cedric Hunt (6-0, 195, Sr., 879 yards, 14 TD rushing)...WR-KR Carey Fortson (6-0, 175, Sr., 41 receptions for 799 yards, 5 TD)...WR LaDarrin Robertson (6-2, 205, Jr., 34 receptions for 418 yards, 1 TD)...OG Bryce Redman (6-2, 276, Sr., committed to Houston)...K Kyle Jenkins (5-9, 155, Jr., 71-72 XP, 7 FG)...OT Tevin Ratcliff (5-1, 210, Sr.)...NT Bubba Vactor (5-10, 280, SR., 68 tackles with 13 for losses, 4 sacks)...DE Jeremiah Farley (6-0, 235, Sr., 38 tackles with 3 for losses, committed to Houston)...LB Chris Weaver (5-9, 190, SR., 62 tackles with 17 for losses, 7 sacks)...LB Diol Johnson (5-9, 175, Jr., 75 tackles with 8 for losses)...CB Joe Brown (5-9, 180, Jr., 105 tackles)...S Alonte Darden (5-9, 165, Sr., 98 tackles, 8 pass breakups)...CB Addison McGee (5-7, 165, Sr., 54 tackles, 7 INT, 19 pass breakups).

Lake Travis - QB Michael Brewer (6-1, 180, JR., 4,837 total yards, 64 total TD, 5 INT)...RB Andy Erickson (5-10, 170, Sr., 2,282 total yards, 36 total TD, committed to Rice)...WR Conner Floyd (6-2, 18-0, Jr., 65 receptions for 1,255, 8 TD)...WE-DE Tanner Gillett (6-3, 220, Sr., 40 receptions for 731 yards 3, TD, 127 tackles with 15 for losses, committed to Rice)...OG Ian Kelso (6-1, 255, Sr.)...C Will Hawk (6-2, 245, Sr.)...LB Quinton Crow (6-0, 215, Sr., 176 tackles with 11 for losses)...LB Austin Williams (6-3, 225, Jr., 159 tackles)...SS Hunter Akers (5-10, 175, Sr., 105 tackles)...CB Taylor Wrinkle (5-10, 175, Sr., 71 tackles, 5 INT)...R Ian Lazarus (6-0, 190, Sr.,132 tackles with 10 for losses), DT Jonathan Roberts (6-2, 270, Jr., 93 tackles).

THE COACH SAYS

John King - "A 45-game winning streak is unbelievable. There's a reason why they've won so many games in a row. We have to play our best game of the season if we want to win."

Chad Morris - "It's my sixth time to be in a state championship game and I still get butterflies in my stomach."

THE BOTTOM LINE

Lake Travis is going for its stamp on Texas history, with one the greatest three-year stretches ever. The Cavaliers have won 45 consecutive games, and current coach Chad Morris (who is from Edgewood and led Elysian Fields to back-to-back state title game appearances in 1998 and 1999) hasn't lost at Lake Travis in two years as its head coach. This includes a 48-23 win over Longview in last year's Class 4A Division I state-title game.

There is motivation for Longview to get revenge, but the Lobos may not be taking that approach. Brown said Midway and Guyer had revenge on their minds too, but it may have worked against them. Vactor said this is a second chance, which could be the right way to approach the game.

However, Lake Travis still appears to be the favorite. They have the victory experience, and there hasn't been much of a drop-off from former quarterback Garrett Gilbert to Brewer.

Yet Lake Travis has been vulnerable in the playoffs, mainly against Steele and Alamo Heights. That vulnerability could be exposed if Longview's running game gets going, and keeps Lake Travis' offense sitting on the bench. If that can be combined with minimal mistakes, today could be a unique day in Longview history. It would be a reversal of last year's loss, and most of all, a 72-yard wait since Longview last won a state title in 1937 would end.

DID YOU KNOW?

There have been 14 rematches of state championship games the next year in Texas public school history. Out of those games, four have been won by the previous year's loser.