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| LONGVIEW - Family ties and connections run deep in Longview football history from fathers and sons, uncles and nephews, grandfathers and grandsons and so on.
There's not quite a connection like the Writt family. "It's an honor to be able to be the father and son with a chance to play for a state championship," Longview senior linebacker Ja'Vontae Writt said. "It's never been done before and I'm proud to be a part of it." A lot of family members have had the chance to take the same field and represent the Lobos. Ja'Vontae and his father, Herman, however, are believed to be the first father-son duo with a chance to play for a state championship. "It's like I told him growing up, you'll never experience another thing like it in life when you walk down that tunnel on Friday night, it's the best feeling in the world and I'm glad he got to experience it," Herman Writt said. "Now, I'm telling him that come Saturday, you get to experience something on a whole other level. "All of these playoff games, it will be nothing like this one when you step on that field." As a sophomore, Herman, then Herman Martin, suited up for Longview's 1997 state finalist team. Ja'Vontae has that same opportunity on Saturday as the Lobos (15-0) take on Beaumont West Brook (13-2) in the Class 6A, Division II state championship at 3 p.m. Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. "I've heard so many stories and I heard he could play back when he was in high school but I feel like I'm a little better," Ja'Vontae Writt said with a laugh. "They say he could play, that he was a headhunter out there. "He's taught me a lot and is the reason I am where I am right now." Herman Writt saw time as a backup tight end and was a 'headhunter on the "Bomb Squad (Longview's kickoff team)' as a sophomore, according to a News-Journal article in Sept. 1997. Herman Writt made the move to defense later in his Lobo career. The two talk football, obviously. "I've had a lot of conversations with him about football and all of this," Herman said. "As he's grown up and now that he's a senior, I see it coming out. I hear it in his conversations, his approach, the way he handles himself out there. "I'm proud. There's not words. We talk about learning the game and he's done that and it shows. I told him, you're going to be a good athlete, you come from good stock. It was about learning the game, breaking down film and knowing more than just your talent. It does something to me to hear him talk about what he's seeing when he's on that field." Ja'Vontae is a two-year starter at linebacker, a unit that has been solid throughout the season for the Lobo defense, which has held opponents to 17 points per game. The younger Writt totaled 102 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, three sacks, six fumble recoveries and two interceptions as a junior. This season, Ja'Vontae has 119 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, three sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. His father's words of wisdom go beyond just what happens on the field as well. "He'll critique me on some things and helps me with things I need to work on," Ja'Vontae said. "Mostly, he tells me to play smart and play hard." "It's been about being humble, keeping a level head, keeping my team together and being a captain. He's big about being a man out there, not just a player." Added Herman: "It's things and lessons that relate in life. I've told them all that Lobo football will prepare you for life. A lot of the stuff that you see and experience - adversity, hard work, family - this program teaches those things. He's realized that. They all have." All of those things can be applied this week as Longview prepares for its third-straight postseason meeting with West Brook, a team Ja'Vontae described as 'very explosive.' "Staying focused in practice, executing and trusting the plan, communicating our keys is what have got us through the past few games and to this point," Ja'Vontae said. "Those are things we've got to keep doing and we will." Herman was a part of a team that saw Longview reach the state finals for the first time in 60 years in 1997. Now, the next Writt is taking the field in the Lobos' fifth state title appearance in search of the first state championship in 81 years. "I feel like I have more anxiety now than I did back then," Herman said. "This is so big for this city. These players - I've said all along that this group was going to be special - deserve it. These coaches deserve it. This city deserves it. It's an amazing time. "It will take what it always takes: Every down, every possession for four quarters, give it everything you've got. This is it. Everything that you've got, you've got to leave it on that field." |