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| LONGVIEW - The Longview Lobos, shifting into high gear for once anyway in their 6-6 tie with the highly-touted (and highly overrated) Tyler Lions, take on the lowly Marshall Mavericks in Marshall Friday afternoon in the penultimate battle of the locals' season. Practice for the fracas will start tomorrow.
It was a badly surprised Tyler club, whose last defeat was by Longview back in 1937 here and whose next one is not due until this Friday when they tackle Paul Tyson's Waco Tigers than ran into the Wolves here Friday. Rated in the betting from 7 to 18 or 20 points better than the Lobos, the Lions were rushed off their feet all during the first half and had to scramble around like mad in the third period to push across the tying touchdown. That was their lone threat. It was the only time they ever saw the light of day for during the other 46 minutes of the game they were continuously in their own end of the field. Edgar Worsham, a halfback whose play has bordered on greatness several times but who heretofore lacked the spark and hustle needed, finally crashed the gate Friday afternoon. He gave one of the finest exhibitions of kicking that this writer ever saw on a high school gridiron. Figuring in a 15-yard punt, a 13-yarder and a 21 and 23-yard boots, some caused by having to kick out of bounds from inside Tyler territory and one by a bad pass from center, the big fellow averaged 38 yards with his punts and was the main reason why Tyler never was able to cross the 50-yard line into Longview territory but once. The Lobos took advantage of a clinker by Walton "One-Yard" Roberts (he netted 26 yards in 26 tries) in the second quarter to score. Roberts and his mates had been bottled up worse than Cervera ever was at Santiago Bay but the lion signal caller kept sending himself a couple of halfbacks into the line all day, literally cracking their heads against a wall. On his own 37, here's what the fatal series of downs looked in the play-by-play: Conaway hit right tackle for no gain. Roberts got two are center. Then, with third and eight and the score tied, Roberts elected a pass instead of kicking out, obviously the safe thing to do. The result? He was dropped for a yard loss before he could spot a receiver. Forced then to kick, Roberts fumbled the snap from center and lost four more, the ball going over on the Lion 34. That was the break the Lobos had waited for. That they were waiting for one was obvious, because Worsham was kicking on second and third down all through the first half. Anyway, they called Scott's signal and the tricky stepper hit a hole in the left side of the line, shook off a brace of tacklers and from there in it was too wet to plow. He was never even approached as he scampered 34 yards to the goal line. But Roberts was still to prove that he is the peer for the district's passers, which he unquestionably is (following this writer's policy of giving end the devil his due). In the third period, Worsham kicked out of bounds on the Tyler 18 and the Lions shook off the lethargy that had bound them for a half and started to march. Roberts helped out with a 23-yard run and started chunking the agate. The Lions caught fire - and also a mess of passes, carrying to the Lobo 20. There, on fourth down, Roberts dropped a beautiful pass into the arms of Hammett on the eight and Hammett cut of the flag and made it across. That ended the scoring after that one drive, which was enough the Lions settled back to their old habit of taking a Worsham punt deep in their territory, hitting the line three times for net gains of from nothing to three yards, and then booting out. One reason Worsham's punts were so short was that in exchanging them he gained from five to 30 yards, until finally when he had to kick there wasn't any room to kick. The game was by all odds, the Lobos' by a 3-to-1 margin; but the Wolves couldn't push over a deciding tally. Fumbles, one on the Tyler 3, cost them several chances to score. They outplayed the 1938 quarterfinalist in every way except in the air, but that weak pass defense cost them a victory and a possible tie for the title and gave the Lions a clear shot at the crown. But they gave the blue boys something else: The worst scare they ever had and one of the worst beating they'll ever take and still come out with a standoff. |