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| LONGVIEW - The clock struck twelve Longview's Cinderella team here Friday night, and the Price Charming victory over Texarkana became a thing of the past as heralded Henderson rudely dumped the Lobos 7-0 before 6,000 fans. The triumph enabled the Rusk county Lions to remain among the diminishing list of unbeaten schoolboy elevens in Texas.
But the Green Wave didn't go under without a battle. Rated six point underdogs going into the contest, the spirited Lobos pushed the Lions back to within 18 feet of their goal line before time ran out on them at the end of the first half. Paced by the magnificent Sonny Jones, who stood out brilliantly even in defeat, the Lobos muffed their one glorious opportunity to score. The gun cracked with the Green and White in possession on the Henderson six yard line and third down coming up. Still, one cannot belittle the Henderson victory. It was well earned and greedily protected. Coming back after the second half kickoff, the Lions pieced together a 73 yard uninterrupted march which didn't terminate until flashy O'Neal Brightwell romped 31 yards over the Longview goal. It was one of the few nifty runs turned in by the highly publicized Brightwell, who appears t be bottled up throughout most of the contest. But the husky Lion backfield ace proved that he could produced in the clutch by ripping off right tackle, reversing his field and outracing the Lobo secondary to the goal. he turned on a terrific burst of speed going down the sidelines to out gallop Tommy Rae to the glory land. Delbert Propes, who was Henderson's most consistent ground gainer Friday night, sent the extra point kick through the uprights for the insurance marker. That was the closest either squad came to scoring for the remaining of the 9-AA district classic. Longview staged a mild threat late in the final period and succeeded in moving the ball from their own 19 to the Lion 36 on a series of line bucks by Jones and some aerial artistry by John Linney, but Henderson braced and held for downs. Jones booted to Prope, who returned to his own nine-yard line, then after fleet footed Ed Carroll advanced to the visitor's 19. Brightwell put the game on ice by quick kicking 61 yards to the Lobo 18. The Green Wave was unable to recover from this coup de grace, and the game ended seconds later with Longview in possession on their own 19. It was generally agreed by all observers that Cotton Bolton's classy Lions were one of the smoothest operating best drilled elevens to visit Lobo Stadium two seasons. The Rusk crew was able to stop everything and everybody but Jones, who continued to remind Lobo fans of hard-running Don Fambrough with his bull like rushes. Linney was able to rack up 48 yards in the air, while the Lobos knocked down Henderson's two passing efforts. The Green Wave entertains a hot and cold Kilgore team next Friday night, in a traditional game which promises to be one of those spine-tingling free-scoring affairs. |