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| GLADEWATER - Tumbled from the undefeated class themselves a week earlier by Palestine, the Longview lobos argued back to knock Gladewater out of the unbeaten ranks by tripping the Bears before an overflow crowd here Friday night in the opening 4-AAA game for both teams, 13-6. It was a titanic struggle that could have gone either way had it not been for the accurate passing and the magnificent punting of quarterback Jerry Matthews and the brilliant running of tailback Dick Nash of the Lobos.
The speed-laden Bruins had a statistical edge in everything except the score. They rolled up 15 first downs to nine for Longview, outgunned the Lobos on the ground 208 yards to 170, and in the air, 93 yards to 54, and kept Longview's defense puzzled by an offensive spread formation throughout most of the second quarter. The Bears were kept back on their heels much of the time by the sparkling kickings of Matthews and the alert defense of the Lobos, who recovered four of Gladewater's seven fumbles, one of them on the two-yard line to avert a certain touchdown. It was the sixth victory of then season for Longview against one defeat and the defeat was the first for Gladewater after six consecutive wins. The Bears, who had been expected to take to the air, crossed up basically everybody by springing a rushing ground attack featuring quarterback Neil Williams and halfback Toby David and didn't seek to a serious overhead game until the fading minutes of the contest in a frantic effort to overtake the Lobos. After a scoreless first period Longview pushed across the first touchdown of the bitterly-fought contest late in the second quarter. Matthews put the Bears back in a dangerous hole when he boomed a 48-yard kick to their seven-yard stripe. Big Bobby Blakeley tossed Williams back to Gladewater's two and then Matthews scampered back 15 yards, with Williams' punt to Gladewater's 20-yard stripe. Nash ripped off a first down on three running plays to the Bears' four-yard marker and from there he cut back over left tackle on the next play to score. End Claude Pliler booted the extra point straight between the uprights, giving Longview a 7-0 lead at the half. Early in the third period Gladewater lost a brilliant scoring opportunity when Williams shook loose around right end for 69 yards and a first down on Longview's two-yard line, but Pliler recovered Davis' fumble at that point to halt the threat, after which Matthews banged a tremendous 58-yard kick out to Gladewater's 40-yard line, where it rolled dead, to get Longview out of danger. Up to and including that point Matthews had a punting average of 50.5 yards and wound up the game with a sizzling average of 43 yards per kick. The Lobos drove 63 yards for their second touchdown late in the third quarter. The score was set up by a 28-yard pas from Matthews to Nash for a first down on Gladewater's seven-yard line and then Matthews hit Pliler in the end zone with another pass with only on minute to play remaining in the quarter. Pliler's kick on the try for extra point was wide and Longview held a 13-0 margin as the fourth quarter started. Early in the fourth period the Bruins pushed across their touchdown on a 60-yard march. The most damaging play of the drive was a lateral from Williams to Davis, who scampered 39 yards down the sidelines before he was pushed out fo bounds by Bobby Crawford on Longview's 12-yard line. Williams skirted left end for 11 yards and then plunged over left guard from the one to score. Davis' placement kick on the try for extra point was blocked. From then until the final whistle it was touch and go as the Bears kept threatening to tie up the game, but the Lobos always managed to rally when it looked like Gladewater might push across a second touchdown. When the game ended the Bears had driven from their own 35 to Longview's 29-yard line in a race against time that didn't pay off. The crowd of more than 6,000, which packed every available space in the stadium, was the largest in Gladewater football history. Donald Vaughn, Gladewater guard, was injured in the third quarter and was carried from the field in an ambulance. A preliminary examination on the field indicted a torn ligament in Vaughn's back, but physicians announce dafter the game that he will be kept in the hospital until a complete examination can be made. |