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| TEXARKANA - The scrappy Texarkana High Tigers, beaten two weeks in a row and trailing by 14 points in the first nine minutes of their third game, got up off the deck here Friday night and gave one of the most scintillating exhibitions of football handling, driving and teeth-rattling blocking that the home folks had seen in a cook's age as they swamped the longview Lobos 33 to 14 in a 4-AAA conference game.
Bad passes from center all but torpedoed the Tigers and gave the Wolves their only two scoring chances in the early stages of the game, but the Tigers didn't quit. They went on to paste the invaders right sharply and here's what they accomplished in the process. Rolled up 19 first downs to 8 for Longview, gained 207 yards rushing to the Lobos' 68, passed for 94 yards to Longview's 61 and intercepted four passes, one for a touchdown. Only Bobby Crawford's magnificent punts, which averaged 41-5. Yards each, overshadowed the Tigers punters. Once Crawford sent a 64-yarder booming out of bounds on the Tigers 7. George Myers, who last week led the Lobos to their first conference victory over Nacogdoches, showed some good passing in the first quarter but he drew too many intercepted passes in the second quarter. Two breaks early in the game set the Wolves up to a 14-point lead and made it appear that the game might be a runaway. James Moffatt, attempting to kick for the Tigers, took a bad snap from center and was smothered on the Tiger 13 at the end of the game's first series of downs. The Wolves took over from there and needed only four plays to score. Myers flipped a 10-yard pass from down the middle to Billy Wayne Dodson and the fleet halfback went over for the marker. Jerry Barnes converted for a 7-0 lead. The same thing was repeated a few minutes later when another Tiger snapback was bad and the smothering came on the Tigers' 30. From there on third down Myers passed to Walter Ulenhoff on the tiger 5 and two plays later, flipped a short pass from the 1 which Barnes took in the end zone for a touchdown. Barnes' conversion sent the Wolves into a 14-0 lead. But then came the second quarter and the roof fell in on the Lobos. The Tigers, who had looked so ragged with offside penalties, backfield in motion and such stuff during the first quarter, suddenly realized that they would go further faster if they got together. The blocking shirked up and the backs got to rolling. Jester punted to the Wolves and the Lobos' safety, attempting a shoe-string catch, fumbles, the Tigers recovering on their own 47. They drove in straight power plays right down to score with Jeffery Tanton carrying the last 7 years. Moffatt converted. An intercepted pass started the Tigers on the drive that tied the count. Don Bowerman, probably the outstanding back on the field all night, took a Myers' heave and ran it to his own 36. On second down Bowerman pitch a long one to Tanton which ate up 49 yards to the Lobo 12. Tanton carried over from the 1 and Moffatt split the posts to tie it at 14-all. The Wolves went for broke again in the last 15 seconds of the first half and up came the double six. After the ball had changed hands twice on interceptions the Lobos found themselves with the ball on their own 42. With less than 15 seconds left, Myers decided to throw a long one. He did - but Bowerman caught it for him on the Tigers on the Tigers 45, cut to the right side line, turned on all the steam there was and hit the pay-off stripe just as he was tackled. It was a touchdown which gave the Tigers their halftime lead. Nobody counted in the third quarter but the Tigers tore loose for two more in the fourth to win going away. They drove 65 yards after taking a Lobo punt on their own 35 with Alan Trimble carrying over from the 6. The last Tiger march went 63 yards with Boze, Gresham and McAlister taking turns riddling the middle of the Lobo line. Lynn Jester, who had been feeding from the ball to the Tigers beautifully from the man-under position all night. Kept it and stepped through a chasm in the Lobo line to score from the 1. One more treat on this "tricks or treat" evening was in store for the fans, although it had no bearing on the outcome. With the Lobos in possession near mid-field, a Longview pass was completed and the Tigers were tagged 15 yards for clipping. The play occurred right in front of the Tiger bench and the volatile coach Watty Myers didn't take kindly to the call. He threw a program or a copy of the Racing Form or something onto the ground in great disgust and referee Bob Finley tacked another 15 onto the penalty for Myers' conduct. But the Wolves weren't going anywhere, and the 30 yards didn't help a bit. The story was written when the Tigers decided to start blocking. They were rocked back onto their heels by the first two bad breaks which the Lobos cashed in for points at the payoff window. Somewhere early in the second quarter, however, they found themselves and from there in their progress was so smooth and methodical that Coach Myers need have had no fear of the outcome. The Wolves showed a fairly good passing game and when they shifted to a double wing in the third Myers' passing looked a little better. But he tried too many long ones, even after short heaves had eaten up the Tigers' defense earlier, and as everybody who ever heard of Dutch Meyer knows, a double wing formation needs powerful blockers between the tackles - and guard who can move. The Wolves were a little short in that department here Friday night. |