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| SHREVEPORT - Byrd High School waited til the third round before landing two sift body blows to kayo Longview, 21-8, in a football slugfest Friday night.
The Jackets battled through a whole half before getting two quick scores and then put it away with a third period marker against the air minded Texas Visitors. Halfback Jim Ryan and fullback Gary Pittman gave the Jackets the haymakers, scoring on runs of 85 yards each. Jacket fullback Dickie Dunn got the other marker as the Byrd ground troops again stood out. For the second week in a row the men of Coach J. D. Cox rolled up all the yardage on the ground. They had 365 yards in rushing offense - all of it on the turf - in recording their second straight win and moving their record to 2-1 on the season. Longview, of District 8-AAAA of Texas, is now 0-2 on the year. Byrd defenders held the Lobos to just 45 yards of real estate but a sling-shot quarterback named Robert Myers led the Lobos to 165 yards in the air. He competed 13 of 22 passes against the Jackets. Myers threw the long ones as he adeptly as the short ones. He found Hawk Clements, an able receiver, and the two stayed in the Byrd defenders' hair all night. Clements was the Lobo workhorse on the ground also, getting 37 yards in eight tries. For the Jackets the speedy Ryan picked up 131 yards in seven assaults. Alton Thomas gained 99 yards in 16 bursts. In three runs the quick stepping Pittman had 86 yards. Defensively Cox' troopers were led by their senior tackle Arnold Cannon and guard Sam Brown. For Coach Jim Gray's warriors, Charles Richmond made himself felt by the Byrd backs. Longview took the offensive play away from the Jackets in the first half of the game, moving deep in Jacket land and keeping the pressure on Coach Cox' trenchermen. However it was the Yellowjackets who came closest to scoring. After running around on their first series the Texas Lobos moved in a sustained drive from their own 21 to the Jacket 16. Quarterback Myers had his club in high gear, going to the airway three times in the push before missing. His 11-yard shot on the second play of the, a six-yard toss and an 18-yard heave had the Jacket backs batting ozone and the Lobos prowling inside Byrd's 29 in 12 plays. However, the Jackets stiffened and took over when Myers tossed too high for Pat Ketchum on the goal line. Myers was at it again as the second quarter opened, but his receivers couldn't hang on. The two teams took turns stopping each other in the regulation amount of downs until Thomas and Ryan combined on several good reserves which moved the ball from the Jacket 43 to the Lobo eight and set up Ryan's field goal try. The big gain was a 17-yarder on which Thomas fumbled and Gary Pittman picked up the loose pigskin for an additional few yards. With 33 seconds left in the half Smith tried to run the Lobo end from the 7 but was nailed for a 3-yard loss. Ryan then dropped back to the 18 and tried a field goal from a fair angle but the ball went wide. After showing their defensive ware the Jackets came alive in the second half with three scores.
Senior Thomas opened things up on the first play of the half by zipping 29 yards from his 41-yard line deep into Lobo land. He then moved the ball in four rush at the line to the 23. Pittman and Dunn worked the trenches to the four yard line.
That three play series carried 90 yards. The next series, only two minutes later, moved on the cleats of one Gary Pittman a total of 85 yards in three more scrimmages. Pittman was aided by key blocks by Dwain Jacobs and Sam Brown. It was the very same belly series pitchout that swatted the Lobos back earlier.
Ryan booted the PAT to end Jacket scoring.
Myers then marshaled his team to their only score, filling the airways with pigskins. He and Clements combined 12 and 35 yards to carry the Lobos from their 27 to a touchdown. He fired a beautiful 13-yarder to halfback Charles Brockwell for the marker.
Rolling to his right he had to loft the ball over the heads of two defenders to give his mate a shot at the catch. Myers then fired to Charles Richmond for the two point conversion. Some 4:49 seconds remained in the contest. |