|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
||
|
|
| LONGVIEW - Larry Harkless, a cannon in a Longview Lobo football suit, exploded for 138 yards and one touchdown Friday night to lead Longview to a 14 to 6 win over Marshall in a District 14-AAAA opener for both teams in Lobo Stadium.
Fullback Harkless, who should demand compensation for overtime, carried the ball 19 times and accounted for most of Longview's yardage. The Lobos netted 208 yards rushing. Tailback Chuck Boyd had 51 yards on 16 carries and quarterback Mike Mock came through with 33 yards on eight tries. The Lobos failed to complete a pass. Longview is still undefeated with a 4-0-0 season mark and a 1-0-0 district record. Marshall is 1-3-0 for the year and 0-1-0 in loop action. Longview will meet John Tyler's Lions here Friday night in another District 14-AAAA contest starting at 7:30 p.m. in Lobo Stadium. The Lions defeated Texarkana's Tigers, 14 to 13, at Tigerland Friday night. John Tyler is 3-1-0 for the season and 1-0-0 in league play. John Tyler defeated the Lobos in the 1971 contest at Rose Stadium, to 10 to 7. Longview players have not forgotten that game. The Lions ran a "trick" play to score their one touchdown. The Lobos won the coin toss and elected to receive. Herbert Sparks kicked off to the Lobos and Cecil Falton took the ball on the seven and returned to the 26 of the Lobos to set up shop. On the first play quarterback Mike Mock, who turned in a great job for the Lobos calling the signals, went to the air. His long pass was nearly caught by wingback Conversion Bush. So three plays later on fourth down Mock punted the ball down the field. David King took the ball at the Marshall 32 and returned to the 40 of the Mavs with 10:33 left in the first quarter of action. Tailback Perry Wilson caught the Lobos asleep and the fancy supper went to the Lobo 40 yard line for a gain of 20 yards and a first down. However, the Lobo defensive unit went to work and held the Mavs at the Lobo 34 yard line. On fourth and four, Lewis Cromer punted the ball and the Lobos failed to send a safety back to catch the ball. The ball went out of bounds at the Lobo two yard line. From their own two yard line, the Lobos were in deep trouble. Tailback Chuck Boyd, who is one of the top backs in the district, carried three straight times on runs of four, three and eight yards to the 17 yard line and a first down. At the 17, Mock handed the ball off to Boyd who fumbled the ball and Mock quickly recovered the ball at the 17. Fullback Harkless carried the ball to the 19 and then Boyd to the 20. On fourth and seven, Mock punted the ball down field to the Lobo 41 yard line with 5:18 left in the first quarter. At the Lobo 40 on third down, the Mavs pulled a trick play. Quarterback Scotty Baldwin leaped and turned a couple of times and then gave the ball to Lee Gaw in the backfield. Gaw hurled the pigskin in the air for split end Leonard Jones. However, Lobo safety Jerry Dancer saved the Lobos as he had Jones well guarded and the ball was knocked down with 4:05 left in the first quarter. On fourth down Marshall's Cromer punted the ball downfield and the ball went into the end zone. The Lobos started on their own 20 yard line with 3:38 reading on the clock. After Cecil Walton lost five yards, fullback Harkless broke away on a fine run to the Lobo 28 for a gain of 13 yards. It was third and two for a first down and Walton fumbled the ball and recovered at the Lobo 29. On fourth and one, the Lobos were forced to punt. Mock did the honors and the ball rolled to the Marshall 19. With 2:08 left in the first quarter, the Lobos once again had to go on defense. Quarterback Scotty Baldwin on the first play was caught by linebacker for a minus four yards and Baldwin was hit so hard by Wilkins that he fumbled the ball and linebacker Mock recovered the ball at the Marshall 15 yard line. This was the biggest break of the night for the Lobos and they failed to score from the 15. Cecil Walton was sent into the game to call the signals and it did very little for the Lobo offensive attack. Walton carried to the Maverick 14 on first try and then tailback Boyd was caught for a minus one back to the 15 on the second down. Then on third down tailback Calvin Portley was grounded for a minus 13 by a tough Marshall defensive unit back to the 27. On fourth and 22 for a first down, Mock came back into the game to quarterback the Lobos. Mock turned on the steam and took the ball back to the 15 for a gain of 12. But it was not enough for a first down and the ball went over to the Mavericks with six seconds left in the first quarter. Marshall took over at the 15 and on the first play fullback Otis Mitchell went to the 16 as the buzzer sounded to end the first quarter of action with the game scoreless, 0 to 0. Three plays later Cromer punted the ball. Cecil Walton caught the ball at the Lobo 43. However, Cecil went back and was caught at the 40 for a minus three on the return. The Lobo fans started yelling for a touchdown and the Marshall defense came through again to stop the Lobos. Fullback Harkless on the first try plowed to the 49 of Marshall for a gain of 11 yards. Harkless carried twice again on runs of six and zero yards. Boyd fumbled the ball at the 43 and the Lobo recovered. On fourth down Mock punted the ball. The snap nearly went over Mike's head. The ball sailed to the Marshall eight yard line. Nine plays later Cromer punted the ball from his own 28 yard line and a fair catch as called by Cecil Walton at the Lobo 33 yard line. Longview finally put it all together on the next drive that started at their own 33 yard line. In four plays, the Lobos scored. Quarterback Walton on a keeper went to the right side of the line for a gain of eight to the 41. Fullback Harkless made it to the 43 for two more yards and a first down. Chuck Boyd took the ball to the 48 of Longview. Then Harkless found an open and went 52 yards for the first touchdown of the night. He broke away from two would-be tacklers at the 30 and sailed across the goal line untouched with 3:36 left in the second quarter. Mock kicked the extra point and the Lobos had a 7 to 0 lead. The fans were feeling a little better. Mock kicked off to the Mavs and Perry Wilson took the ball at the seven and returned to the 29. However, Marshall was issued a 14 1/2 yard penalty and the ball was moved back to the 15. Four plays later, Cromer punted the ball from his own 21 and Calvin Portley called for a fair catch at the Maverick 41 with 1:47 on the clock. Mock on the first play elected to go to the air and his pass failed to Cecil Walton. On the next play Mock was grounded for minus two back to the 43. However, the Mavs were issued a 15 yard penalty and the ball was moved to the Marshall 27. Harkless turned on his jet speed and took the Lobos to the 19 for a gain of eight. Boyd went to the left side and was hit near the sideline. However, the ball bounced from his arms and went out of bounds at the nine. But Boyd was credit with a 10 yard gainer and the Lobos were knocking at the door at the nine yard line. Boyd carried the six for three yards and quarterback Mock dash around the right side of the line and into the end zone for the touchdown from six yards out. Mock added the extra point and the Lobos led, 14 to 0, with 41 seconds left in the second quarter. The third quarter for the Lobos was filled with errors. The Lobos field a punt at the Marshall 48 with 7:56 on the clock. On second down at the 45, Mock's pass was picked off by right safety Andy Howell at the Marshall 23 yard line to stop a drive. Marshall took over at the 22 and six plays later quarterback Baldwin fumbled the ball at the 42 of Longview and was recovered by Longview's Harkless. Five plays later Longview's Mock punted the ball back to Marshall from the Maverick 42 yard line. The ball went into the end zone. Marshall took over at their own 20. However, on fourth and from the 20, Cromer punted and a fair catch was called for by Walton. However, the Lobos were issued a penalty and the ball was moved to the Marshall 47 and the Mavericks still had the pigskin. On the first play Marshall was issued a five yard penalty and the ball as moved back to the 42. Four plays later Cromer punted. Walton was the deep back and fumbled the ball at the Lobo 20 yard line. David King recovered the ball for Marshall with 20 seconds left in the third quarter. From the 19, on fourth down and nine needed for a first, quarterback Baldwin went to the air and Walton picked the ball out of the air on the seven for an interception. The Marshall team was also issued a 15 yard penalty and the ball was moved to the Lobo 39 yard line. Harkless, Boyd and Mock in five plays had the ball down to the Marshall 26 yard line. Then quarterback Cecil Walton took over the team. Boyd carried to the 19 on runs of two and five yards. Harkless carried to the 18. Then on fourth down and two, Mock came back into he game to try to make the first down. Marshall's defense held Mock at the 17 and the ball went over to the Mavericks. Marshall changed quarterbacks and Mark McClain, 180-pound junior, started calling the signals. On the second play form the 17, McClain hit end Jerry Boyd on a seven yard bomb. The next pass attempt from the 24 was knocked down by Jerry Dancer. On fourth down Cromer punted the ball. However, again Walton fumbled the ball and Richie Arnold recovered for the Mavericks at the Lobo 45 yard line with 4:58 left in the game. Five plays later quarterback McClain's pass was picked off by Chuck Boyd in the end zone to stop the drive with 3:18 left on the clock. The Lobos took over at the 20 and on fourth down and three needed for a first at the 27, Mock went back to punt. The ole pigskin went over his head from a bad snap from center. The ball was recovered by a host of Marshall players at the one yard line of Longview. Quarterback Scotty Baldwin three plays later scored from the one for the Marshall lone touchdown of the night. Baldwin's run for the two pointer failed. With 1:13 left on the clock the Lobos still had a 14 to 6 lead. The Lobos took the Marshall kickoff and started at their own 38 yard line. Longview ran three plays and time ran out on the clock as the Lobos were at their own 44 yard line. |