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| LONGVIEW - The good news is H. Ross Perot wasn't present.
Texas High was expected to give the No. 2 ranked Longview Lobos their first real test of the 1984 football season. They did just that Friday night at Lobo Stadium. The Lobos flunked. Longview's offense wasn't able to get untracked and the Tigers' Sidney Holmes, who rushed for 197 yards, broke a scoreless tie with a 62-yard scamper midway through the final period to send the Lobos to their first loss of the season. Both Longview and Texas High are now 4-1 on the year. The Tigers are 2-0 in District 13-AAAAA, while the Lobos fall to 1-1. "I thought they (Texas High) played a tremendous game defensively," said a dejected Longview coach Doug Cox. "We did too, but they just outplayed us. They played a great ball game." Especially in the first half. Texas High totally dominated the initial two quarters, holding the Lobos to just 50 yards total offense - just 18 rushing. The vaunted Longview offensive machine, which had rolled over opponents to the tune of 121 points in four games, blew a gasket and the Tiger defense gave it a complete overhaul. Not once did Longview penetrated Texas High's 20-yard line. Longview gained just 64 yards rushing and it's 89 yards passing was clouded by just five completions in 13 attempts. Standout tailback Joe Johnson, who came into the game with 567 yards rushing, managed just 48 stripes on 21 carries. "The kids played hard," said Cox. "Our offense just didn't execute." The visitors appeared ready to put the first points on the board late in the opening period when they moved from their own 36 to a first-and-goal at the Longview 8-yard line. The big play in the drive was a 28-yard pass from Jeff Lawrence to James Johnson. But at the 8, Longview's defense tightened up. Daryl Sanders threw Holmes for a 5-yard loss on first down. After an incomplete pass, Otis Buford managed just three yards on a reverse bringing Mike Flournoy on to attempt a 27-yard field goal. The kick sailed wide left to keep the game scoreless. Texas High also had possession at the Longview 39-yard line in the second period, but that effort was stopped when John Coss recovered a Haley fumble. The Tigers drove to the Lobo 24 just before the halibut an offensive pass interference penalty and Huey Blackman's sack ended that threat. Meanwhile, Longview's only threat came when Eric Harris connected with Charles Smith who had all five Lobo receptions, on a 32-yard strike to the Texas High 35. The drive ended when Harris' pass fell incomplete on fourth-and-five from the 30. Longivew appeared to be mounting a drive in the second half after Flournoy boomed a 62 yard punt that was killed at the Lobo 2. Harris hit Smith for nine yards. Clyde Boyd, Harris and Johnson followed with runs and after an 8-yard pass to Smith at the 39, Clifford Powell ripped into Texas High territory with a 13-yard run. Unfortunately, Longview was called for holding and the march ended back at the 25. Texas High moved to the Longview 6-yard line, but Flournoy failed on a 23-yard field goal attempt. Harris came back to hit Smith for 28 yards and the Lobos moved to the Tiger 39. But on fourth and two, Harris was stopped for only a yard gain. On the next play, Lawrence optioned off to Holmes around right end. Holmes, a standout sprinter on the tigers track team, darted down the sideline and avoided Sanders' last-chance tackle at the 20. The PAT failed, giving Longview a chance to escape with the victory. However, their last drive ended at the Texas High 49 when Harris' pass for Powell fell incomplete. "I kept thinking we would (come back)," sighed Cox. "They just played better than us." |