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| TEXARKANA - As expected, Friday night's Longview-Texas High contest was a defensive struggle. However, the difference was the Lobos' defensive unit produced a pair of golden scoring opportunities late in the game and the offense capitalized to lift Longview to a 20-0 triumph here at Grimm Stadium.
The victory improved Longview to 3-2 on the season and 2-0 in District 13-AAAAA play. Texas High, the preseason favorite, fell to 1-4 and 0-2. Longview's offense enjoyed one of its best games of the season with 181 yards rushing and 68 yards passing, but it was the defense that actually broke the game open. Clutching a 7-0 lead on the strength of Clyde Boyd's 25-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, the Lobos put the game away with two fourth quarter scores in less than a minute. The first tally, a 24-yard field goal by Jason Baird, was set up when Glenn Moore separated Jeff Crowson from a Mike Haskins pass and Mike Adams reeled in the deflection at the Texas High 28. Adams, a senior cornerback, raced across the field and was bumped out of bounds at the Tigers' 3-yard line. An illegal procedure call stymied the drive at the 7, but Baird salvaged the field goal for a 10-0 lead with 4:57 remaining. Texas High was pinned back on its own 9 on the ensuing kickoff and Haskins fumbled the snap on the first play. End Lonzell Williams claimed the loose ball for Longview at the 5. Tommie Taylor covered the yardage in two plays, blasting into the end zone from a yard out on second down with 4:01 remaining to clinch the contest. Baird completed the scoring with a 38-yard field goal with 1:07 left in the contest. "We're coming on, we're coming on," proclaimed a jubilant Longview coach Doug Cox in the Lobos dressing room. "They (offense) are just working their tails off. They want to get better and they are." "We did some things that weren't real pretty," he continued. "But I can feel this team coming together." Early it appeared Longview had definitely put everything together. On its first drive, Longview marched methodically against the vaunted Tiger defense, moving from its own 25 to the Texas High 42. But the drive stalled at the 39 and the Lobos were forced to punt. On their second possession, though, the Lobos completed the march when Boyd capped a nine-play, 57-yard drive with his 25-yard scamper 10:39 before intermission. The defensive unit, spurred by Taylor, Moore, John Cross and linebacker Jimmy Smith played in high style throughout the contest. Texas High's offense was limited to 185 total yards. The Lobos allowed a mere eight first downs, forced three turnovers and claimed an interception. Longview hasn't allowed a touchdown in three games. Texas High's only threat came late in the first half came when Haskins completed consecutive passes of 40 and 19 yards to Crowson as the Tigers moved from their own eight to the Longview 43. But the drive ended at the 30 when Donny Childs stopped Sidney Holmes for a two-yard gain on fourth-and-four. Texas High gained some momentum on its first possession after stopping Thomas Snoddy short on a fourth and inches at the 43. Thomas Buford and Holmes had consecutive runs of 13 and 15 before the Lobo defense stiffened. On third-and-32, Coss slapped the ball out of Haskins' hands and recovered at the 39. Texas High moved to Longview's 34 on its next possession but this time Smith put the clamps on the drive. Longview returns home next Friday night to take on winless Nacogdoches. |