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| TYLER - Take a bow Earnest Hunter.
The 5'10, 190-pound junior tailback shredded the turf here at Rose Stadium for 283 yards and three touchdowns leading the Longview Lobos to a come-from-behind win over John Tyler, 24-14. Hunter's 283 total on 34 carries also broke the school rushing mark for a single-game, eclipsing Joe Johnson's 234 set in 1984 against Pine Tree. The junior back also went over the 1,000-yard barrier with 1,071 yards for the season. Longview's victory also snaps a two-game losing streak as the Lobos improve to 4-2 in District 13-5A, 5-3 overall. John Tyler falls to 2-3, 3-6. The Lobos close out the regular season next Friday at home against Mesquite, while John Tyler is a visitor to Tyler Lee. Friday's ballgame also marked the second time since 1971 that a playoff berth wasn't at stoke for either team. John Tyler had built a 14-7 half-time lead on a Marvin Ross 2-yard scamper in the first quarter and a one-yard quarterback keeper by Darrell Ford in the second. In between, Hunter raced 68 yards to knot the game late in the opening frame. The 68-yard explosion, which was Hunter's longest gain of the year, saw him break six tackles. Longview knotted the game on its first possession of the second half, driving 65 yards on 10 plays. Hunter carried on eight of the plays before finally breaking into the end zone from 3 yards out with 7:22 remaining. After holding John Tyler on the proceeding series, the Lobos got the ball back and put together a time-consuming drive. Longview ran nearly eight minutes off the clock before Hunter scored a third time, this time on a 4-yard run for what proved the winning score. David Hill's extra point with 10:26 to play in the contest gave the Lobos a 21-14 lead. Longview finally put the game out of reach when linebacker Chedric Jacob intercepted a Ford pass at the John Tyler 45 and returning it to the 21. The Lobos drove to the three before Hill converted a 20-yard field goal with 7:19 showing after Longview as stopped short on a third-and-goal. It was on the second carry of the series for Hunter that he broke's Johnson's 4-year old record. John Tyler did threaten to close the gap late in the game, before a staunch defensive effort stalled the Lion drive at the Longview eight with 2:38 left. With John Tyler having no timeouts left, the Lobos turned Hunter loose for a first down and then ran out the clock. Longview's win was the first time this season it had come back to win after trailing at half-time. Hunter has rushed for 120 yards on 10 carries in the first half before exploding to his 283 final. It was the second time this season he had surpassed 200 yards - he gained 206 here earlier against Tyler Lee. Ross led the Lions with 185 yards on 19 attempts and scored once. The game was played before a sparse crowd of 3,200. |