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| TEXARKANA - Earnest Hunter and an opportunistic defense paved the way as the Longview Lobos rolled to a 40-7 trump over Texas High here Friday night at Grim Stadium.
The win keeps the Lobos' season mark unblemished at 5-0 and improves them to 2-0 in District 13-5A play. Texas High falls to 0-5 and 0-2, respectively. However, the final outcome was not as routine as the score might indicate. A charged-up Tiger squad had the Lobos tied up late in the first quarter at 7-all. It took a pair of Texas High fumbles and a bad snap on a punt in the second quarter to key Longview's win with 19 unanswered points. The Lobos led at the half, 26-7. Hunter, for the fourth straight week, rushed for over 100 yards and scored three first half touchdowns. He finished with 114 yards on 13 carries - his lowest total of the season - and posted four touchdowns before returning to the bench early in the second half. The 5-10, 200-pound senior tailback tallied on runs of 20, 51, 2, and 6 yards. The Lobos also got a 2-yard touchdown from quarterback Kevin Madden and a 6-yard scoring run by Hunter's back-up mate Marques Ingram. Hunter opened the scoring on a 20-yard gallop through the middle of the Tiger defense on Longview's second possession of the night. After being contained during the opening drive, which had started on Texas High's 49 following Hunter's 41-yard kickoff return, Reggie Adams entered the game for the Lobos and scampered 37 yards on a reverse to the Tiger 29. Hunter then carried for nine yards to the 20 before posting his 11th rushing touchdown of the season with 6:07 to play. Dean Malone added the extra point. But Texas High, utilizing a little luck, countered with a 64-yard, 9-play drive as fullback Greg Ellis scored from a yard away at the 2:14 mark. Ellis' point-after knotted the contest at 7-7. The luck came by way of Longview cornerback Bobby Taylor tipping an apparently overthrown Marcus Randal pass into the arms of Roberick Strickland for a 34-yard completion to the Lobo 1-yard line. The score seemed to spur on the Tigers. A four-down series by Longview and Jimmy Banks' 36-yard punt gave Texas High the ball at the Lobos' 49. But the first of two costly fumbles killed the momentum. Ellis on a second-down play coughed up then all and defensive tackle Eric Davis recovered for Longview at their own 40. It took Hunter only three carries, taking the handoff on the third snap and racing 51 yards to break the tie. Malone's extra point was no good and the Lobos led by six, 13-7, with 10:24 remaining in the second quarter. Longview's defense and special teams then took over and forced back-to-back errors on Texas High, resulting in a pair of Lobo touchdowns. The Tigers appeared to be moving again as Banks, who rushed for 95 yards on 23 carries, took the ball into Longview territory with a 21-yard run to the 42. But the Lobos' defense stiffened as Blake Hunter tackled Banks for a 5-yard loss off a safety blitz on a second-and-10 play. A 1-yard loss on a short pass play and a delay of game call on a fourth-down punt attempt moved the ball back across midfield. Punter Chris Jennings was then sacked for an 11-yard loss as the snap was low and he could't field it before being swarmed by the defense. It took Longview three plays to go 36 yards with Michael Reedy keying the drive on a 32-yard run to the Texas High four. Two straight carries by Hunter resulted in him scoring from two yard sour with 5:49 to play. |