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| MESQUITE - Minus leading rusher Earnest Hunter, the Longview Lobos wrapped up the regular season with a 28-21 win over Mesquite here Friday night at Hanby Stadium.
Hunter, who had rushed for 1,094 yards and scored 21 touchdowns during the season, was suspended before the game and was not present on the sideline as Longview improved its season slate to 9-1. Sophomore Todd Dauper replaced the senior tailback in the start lineup. Mesquite falls to 6-3-1 for the year. The Lobos made it two in a row over the Skeeters as they won last year's contest at Lobo Stadium, 34-29. Longview, which conclsued district play last week with a record of 4-1, now enters postseason play as the runner up in 13-5A. It will open bi-district play on Saturday, November 18th against 14-5A kingpin Killeen Ellison in a noon kickoff at Texas Stadium. The Lobos will be making their first playoff appearance in two years - the seventh trip this decade - and the first under second-year coach Robert Bero. Longview got stellar performances from a snubber of backups as sophomore Andre Davis came in to lead all runners up with 78 yards. He also scored his first varsity touchdowns with runs of 33 and 1-yard. Selwyn Broughton, who started the game at quarterback in place of Kevin Madden, tallied on a 3-yard run and connected with Richard Murphy for a 33-yard touchdown strike. The 6'0, 175-pound senior also gained 72 yards on eight carries. Broughton and Madden alternated series during the contest. Longview did need a couple of interceptions late in the game to preserve the win as Mesquite close to within seven, 28-21, with 4:30 to play. But Bobby Taylor and then Reggie Adams came up with the thefts to snuff out both rallies. The Lobos had taken a 28-14 advantage behind Davis' short yardage score with 3:33 to play in the this quarter and Broughton's 3-yard keeper at the 8:12 mark of the final frame. Brougthon's score followed a punt that came off the side of punter Robbie Graham's foot at his own 11. The kick traveled only 11 yards and Fred Woods picked up the bouncing football and returned it to the 21. Three players later, Broughton raced around the corner untouched in to the end zone. With a 14-7 halftime advantage, the Skeeters' tied the game on their first possession of the second half. A 12-yard run by fullback Keith Flowers completed a 66-yard, nine-play drive with 8:06 remaining. Longview, however, quickly came back with a 75-yard march. Davis concluded the 10-play drive at the 3:33 mark. After Broughton gave the Lobos a 14-point cushion, quarterback Chip Glaspie, who passed for 135 yards, found Shane Meyers alone in the flats for a 22-yard touchdown play. With 4:39 left to play, Mesquite was right back in the game. However, an onside kick failed and Longview recovered. Still, the Lobos would need a pair of interceptions to seal the victory as the offense failed to run out the clock. Mesquite opened the scoring behind a 9-play, 53-yard drive after Longview turned the ball over on downs at the Skeeters' 47. Glaspie culminated the series, which included a pair of successful fourth down calls, on a 2-yard drive up the middle with 6:00 left in the opening quarter. Kicker Robbie Graham had converted a 27-yard field goal after they were stalled on a fourth-and-six, but Longview was whistled twice for being offsides, with Glaspie scoring from the Lobo 2-yard line. Longview came right back to score on a 33-yard pass from Broughton to Murphy with 1:04 showing in the quarter. But it took a clutch 32-yard run by Broughton after the Lobos were faced with a third-and-28 from their own 13-yard line. Broughton also completed a 19-yard strike to Adams during the 10-play, 79-yard drive. Davis' first touchdown of the game gave Longview the lead at the 6:46 mark of the second quarter. |