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| SHREVEPORT - It wasn't the start Pat Collins would have preferred, but the second-year Longview head coach feels his team has made tremendous improvements over a year ago.
Three touchdowns came from Thomas Bachman and stingy defensive play by Evangel Christian Academy carried the nationally-ranked Eagles to a 27-7 victory over the Lobos here Friday night at Rodney Duron Stadium in the 2001 high school football season opener for both schools. The wet and muddy field had the Lobos off balance for most of the evening. Two miscues by Longview led to a pair of Evangel touchdowns before the Lobos were able to avoid the goose egg as Joel Armstrong score on a one-yard keeper with 17.5 seconds remaining in the contest. "I feel like our football team played well tonight, but we also played a good football team" said Collins. "Sometimes you tend to forget Evangel has a great defensive team. That's something you tend to do because of that offense, which can move up and down so quick. "I thought Joel did a lot of good things. His timing looked perhaps a little off, but that might have had to do with the wet ball. I thought we had some opportunities to do something, especially in the first half." Armstrong was 4-of-15 for 65 yards passing, plus ran for 26 yards on 10 carries. He had 37 yards on Longview's lone scoring drive, which covered 80 yards in 13 plays. The junior quarterback also completed tow passes for 23 yards. However, the Eagles sacked Armstrong four times, twice coming in the first half with the Lobos in Evangel territory. Longview also had a potential 47-yard punt return by Willie Andrews called back on a holding penalty early in the second quarter. It was a punt return by Bachman that led to the game's first touchdown as the senior wide receiver ran back a 49-yarder with 2:06 to play in the opening quarter. He later added a 24-yard touchdown reception at the 5:25 mark of the second quarter. A penalty on the first play from scrimmage by the Eagles, where Bachman appeared to score, was nullified by a holding call. After a pair of defensive stops, Bachman found the end zone for a 7-0 lead. Two series later, Evangel marched 78 yards in six plays as Bachman hauled in his first scoring reception from John David Booty. The drive included an 11-yard run by Booty and a 37-yard completion to Bachman at the Longview 33. After a run and another short pass, the Booty-to-Bachman connection found the end zone. Bachman, who later added a 5-yard touchdown reception, finished with 108 yards on six catches. Booty was 15-of-28 for 206 yards. The Eagles' Jarracea Williams was their leading rusher for 51 yards on 10 carries, including a 14-yard touchdown run. Both of the Eagles second half touchdowns were the result of Longview turnovers. Andrews lost the hold of a punt in the mud and Evangel recovered at the Longview 27-yard line. Three plays later, Williams, a 290-pound fullback, then bulled his way into the end zone, carrying a number of Lobo defenders with him at the 6:05 mark of the third quarter. On the next series, Armstrong fumbled after he was blindsided by Evangels' Andrew Ward. The Eagles recovered and then marched 49 yards in seven plays. Booty connected on three passes for 43 yards, finding Bachman, who had crossed the goal line with 1:19 remaining in the frame for his third touchdown. |