|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
||
|
|
| LONGVIEW - Jerrel Williams rushed for 132 yards and one touchdown, and Joel Armstrong threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for another as the Longview Lobos opened the 2002 high school football season with a 42-14 victory over Marshall at Lobo Stadium.
The game was the 90th played between the two former Class 5A rivals before a crowd of some 10,000 on a warm and muggy night. Longview leads the overall series - the longest in East Texas - 46-41-5. The Lobos pushed across three scores on the ground, two in the air and one on an interception return for a touchdown while amassing 325 total yards of offense. They did it despite putting the ball on the ground six times and turning it over on five occasions. "I thought we were daily consistent, but still put the ball on the ground too much," said Lobo coach Pat Collins. "The attitude of the players has been great. There were some things that concerned me as far as our substitutions. "What I did see (defensively) was an awful lot of people running to the football. That impressed me. It was a hot, muggy night and they put the ball up a lot." Both of Marshall's touchdowns were the direct result of Longview turnovers. Austin Christmas put the ball in the air for Marshall 39 times, completing 22 for 178 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, the Mavericks were held to just 57 yards. They also turned the ball over three times, twice on the ground and the interception return by Longview's Keaton Daniels for 58 yards and a touchdown. On the first two series of the game, Longview first turned the ball over on downs and then fumbled it away. However, Marshall couldn't take advantage of either offerings. Of their first four series, the Lobos twice left it on the ground. Despite the early woes. Longview ran up 27 unanswered points in the first half. Armstrong put the Lobos on the scoreboard at the 5:32 mark of the opening quarter, connecting with Malcolm Kelly for a 12-yard scoring pass. However, the point-after attempt was blocked. Two series later, Armstrong found a seam in the middle of the field on an option keeper and raced 53 yards into the end zone. He also added the two-point conversion run to push Longview's lead to 14-0 with 1:23 left in the first quarter. The first scoring drive took four plays, and the second drive lasted only three. Williams scored his first varsity touchdown with 6:43 to play before halftime as he rambled 23 yards down the left sideline. Alex Cammack converted the extra point. Daniels finished off the first half scoring for the Lobos, taking a Christmas pass back 58 in the final minute before halftime. Marshall punched across its first touchdown with 1:11 left in the third quarter as Christmas and Jason Warren connected with a 26-yard catch-and-run. Christmas and Warren hooked for the Mavericks' second score - a 15-yard connection - as the clock ticked down to five seconds remaining. In between, Armstrong threw his second touchdown pass to Tate Casey on a 9-play completion as the senior quarterback rolled to his right. Casey, the 6'6 tight end, caught three passes for 44 yards to lead the Lobo receivers. Fred Hawkins gave Longview a 42-7 lead with 9:25 to play in the game on a 9-yard burst up the middle, dragging defenders with him. Marshall's only other scoring attempt came by a 41-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter by B.H. Somerford that fell well short. |