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LONGVIEW - Longview was already without tailback Jerrel Williams and when quarterback Quincy Grant went down midway through the third quarter the momentum had clearly shifted.
However, Adrian Brooks' block of a Marcus Britten potential game-tying extra point prevented a complete Lobo collapse as Longview held on to nip John Tyler 20-19 in a District 11-5A contest Friday night at Lobo Stadium. more importantly, the Lobos earned their straight postseason berth. Longview is now 2-2 in district and 6-2 overall. They still remain in contention for the district crown after Tyler Lee handed Lufkin its first loss of the season (21-14) as both teams are now 3-1. Longview travels to Rose Stadium next Friday to face Lee for the second time in the district's round-robin format, while Lufkin hosts John Tyler. The Lobos then close out the regular season against Lufkin on Nov. 7 at Lobo Stadium. John Tyler falls to 1-7 and 0-4. Grant suffered an injury on a fake punt in the third quarter, picking up a first down as he advanced the ball from his own 19 to the John Tyler 45. However, he laid on the ground near the John Tyler sideline before being assisted from the field. He did walk the final few yards to the bench on the Lobo sideline, but spent the rest of the ballgame on the bench with his left knee wrapped. Williams did not play at all, although he was suited up. He injured an ankle the previous week against Lufkin. The Lobos led 20-6 at halftime, but were stymied in the second half. A fumble by the Lobos at their own 41 led to a short 39-yard, eight-play drive with Antoine Bush running up the middle for a 5-yard score with 1:29 remaining in the game. Britten followed with the extra point to close the deficit to 20-13. John Tyler was then successful with the onside kick as it took possession at the Lobo 45. Longview was also penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct giving the Lions a first down at the 30. A 17-yard pass from Bush to Kevin Love moved the ball to the 13, and a facemask penalty called against the Lobos set up a first-and-goal from the 6. After an incompletion, Bush hit a diving DeBrennon Erskine in the end zone for a touchdown with just 11 seconds showing on the clock. However, Brooks came around the right side of the line uncovered and cleanly blocked Britten's extra point try. John Tyler again went for the onside kick, but the ball went out of bounds and Longview took possession. Carlin Freeman, who replaced Grant, took a knee on first down to run out the clock. Grant left the game after completing 5 of 9 passes for 138 yards - all of his yardage coming in the first half. He also rushed for 56 yards on six carries. Vondrell McGee, filling in for Williams, rushed for 54 yards on 17 carries and scored two touchdowns. Chris Jones added 26 yards on eight carries with one touchdown. Ryan Howard, who was a perfect 32-for-32 with two extra points Friday, had his final attempt blocked. After sleepwalking through most of the opening quarter, the Lobos finally awoke to score on three consecutive possessions as McGee tallied twice and Jones added a touchdown for a 20-6 halftime advantage. John Tyler got onto the scoreboard first, driving 70 yards in eight plays with Erskine catching a short pass from Bush for an 11-yard touchdown with 1:44 showing in the first quarter. Erskine scored both touchdowns in the Lions' 38-13 loss to Longview on Oct 3. The Lions' score seemed to shaw the Lobos from their early slumber as they scored quickly, going 70 yards in only three plays - including a 65-yard pass from Grant to Durell Horne to the John Tyler one-yard line. McGee then toolkit in for the score as Longview consumed just 38 seconds off the clock. After Anthony Perry partially blocked John Tyler's point-after attempt Howard's extra point gave the Lobos a 7-6 advantage. The Lobos got the ball back with 9:45 left in the second quarter as they put together a 12-play, 88-yard drive. It nearly unraveled as Grant had the ball dislodged, but Kaleb Womack picked the loose pigskin out of the air to retain possession. Facing third-and-22, Grant connected with Kelly for a 24-yard gain and a first down. Four plays later, McGee burst through the middle of the line for a 10-yard scoring jaunt. Pinning the Lions deep in their own end of the field to force a punt, Longview marched a short 53 yards in eight plays with 34 seconds left before halftime. Grant and McGee connected for a 14-yard screen play, Grant then picked up 14 yards on an option keeper, and Jones finished the drive off with a 6-yard scoring run. |