LONGVIEW VS DENTON RYAN
TEAMS
1ST
2ND
3RD
4TH
FINAL
LONGVIEW
7
0
0
2
9
DENTON RYAN
7
6
7
7
27
INFORMATION
Mesquite Memorial Stadium
Mesquite, Texas
Saturday, December 26th, 2020
Class 5A Division I Region II Regional Round
SCORING SUMMARY
TEAM
QUARTER
PLAYER
YARDS
TYPE
Denton Ryan
1st
Ja'Tavion Sanders
5
Run
Longview
1st
Jalen Hale
10
Pass
Denton Ryan
2nd
Keagan Cunningham
24
Pass (Miss PAT)
Denton Ryan
3rd
Keagan Cunningham
44
Pass
Denton Ryan
4th
Ja'Tavion Sanders
36
Pass
Longview
4th
Safety
AUDIO HIGHLIGHTS
HIGHLIGHTS
POST GAME
GAME STATISTICS
STATISTIC
LONGVIEW
DENTON RYAN
First Downs
9
15
Rushing Yards
46
72
Passing Yards
82
282
Passes
6-16-0
21-29-0
Punts
5-41.4
4-39.8
Fumbles/Lost
0-0
0-0
Penalties
11-80
6-61
END OF THE ROAD: LOBOS FALL TO NO. 1 RAIDERS, 27-9
MESQUITE - Longview went toe-to-toe with No. 1 Denton Ryan in the first half in a third-round showdown of top 10 teams.

But the top-ranked Raiders ran away with the final 24 minutes.

Denton Ryan scored 20 unanswered points to take a physical, chippy and big-play win over the No. 8 Lobos, 27-9, in a Class 5A, Division I, Region II semifinal on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Mesquite.

With the win, Denton Ryan (12-0) moves on to the regional final round and will meet Highland Park (11-0) at 3:15 p.m. Friday at Globe Life Park in Arlington.

Longview's season concludes at 9-3.

The two teams squared off in the first half - Longview's ground game and physical defense against Ryan's talent-laden roster. The biggest difference through two quarters was a big play for Ryan, which led to the Raiders takes a 13-7 lead into halftime.

But the second half, especially defensively, belonged to Denton Ryan.

Longview struggled to get anything going offensively against a Raider defense anchored by defensive lineman Bear Alexander, a junior transfer into the Ryan system this season. The Lobos went three-and-out in all three third-quarter possessions and finished with six total yards in the frame.

The Lobo defense turned in a stingy performance, but the big-play capability from Ryan, paired with quick exits off the field from the Lobo offense, lifted the Raiders, who scored on their first possession of the third quarter for a 20-7 lead.

Longview's defense forced a three-and-out and a turnover on downs before the Raiders got back on the scoreboard early in the fourth quarter.

The 27 points from the Raiders is the fewest since Week 2, a 23-20 win over Denton Guyer. Ryan finished with 72 rushing yards - far below its season average of 233.1 coming into the game.

But quarterback Seth Henigan and his stable of weapons were on point. Henigan finished 21-of-29 passing for 282 yards and three touchdowns.

Keagan Cunningham pulled down a pair of touchdown passes of 24 and 44 yards and Ja'Tavion Sanders, a Texas signee, all but sealed things with a 36-yard snag in the fourth quarter. Sanders opened the game with a five-yard touchdown run.

Longview finished with 49 rushing yards on 30 carries and passed for 82 yards, battling the wind in the second and third quarters. The Lobos were also hit with 11 penalties to the tune of 80 yards that put them behind the sticks often.

The Lobos' lone score of the night, outside of a fourth-quarter safety, was a 10-yard connection from sophomore quarterback Jordan Allen to sophomore Jalen Hale, who wraps a stellar season with 11 touchdown catches.

Longview finished 2-of-10 on third-down conversion attempts and 0-for-3 on fourth-down tries. Ryan went 2-of-10 on third down and 2-of-3 on fourth down.

Ryan opened the afternoon with a crisp, 7-play, 75-yard drive that featured its stars. Billy Bowman, an Oklahoma signee, had a 28-yard catch and, after a 9-yard run from Henigan, Sanders punched in the 5-yard score out of the wildcat for a quick 7-0 Raider lead.

After a false start and a sack, the Lobos got traction. Allen and Hale first connected on a 37-yard catch on 2nd and 21. Kaden Meredith followed with a third-down conversion and Markevion Haynes had a 12-yard run, the longest of the game for the Lobos. That set up Allen's 10-yard strike to Hale for a 7-7 tie with 4:45 left in the first quarter.

Ryan converted a fourth down on its next drive but a sack from Joe Jones forced a Raider punt early in the second quarter but the Lobo offense stalled near midfield, getting denied on a 4th and 3 that was a turning point in the game.

The Lobos had a chance with a missed interception on Ryan's next drive and Henigan made them pay. He connected with Cunningham for a 24-yard touchdown on 4th and 9 for a 13-7 lead at halftime.

The third quarter was ugly for Longview, which picked up one first down via a Raider penalty.

Ryan upped its lead to 20-7 when Henigan hit a wide-open Cunningham for a 44-yard touchdown. With its offense struggling, the Lobo defense gave them chance after chance with a forced punt and a turnover on downs.

Sanders had a 37-yard catch to open the fourth quarter and, four plays later, snagged a 36-yard score to seal a rematch with Highland Park and end Longview's season.