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| LUFKIN - Longview traveled to Abe Martin Stadium on Friday night, and ran past rival Lufkin in a 56-7 district-opening road win.
The Lobos improved their 2022 season record to 4-0 and their District 7-5A Division I record to 1-0. They also moved to 44-37-4 all-time against the Panthers, who dropped to 3-1 and 0-1 respectively this year. Longview leaned heavily on its run game to take control of the game early, and never looked back. The Lobos ran the ball 20 times for 151 yards before halftime, and earned three of their five first half touchdowns on the ground. They added 18 rushes for 182 yards and a trio of scores in the second half to finish the game with 38 runs for 333 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. "One of the things we got a lot of is good running backs," said Longview athletic director and head football coach John King. "Of course, Taylor [Tatum] and [Alijah] AJ [Johnson] get the majority of the carries, but guys like Kelvin Washington, [Jonathan] Lee, Jose Soto and Brandavion Steverson are quality backs, and I'm not scared to let them touch [the ball] a few times as well." The dominant surge began with a 12-play scoring drive in the first quarter that was guided by six Tatum runs for 34 yards and a six-yard touchdown, and three Johnson carries for 17 yards. Quarterback Jordan Allen also added 34 yards on a quick three-for-three passing start. That all set up Longview's 7-0 lead at the 3:54 mark of the period. Johnson finished the game with 11 carries for 146 yards, and Tatum followed with 15 runs for 94 yards. Ta'Darion Boone added a defensive stop when he picked off Lufkin quarterback T.J. Hammond's pass, and returned it 25 yards for a pick six. That gave Longview a 14-0 advantage with 3:31 remaining in the quarter. Lufkin did respond on its next drive when Hammond connected with Bradyn Walker on a 17-yard touchdown strike that cut Longview's lead to 14-7 with only three ticks remaining in the game's opening period. But, Longview immediately went to work again. Allen found Jalen Hale on a 44-yard pass and handed it off to Tatum on a seven-yard touchdown run to give the Lobos a 21-7 lead with 11:29 left in the second quarter. Longview's offense got the ball back after another defensive stop, and produced a nine-play scoring drive that saw Allen extend his hot passing start to six consecutive completions, and concluded with Johnson's six-yard touchdown run. That gave the Lobos a 28-7 advantage with 5:11 remaining in the first half. Allen finished the outing with a 10-for-13 passing performance for 151 yards. Longview had another first half scoring drive that saw Allen connect with Hale on another big passing play. This time, the two teammates struck gold on a 34-yard touchdown connection to give the Lobos a 35-7 lead at the 1:15 mark of the second quarter. It was more of the same in the second half. Tatum broke free on a 27-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and Washington and Lee followed with their respective fourth period scores from 26 and 12 yards. |