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| TYLER - Longview matched up with rival Tyler in the schools' 99th football meeting on Thursday night, and left Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium with a 42-3 road district victory.
The Lobos improved to 9-0 on the season, and 6-0 in District 7-5A Division I play, and are now 53-39-7 in the rivalry series since 1912. They also earned the district championship, and clinched a first-round home game at Lobo Stadium during the Class 5A Division I bi-district round in two weeks. Before Longview can focus on that, it will wrap up the regular season and district play with a 7:30 p.m. home game against West Mesquite on Nov. 4. The Tyler Lions, on the other hand, dropped to 2-7 for the year, and 2-4 in league play. They will travel to Forney for next Friday's 7 p.m. road district game at Forney City Bank Stadium. Longview was forced to punt on its opening drive of the game, but Tyler muffed the return, and Ja'Keyvon Curry jumped on the ball to give the Lobos the ball at the Lions' 18-yard line. Alijah Johnson followed with a nine-yard touchdown run that gave the road team an early 7-0 lead at the 4:46 mark of the opening quarter. Johnson finished the night with 12 carries for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Tyler drove down the field and set up Jhoscar Lara's 33-yard field goal. That cut the Lions' deficit to 7-3 with 1:05 remaining in the opening period. Lara would try for another 33-yard kick at the 1:54 mark of the second quarter, but it was blocked by the Longview defense. Longview received another boost when Taylor Tatum produced a two-yard touchdown run. That gave the Lobos a 14-3 lead with 10:36 remaining in the second quarter. Tatum then started the second half with a 19-yard touchdown run that made it a 21-3 score with 8:15 left in the third period. He finished the night with 18 carries for 188 yards and three touchdowns. Xaryus Sheppard then stepped up for the Longview defense when he stripped the ball from Tyler quarterback Tyler Jones. The Lobos recovered the ball at the Lions' 7-yard line. On the next play, Jordan Allen handed the ball to Jalen Hale during a seven-yard touchdown run that expanded the gap to 28-3 at the 7:54 mark of the frame. Allen completed five of his seven passes for 40 yards in Longview's victory. Two of his darts went to Hale for 28 yards, and the other three found the gloves of Johnson, Tatum and Dakaylen Reese. Tatum wrapped up the third quarter scoring when he found the end zone on a 26-yard touchdown run, and Johnson kicked off the fourth quarter points with a 12-yard touchdown run with 11:14 remaining. Daedrion Garrett then picked off one of Jones' passes at the Longview six-yard line, and returned it 42 yards to the 48-yard line at the 8:29 mark of the final quarter. The following Longview offensive drive concluded with an unsuccessful fourth down attempt, but Thomas Roel provided the Lobo defense with another interception with 2:07 left in the game. |