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| MARSHALL - Here come the Marshall Mavericks.
Marshall, ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 5A, moved towards its first district championship since 1966, and at the same time ended a 19-year losing streak to the Longview Lobos here Friday night at Maverick Stadium, 28-0. It certainly was a sense of relief for the majority of the 8,257 fans, who had not witnessed a win over the Lobos since 1968 when Marshall won 20-3. The crowd at Maverick Stadium, which also included members of the 1966 district championship team, along with hometown favorite son and NFL hall of gamer Y.A. Title, set a new single-game attendance mark. Most of the crowd on the press box side stayed long after the game was over, enjoying the moment. It's probably a much bigger win for those individuals who have sat though 19 years. "I've been here for four years and for me it's a huge win for my kids," noted a jubilant Mavs head coach Dennis Parker. "Those kids have lived here 16-18 years. When you're dealing with 19 years of frustration this has got to be the greatest feeling in the world." The Mavericks improved to 4-0 in District 13-5A, 7-0 overall. Longview, meanwhile, drops to 3-2, 4-3 and for all practical purposes eliminated from the loop race. Marshall hosts Tyler Lee next Friday night and then closes out on the road at Texas High. Longview concludes loop play on the road Friday at John Tyler, before returning to Lobo Stadium for a season ending non-district game against Mesquite. The Lobos are the defending champions and were bidding for a school record sixth consecutive post-season berth. The passing of quarterback Benny Valentine, along with the combination receiving and rushing of Odell Beckham paved the Marshall assault. On defense, the Mavs limited Longview's offense to 106 yards, its lowest output of the year. The blanking also marked the first time the Lobos have been shutout since the third game of the 1986 season. Lobo tailback Earnest Hunter was held to 92 yards on 24 carries. It was the first district game in which he failed to surpass 100 yards. Marshall's offense behind Valentine and Beckham peppered the Longview defense for 399 total yards - 250 on the ground and 149 passing. Beckham led the ground game with 126 yards on 19 carries. He improves his season stats to 748. Robert Johnson also chipped in 75 yards on 13 attempts. Valentine, whose performance Parker called perfect, was 8-of-15 for 135 yards and three touchdowns. The game was essentially decided in the opening half as the Mavericks put up 21 first-half points. Longview won the opening toss and elected to start on the defense first. Marshall then proceeded to drive 51 yards in 9 plays and the Mavs were off and running - or passing. Valentine connected three times through the air, twice to Beckham and once to Brent Truelove, his first touchdown of the year for the scoring. Beckham was instrumental in each of the Mavericks scoring marches as he slashed his way through the Lobo defense. His best run came on a 26-yard scamper where he broke four tackles, turning what appeared to be a Marshall loss in the backfield off a reverse. He eventually danced his way to the Longview 13, setting up the third score of the night. With 11 seconds left before intermission, Valentine found Truelove over the middle and the Mavs took a 20-0 lead. Harris tacked on the extra point. The Mav series all started off Longview's only serious miscue of the night, an interception of a Shawn Lawson pass by Alfred Jackson. It was his 6th of the year. Earlier, Marshall had scored on a 9-yard toss from Valentine to Beckham on Marshall's first series with 8:25 left in the opening quarter. Albert James gave the Mavs good field possession with a long opening kickoff return. Early in the second quarter, Beckham made another spectacular play with an over-the-shoulder reception of a 21-yard toss from Valentine. Harris tacked on his second extra point and Marshall led 14-0 with 10:12 to play. |