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| MARSHALL - Longview's offense kept its defense off the field long enough, and in return the Mean Green unit posted a shutout as the Lobos opened District 12-5A play Friday night with a 14-0 win over Marshall.
A 4-yard run by Calvin Coleman in the first quarter and Joel Creal's 11-yard pass to LaRoyce Howard in the third was all the scoring the Lobos would need. Placekicker Josh Scobee successfully converted both extra point attempts. "A lot of that had to do with the field conditions," Longview head coach Robert Bero said of the running game, which accounted for 232 yards. "It was really a mess out there. We felt like coming in, with this kind of condition, it was suitable to our game plan. "We knew we were going to try to get a little power football going at them. We were going to go north and south. Our guys just did a good job." After 2.31 inches of rain had fallen at Maverick Stadium, the field conditions were less than ideal. Coleman, who hadn't played since the season opener after re-injuring his left knee, led all rushers with 95 yards on 11 carries. Artillious Allison, who replaced Coleman as the starting tailback, added 83 yards on 25 carries, while Chris Jenkins picked up 33 on five rushes. Coleman's second touchdown of the season followed a six-play, 64-yard drive not he Lobos' second possession of the game. A 22-yard run by Jenkins gave Longview a first-and-goal at the Maverick nine. While the Lobos' offense was dictating the game's flow, the defense was putting the clamps on a Marshall offense that came in averaging 327.6 yards per game. The Mavericks finished with just 20 yards running the ball. Marshall was held to zero rushing yards - and 44 total yards - in the first half. Through the air, the Mavericks threw for 149 yards, although 68 of that came in their final possession. Marshall reached the Lobo six-yard line, but was unable to cash in as three times Longview cornerback Willie Andrews knocked the ball away. The ball eventually went back to the Lobos on down, sealing the victory. "We couldn't do anything, on offense," said Maverick head coach Bill Harper. "I thought the defense played well enough for us to win the ballgame, but we just couldn't get anything started offensively. "We couldn't catch the ball and we couldn't run, but I think you have to give Longview a lot of credit for that too. They came in with a great scheme and made it work." The win was Longview's first shutout this season, and marked the first shutout loss by a Marshall team since a 34-0 defeat to John Tyler in 1994. The Lobos improved to 3-3 overall for the year, while the Mavericks dropped to 4-2. "I don't think you can pin-point one guy," Bero said of the defensive effort. "Everybody just stepped up and played really well. We had a few different people playing different positions, but I think our kids stepped u and showed a lot of character." Longview stretched its lead to 14-0 with 7:15 left in the third quarter after the Mavericks turned the ball over on a fumble punt return. Donald Kenny recovered the ball at the Marshall 17. Three plays later, Creal connected with Howard in the back right corner of the end zone. |