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| MESQUITE - A battle was expected when the top two teams in Class 5A Division I met at Mesquite Memorial Stadium on Friday night, but No. 1 Longview ultimately pulled away in the second half to earn a 37-21 win against No. 2 Mansfield Timberview in the Region II championship game.
Longview improved its season record to 14-0, and advanced to play either Aledo or Burleson Centennial in the 2 p.m. Class 5A Division I state semifinal at Dallas' John Kincaide Stadium on Saturday Dec. 10, while Mansfield Timberview finished its 2022 campaign with a 13-1 mark. Burleson Centennial and Aledo play on Saturday. "Gritty, tough and prideful," Longview athletic director and head football coach John King said of his team's performance on Friday. "Our defense did a great job slowing down the [Mansfield Timberview] run game. Offensively, we got the run game going. We [also] hit a couple important passes when we needed them. What a night!" Longview's defense was aggressive early, and that allowed Xaryus Sheppard to recover a fumble on the fifth offensive play of the game. He ultimately returned the ball to the Mansfield Timberview 24-yard line. The Lobos' offensive unit made the most of the field position because Taylor Tatum's two-yard touchdown run a few moments later made it a 7-0 score at the 7:34 mark of the first quarter. Tatum led the Lobo charge throughout the game because he earned 186 rushing yards, and produced all five of Longview's touchdowns. Mansfield Timberview quickly moved down the field, and made it a 7-7 game on Cameron Bates' 29-yard touchdown run with 2:55 left in the opening quarter. Longview went to work again, and leaned on its productive run game to retake the lead in the second period. Tatum found the necessary space on a 12-yard touchdown run at the 11:08 mark of the period to make it a 14-7 score. Mansfield Timberview's aerial attack started to heat up, and included Bates' 25-yard touchdown pass to Savion McKinnon. That made it a 14-14 game with 7:31 remaining in the first half. The score remained the same until Longview's first drive of the second half. Jordan Allen connected with Tatum on a 24-yard touchdown pass to give the Lobos a 21-14 edge at the 9:21 mark of the third quarter. Allen finished the night with 44 passing yards and a touchdown. Two of his five completions resulted in Jaymerson Darensbourg's 15 receiving yards. The teams then traded back-to-back rushing touchdowns. Jarvis Reed's 60-yard touchdown run evened the score at the 8:01 mark, but Longview retook the lead during Tatum's 58-yard carry at the 7:42 mark of the period. Longview's defense started to find the missing ingredient in its quest to slow down Mansfield Timberview's offensive attack when it forced a late punt in the third quarter. The Lobos capitalized on their next drive because they made it a two-score game in the early minutes of the fourth period. That occurred when Michael Fields' 36-yard field goal attempt changed the score to 31-21 at the 11:55 mark of the frame. Longview then stopped Mansfield Timberview on two fourth down attempts in the final quarter before Tatum's four-yard touchdown run with 6:05 remaining in the game put the final touches on the fourth-round playoff victory. |