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| LONGVIEW - Longview linebacker Chris Weaver has an idea what his dream game would look like on a statistics sheet.
"I would make 20 tackles, 18 of them solo, with 10 of them for losses," Weaver said. "Five sacks too." Weaver's dream will probably remain a dream, but the junior linebacker and many of his Longview teammates have been able to create nightmares for their opponents this season thanks to their knack of stopping the other team behind the line of scrimmage. The Lobos (13-2) have made 104 tackles for losses (TFL), to go with 33 sacks for a total of 137 times their opponents have gone backwards on plays. That's an average of 9.1 TFLs per game heading into Saturday's Class 4A Division I state championship game against Lake Travis in Waco. "I would be happy if we maintained that average against Lake Travis...and then some," Longview coach John King said. Throwing the opponent for a loss isn't new for Longview, which had 82 stops behind the line and 32 sacks in a 12-2 season a year ago. The skill permeates Longview's front seven, as five players have double-digit number in TFLs. This includes probable Division I college prospect Chris Knighton (15 TFLs) to role players such as Conard Cooks (11) and Britton Eastburn (11). Defensive end Jeremiah Farley leads the team in the category. The 6-0, 230-pound junior has 19 tackles for losses, making at least one TFL in 12 games. No other Lobo has made a TFL in more than eight games. "A lot of the time, I'll go to the blocker's right side and use a speed rip to get past him," Farley said. Weaver, who has 15 TFLs of his own, said some of their success comes from good blitz schemes. Yet King said his team does not blitz all time. He said some of it is instinct and his team has good speed. "Most of the time it's people getting off of blocks, shooting gaps," King said. Most of all, it's staying in position. They've used their heads." King said frequently a TFL is the product of someone sacrificing their body to create congestion at the line, forcing a running back or quarterback to change their running paths. "It reminds me of Bobby Bowden saying, 'It's not always what. Roach eats, but what they fall in and mess up'" King said. "You don't want to eat mashed potatoes after a roach has been in it. Other people messing things up is why we've made all those tackles." Longview's most important TFLs this season may have been in a 41-30 state semifinal win over Denton Guyer a week ago. After Longview took a 34-30 lead with 11:25 remaining, Farley and Cooks had back-to-back stops behind the line. The play sparked Longview to holding Guyer scoreless in the quarter. "We just knew we had to turn it up," Farley said. "We didn't change anything or do anything fancy. We just played better and kept it simple." King said TFLs had a big role in Longview's Region II semifinal against Dallas Carter. The Lobos had seven in that game, but King said that was a big number considering Carter's power running game. The game where TFLs may have been most prominent was a 32-13 win over Sulphur Springs on Oct. 3. The Lobos had 10 TFLs and sacked blue-chip quarterback prospect Tyrik Rollison seven times. It was the lowest point total of the season for Sulphur Springs, which has since rebounded and will play Dayton in the Class 4A Division II state championship game Saturday in San Antonio. Weaver said playing Roll-on may help prepare the Lobos for Lake Travis quarterback Garrett Gilbert, who has verbally committed to the University of Texas. "Sacking Rollison feels as good as making a big hit," Weaver said. "I know it's been some time, but I think Tyrik's game is similar to the Lake Travis quarterback." Farley said what the Lobos have done with making TFLs is helping I'm live a dream of playing for a state championship. He has an idea for his dream game too. "I would have 23 tackles, five sacks and two interceptions, one I would return for a touchdown," Farley said. |