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| WACO - Defense wins championships, but the other side of the coin is that the offense still has to hold up its end of the bargain.
Despite a championship-caliber performance from the Longview defense, the Lobos fell to the Lake Travis Cavaliers, 24-17, in the Class 4A Division I state championship game Saturday at Floyd Casey Stadium. "They (the Lobo defense) definitely deserve a championship because they gave a championship effort," Longview head coach John King said following the loss. "The defense kept us in the football game and gave us a chance to win. We didn't run out of effort, we ran out of time." Lake Travis entered the game averaging 49 points per game and had not been held to less than 27 points the entire season. The Lobo defense not only held the Lake Travis offense to a season-low 24 points, but also limited the Cavaliers to just 264 total yards. "I think my defense played the best game of their lives and left it all on the field," said Diop Johnson, who led the team with seven tackles, including one for a loss. "Everybody players their hearts out. The outcome wasn't what we wanted, but in the end, we gave our all to win." The Lobos were especially tough in in the secondary, where Lake Travis quarterback Michael Brewer usually has his way. Brewer came into he contest with 41 touchdowns while averaging 298 yards per game, but Longview held the junior signal-caller to 191 yards and two interceptions, both by Ladarius Brooks. "I knew that they were going to throw it high against me because of my height, but they made a mistake," Brooks said. "I feel like we played to the best of our ability - like it was our last game." Bubba Vactor, who had one of three Lobo sacks on the night, said controlling the Lake Travis passing attack was a key to the game for the defense. "We knew if we stopped the pass we would have a good chance of beating them," Vactor said. "The defense was outstanding." King said the difference in play over the final three quarters was not a chance in scheme but simply better execution. "I wanted out kids to have a chance for a state championship. It hurts as a coach to let those seniors go without one with everything they've meant to the program," King said. "We came up short today, but it wasn't for a lack of effort."
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