Longview Defense Collides with A&M Consolidated Offense in 5A D-II Region II Semifinal

Class 5A Division II Region II

Semifinal

Longview Lobos (11-1)

vs.

College Station A&M Consolidated Tigers (9-2)

4 p.m. Saturday

Midlothian ISD Multi-Purpose Stadium

Coaches

• Longview: John King
• Consol: David Raffield

Last week

• Longview: won 27-10 vs. McKinney Boyd
• Consol: won 41-16 vs. Austin Westlake

Next week

• Winner faces Dallas Jesuit (9-3) or Lake Travis (10-1) in the 5A D-II Region II championship.

Playmakers

Longview

• DT Zaycoven Henderson, Sr., 6-1, 300 (26 tackles, 10 for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 def. TD)
• S Travin Howard, Sr., 6-0, 178 (78 tackles, 8 for loss, 1 sack, 8 INTs, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 punt block, 8 pass breakups, 4 def. TDs, 2 punt return TDs)
• S Stephan Maxey, Sr., 5-11, 186 (90 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 fumble recovery, 1 punt block, 1 def. TD)
• S Laurent Johnson, Sr., 5-8, 160 (111 tackles, 4 INTs, 2 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, 1 def. TD)
• RB JaMycal Hasty, Sr., 5-9, 181 (179 carries, 1,242 yards, 7 TDs)
• QB Dezmond Chumley, Jr., 6-0, 188 (108 of 188, 2,026 yards, 30 TDs, 4 INTs)
• WR Dorian Leonard, Sr., 6-4, 200 (committed to Texas; 34 catches, 643 yards, 10 TDs)
• DE DeRodrick Alexander, Sr., 6-1, 250 (40 tackles, 12 for loss, 8 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery)
• DE Decord Flanagan, Sr., 5-10, 200 (45 tackles, 11 for loss, 6 sacks, 2 forced fumbles)
• DT Omar French, Jr., 6-0, 202 (46 tackles, 16 for loss, 8 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 punt block)
• OG Vernon Hutchinson, Sr., 5-11, 295
• TE Jordan Whitaker, Sr., 6-4, 195

A&M Consolidated

• QB Kobe Miller, Sr. (240 of 337, 3,310 yards, 30 TDs, 6 INTs; 66 carries, 145 yards, 6 TDs)
• RB Brandon Jackson, Sr. (145 carries, 1,110 yards, 20 TDs; 17 catches, 265 yards, 1 TD)
• WR Kerry Thomas, Sr. (85 catches, 1,251 yards, 14 TDs)
• WR Derrick Dick, Jr. (62 catches, 922 yards, 9 TDs)
• WR Daniel Zivney, Jr. (46 catches, 557 yards, 4 TDs; 10 carries, 101 yards)
• RB Tyri Merchant, Soph. (30 carries, 203 yards, 1 TD)
• WR Corey Dukes, Sr. (19 catches, 187 yards, 3 TDs)

Just the facts

• Consolidated's 41-16 second-round playoff win against Austin Westlake avenged the Tigers' 38-32 loss at Westlake on Sept. 13.
• Both teams have played Lufkin.
• Consolidated won 42-41 at Lufkin on Sept. 27, one week after Lufkin lost 55-30 at Longview.
• Consolidated averages 42.4 points per game and allows 28.6.
• Longview averages 42.2 points per game and yields 18.8.
• Consolidated has won six consecutive games by an average score of 49.5-21.7.
• Longview has won 11 consecutive games by an average score of 43.8-17.6.
• Longview has won its last nine games by at least 15 points.
• Longview has reached the third round of the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.
• Longview is 26-9 in the playoffs under head coach John King, who is in his 10th season leading the Lobos.
• Consolidated senior quarterback Kobe Miller has thrown for at least 300 yards five times this season.
• Miller has thrown 19 touchdowns and one interception since Oct. 11, which marked the start of the Tigers' six-game winning streak when they beat Bryan 56-20.

Key matchup: Consolidated receiving corps vs. Longview secondary. Longview's deep and talented group of defensive backs continues to make huge plays. The latest was senior safety Travin Howard's fumble return for a touchdown in last week's 27-10 second-round win against McKinney Boyd in Dallas.

That's more of the same from Longview's secondary, which has coupled with an often dominant defensive front spearheaded by senior college prospect Zaycoven Henderson, senior DeRodrick Alexander, senior Decord Flanagan, and junior Omar French to give head coach John King and defensive coordinator Casey Pearce an athletic and opportunistic at the core of the Lobos' 11-game winning streak. Alexander, Flaganan, and French have combined for 22 sacks, while Henderson has accumulated 10 tackles for loss in only seven games after missing the season's first five contests with a foot injury.

The stress they put on opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks has helped the Lobo secondary make game-breaking play after game-breaking play. Longview's defense enters Friday's game with 10 touchdowns this season. Howard and fellow senior safeties Laurent Johnson and Stephan Maxey have been spectacular, both as tacklers and while playing the ball.

Longview needs another big performance from that trio, plus from its cornerbacks, who face a Consol receiving corps that gives senior quarterback Kobe Miller plenty of dangerous options. Kerry Thomas, Derrick Dick, and Daniel Zivney have combined for almost 1,700 receiving yards and 27 touchdown grabs from Miller, who has an impressive 5-to-1 touchdown-to-INT ratio and a stellar completion percentage of 71.2.

Front-line pressure and disruption must complement the Lobos' athletic ability in the secondary if they hope to advance beyond the third round, which is where they exited last year.

Don't be surprised if: Longview's offensive line plays a pivotal role in the outcome of this game. While the Lobo secondary vs. Consol receiving corps is the most obvious matchup of strength-on-strength, Longview's ability -- or inability, depending on Consol's defensive success -- to run the ball and dictate the game's tempo will play a huge role in determining the winner.

Coach King was displeased with the way his team run the ball in a 25-point first-round win against Rowlett, but the Lobos hammered away at McKinney Boyd a week ago, rushing for 249 yards on 48 carries to subdue the Broncos.

Longview ran into a stout Austin Westlake defense in last year's third round. A&M Consolidated knocked out the Chaparrals last week. If the Lobos are to win the 5A D-II Region II crown, a potent offense stands in their way Saturday in Midlothian. The matchups on both sides of the ball should make for an entertaining contest.