Longview Defense Faces High-Powered Dallas Jesuit Offense on Saturday

Class 5A Division II Region II
Area Playoff

Longview Lobos (8-3)
vs.
Dallas Jesuit Rangers (9-2)

7 p.m. Saturday
Wildcat-Ram Stadium, Dallas

Coaches
Longview: John King
Jesuit: Brandon Hickman

Last week
Longview: def. Rowlett, 27-6
Jesuit: def. McKinney Boyd, 31-10

Next week: Winner plays College Station A&M Consolidated or Austin Westlake in a 5A Division II Region II semifinal.

Playmakers

Longview

• LB DeMarkus Lathan, Sr., 5-9, 190 (119 tackles, 10 for loss, 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 7 pass breakups, 1 kick block)
• FS Corey Bartley, Sr., 5-7, 155 (118 tackles, 6 INTs, 1 forced fumble, 1 recovery, 17 pass breakups, 5 kick blocks, 1 punt block, 1 def. TD)
• RB Tory White, Sr., 5-9, 175 (152 carries, 988 yards, 11 TDs)
• QB Dezmond Chumley, Soph., 5-11, 185 (68 of 113, 951 yards, 12 TDs, 1 INT)
• LB Torean Sheppard, Sr., 5-10, 190 (114 tackles, 5 for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovery, 5 pass breakups)
• DE Tre Allen, Sr., 6-0, 225 (42 tackles, 15 for loss, 10 sacks, 1 kick block)
• DT Cornelius Williams, Sr., 5-10, 290 (67 tackles, 14 for loss, 3 sacks)
• DE Jalen Porter, Sr., 6-0, 210 (68 tackles, 13 for loss, 4 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 1 recovery, 1 def. TD)
• WR Justinn Spady, Sr., 5-9, 155 (25 catches, 363 yards, 4 TDs)
• WR Dorian Leonard, Jr., 6-4, 185 (16 catches, 378 yards, 3 TDs)

Dallas Jesuit

• WR Jordan Oliver, Sr., 6-4, 194 (80 catches, 1,181 yards, 16 TDs; committed to Texas)
• LB Jordan Mastrogiovanni, Sr., 6-3, 225 (2 TD catches; committed to Oklahoma)
• OL J.J. Gustafson, Sr., 6-6, 270 (committed to Texas A&M)
• DE. J.D. Waggoner, Sr., 6-2, 230 (committed to Iowa State)
• QB Jack Brezette, Sr. (178 fo 278, 2,774 yards, 34 TDs, 10 INTs; 1 rush TD)
• RB Orion Salters, Jr. (70 carries, 597 yards, 11 TDs; 39 catches, 643 yards, 7 TDs)
• RB Will Brown, Sr. (90 carries, 565 yards, 7 TDs; 10 catches, 149 yards, 2 TDs)
• RB Pierce Durham, Jr. (85 carries, 490 yards, 4 TDs)
• WR John Berend, Sr. (21 catches, 309 yards, 3 TDs)
• WR Taylor Tibbits, Sr. (12 catches, 201 yards, 3 TDs)

Just the facts

• Longview averages 34.3 points per game and allows 16.0.
• Dallas Jesuit averages 43.3 points per game and allows 17.8.
• Longview has won four consecutive games by an average of 37.3 points.
• Jesuit has won fout consecutive games by an average of 36.8 points.
• The three teams that beat Longview -- Coppell, Mesquite, and Mesquite Horn -- are a combined 30-3 and all still in the playoffs.
• The two teams that beat Jesuit -- Dallas Skyline and Lake Highlands -- are a combined 19-4 (Lake Highlands was eliminated in the first round).
• Longview's Tre Allen has accounted for 10 of the team's 26 sacks despite playing only six games.
• Longview has not allowed an opponent's offensive touchdown since Oct. 19.

Key matchup: Longview's defensive backs vs. Dallas Jesuit's receivers. Typically, Longview is more than happy to pit its always athletic secondary against a team's receiving corps. But Jake Oliver may be a different story. Not only does he have the hands and athletic ability for a Big 12-bound receiver, but he's big. His 6-foot-4, almost 200-pound frame will be a tough matchup for Longview, which has plenty of speed and ball skills in its defensive backfield, but not a lot of size. You certainly can't win every matchup against a receiving corps like Jesuit's, but Longview has to make the Rangers work for their points. A big part of accomplishing that is getting pressure on QB Jack Brezette, which you figure the Lobos may be able to achieve considering their dominance up front in the last four games. Tre Allen has been a monster. He sacked Rowlett QB Carson Hyles three times last week to give him 10 in only six games as a Lobo after transferring from Chapel Hill. Combined with fellow ends Jalen Porter and Zaycoven Henderson, and tackle Cornelius Williams, Allen and company give Longview a stellar defensive line that has dictated play at the line of scrimmage during the past month and most of the season. As the saying goes, your secondary is only as good as your pass rush. Longview might find out if that's the case Saturday.

Chalk talk

• Longview coach John King on if Dallas Jesuit is similar to other teams the Lobos have played this season: "Similar to a lot of people. Just doing it with a larger core of skill players."
• King on game planning for Texas-bound receiver Jake Oliver: "Have to account for him in everything. Throwing game, screens, reverses. They move him around a lot. so it becomes difficult to zero in on one thing."
• King on what the Lobos need from their strong defensive line: "They need to give us a good pass rush and not get out of their lanes to allow for draws and scrambles."
• King on fixing the fumble problem after the Lobos lost three in the first half vs. Rowlett: "Keep stressing fundamentals daily in practice."
• King on keys to the game other than line play: "Turnovers, field position, and third-down conversions."

Don't be surprised if: Longview protects the ball better than it did against Rowlett, allowing the Lobos to set the game's tempo to their liking. That doesn't necessarily mean the Lobos will win; Dallas Jesuit is a very good team with a high-powered offense that has been rolling lately. But if Longview can protect the ball, get continued improvement from sophomore QB Dezmond Chumley, and prevent the big play vs. Jesuit's passing game, the Lobos will be in good shape. But a first half like the one they had against Rowlett will end their season.