Longview Faces Off With State-Ranked Mansfield Summit in Area Round

CLASS 5A DIVISION I AREA

Longview Lobos (9-2)

vs.

Mansfield Summit Jaguars (10-1)

7:30 p.m. Friday

Eagle Stadium, DeSoto

Coaches

• Longview: John King
• Summit: Travis Pride

Last week

• Longview: def. Lufkin, 31-10
• Summit: def. Dallas Kimball, 35-7

Next week

• Winner faces winner between Wylie and Rockwall-Heath, regional quarterfinals

Playmakers

Longview

• RB Tylan Miller, Sr., 5-8, 195 (104 carries, 719 yards, 9 TDs; 8 catches, 76 yards)
• RB Braylynn Anthony, Sr., 5-8, 175 (56 carries, 874 yards, 12 TDs)
• TE Jordan Wyatt, Sr., 6-3, 215 (13 catches, 323 yards, 5 TDs)
• QB Michael Ross, Sr., 5-10, 175 (68 of 152, 1,099 yards, 10 TDs 6 INTs; 40 carries, 187 yards, 2 TDs)
• DE Kybrian Sheridan, Sr., 6-0, 210 (52 tackles, 13 for loss, 6 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 2 recoveries, 1 PBU)
• CB Ameron Dean, Sr., 5-11, 170 (32 tackles, 1 for loss, 5 INTs, 6 PBUs, 3 blocked kicks)
• S Traveion Webster, Jr., 6-0, 200 (63 tackles, 2 PBU)
• S Bryson Davis, Sr., 6-3, 185 (84 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack, 1 PBU)

Summit

• RB Fred Adams, Sr., 5-11, 195 (122 carries 1,287 yards, 10 TDs; 8 catches, 192 yards)
• RB D.J. Johnson, Jr., 5-8 170 (115 carries, 994 yards, 15 TDs)
• OL Myles Adams, Sr., 6-2, 265 (committed to Rice)
• QB Braden Nolen, Sr., 6-1, 180 (108 of 201, 1,653 yards, 18 TDs 7 INTs; 53 carries, 428 yards, 5 TDs)
• WR Medric Roberson, Sr., 6-1, 165 (28 catches, 497 yards, 4 TDs)
• WR Lance Schwab, Sr., 6-0, 165 (32 catches, 460 yards, 7 TDs)
• DE Dylan Briscoe, Sr., 6-0, 210 (60 tackles, 16 for loss, 2 sacks, 10 QB pressures, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 PBU)
• DE Chris Radford, Sr., 6-2, 225 (42 tackles, 13 for loss, 4 sacks, 14 QB pressures, 2 forced fumbles)

Just the facts

• Longview is in the area round of the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season.
• The Lobos are 8-2 in area-round games under coach John King.
• Longview is averaging 39.3 points and 431.8 yards per game -- 324 rushing and 107.8 passing.
• The Lobos' two losses this season have come against Shreveport Byrd and Marshall, which are a combined 20-2 on the season.
• Mansfield Summit, which opened in 2002, is in the area round for the sixth time in program history.
• The Jaguars are 1-5 in area-round games all-time.
• Mansfield Summit is averaging 40.8 points and 430.9 yards per game -- 245 rushing and 185.9 passing.
• The Jaguars' only loss this season came to Mansfield Lake Ridge (55-35), which is 11-0.

Key matchup: Longview rushing attack vs. Mansfield Summit defensive front. The Lobos' rushing prowess was on full display in last week's bi-district win over Lufkin. Longview was able to take control of the game in the second half, outscoring the Panthers, 21-0, after halftime despite only only completing one pass all night. Instead, Longview relied on a three-headed monster out of the backfield -- senior running backs Tylan Miller and Braylynn Anthony and senior fullback Austin Moore. For the season, Longview averages 324 rushing yards per game, and it got 319 in the win over Lufkin. Anthony, who has come on strong down the stretch, led the way with 158 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries. The speedster leads the Lobos in rushing for the season, and comes into Friday night's area-round clash averaging 15.6 yards per carry. Miller and Moore combined for 152 yards and two touchdowns on 26 attempts, and both players were heavily involved in the second-half game plan. Anthony's quickness and explosiveness, coupled with Miller and Moore's strength give Longview a versatile and potent rushing attack.

Summit will counter with a stout defensive front that comes into this week's matchup with 77 tackles for loss as a team. The team leaders in that category -- senior ends Dylan Briscoe and Chris Radford -- have combined for 29 stops behind the line of scrimmage. Both players are undersized compared to the offensive linemen they'll be facing from Longview on Friday night, but Briscoe and Radford make up for it with their quickness and post-snap explosion. It could be difficult for Longview to run wide on the Summit defensive front, so it would be imperative for the Lobos to have success running between the tackles. In that case, an increased workload may be in order for both Miller and Moore this week. Longview's top linemen -- Kendall Starling and Tim Clay -- are both guards and each weigh in excess of 310 pounds. If Longview can neutralize Summit's rush ends by pounding the Jaguars on inside runs, the Lobos should be able to control the game's tempo.

Don't be surprised if: Summit's defense loads the box. As the numbers suggest, it's almost impossible to contain Longview's running game with a standard seven-man front. Teams have routinely added en extra defender or two near the line of scrimmage, practically daring Longview to beat them through the air. Expect the Jaguars to give their front-seven defenders some help, which will give Longview's receivers one-on-one matchups with Summit defensive backs. Lobos senior quarterback Michael Ross has enjoyed moderate success this season in the passing game. His completion percentage is just 44.7 percent for the year, and his TD-INT ratio is less than 2-1, which speaks to the importance Longview's running game will be Friday night. However, Ross has shown the ability to make plays on the run, when the pocket breaks down. His completions average more than 16 yards, and roughly one out of every seven completions has gone for touchdowns. Senior tight end Jordan Wyatt has been Ross' most productive target with 13 catches for a team-best 323 yards (24.8 YPC) and five touchdowns.