Longview Looks to Keep Rolling Friday Night at Rockwall-Heath

District 12-5A

Longview Lobos (4-1, 1-0)

vs.

Rockwall-Heath Hawks (4-2, 0-2)

7:30 p.m. Friday

Wilkerson-Sanders Memorial Stadium, Rockwall

Coaches

• Longview: John King
• Rockwall-Heath: Mickey Moss

Last week

• Longview: idle
• Rockwall-Heath: lost 39-14 at Mesquite

Next week

• Longview: vs. Mesquite Horn
• Rockwall-Heath: idle

Playmakers

Longview

• RB JaMycal Hasty, Jr., 5-9, 181 (103 carries, 774 yards, 7 TDs; 8 catches, 204 yards, 3 TDs)
• QB Dezmond Chumley, Jr., Jr., 6-0, 188 (51 of 99, 902 yards, 12 TDs, 2 INTs)
• WR Dorian Leonard, Sr., 6-4, 200 (committed to Texas; 17 catches, 300 yards, 5 TDs)
• S Travin Howard, Sr., 6-0, 179 (36 tackles, 5 for loss, 4 INTs, 3 pass break-ups, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 punt block, 2 def. TDs)
• S Stephan Maxey, Sr., 5-11, 186 (39 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 pass break-up, 1 fumble recovery, 1 def. TD)
• TE Jordan Whitaker, Sr., 6-4, 190 (12 catches, 208 yards, 2 TDs)
• DL DeRodrick Alexander, Sr., 6-1, 240 (19 tackles, 6 for loss, 4 sacks)
• DT Omar French, Jr., 6-0, 202 (23 tackles, 10 for loss, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles)
• DT Zaycoven Henderson, Sr., 6-1, 293 (1 fumble recovery; missed first four games with foot fracture)
• S Laurent Johnson, Sr., 5-8, 160 (37 tackles, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery)

Rockwall-Heath

• OL Trevor Elbert, Jr., 6-6, 292
• RB Rico Henderson, Jr., 5-11, 190 (69 carries, 475 yards, 3 TDs; 4 catches, 20 yards)
• QB Jordan Hoy, Jr., 6-0, 164 (55 of 77, 584 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT; 76 carries, 343 yards, 4 TDs)
• WR R.J. Williams, Sr., 5-10, 175 (12 catches, 291 yards, 4 TDs)
• RB Alex Solis, Sr., 5-8, 180 (12 catches, 154 yards, 1 TD; 38 carries, 123 yards, 5 TDs)
• WR Jake Fisher, Sr., 5-9, 175 (10 catches, 114 yards, 2 TDs)
• S Jacob Grand-Lienard, Sr., 5-11, 180 (2 INTs)
• DB Lawrence Johnson, Jr., 5-9, 170 (2 INTs)
• DB David Richardson, Jr., 5-11, 165 (2 INTs)

Just the facts

• Under head coach John King, Longview is an impressive 48-3 in district games.
• Longview has won at least one playoff game every year since 2005.
• The Lobos are averaging 40.2 points and 409.2 yards per game.
• Longview's defense is allowing opponents just 23.8 points and 267.4 yards per game.
• The combined record of Longview's five opponents -- Coppell, Marshall, Olive Branch (Miss.), Lufkin and Mesquite -- is 13-14.
• Rockwall-Heath is averaging 27.3 points and 318.8 yards per game, while its defense is yielding 15 points and a district-best 251.5 yards per game.
• The Hawks are 55-30 since the program's inception in 2006, including a trip to the Class 4A state quarterfinals in 2008.
• The combined record of Heath's six opponents -- West Mesquite, South Garland, Richland, Rowlett, Rockwall and Mesquite -- is 13-20.
• Heath junior offensive lineman Trevor Elbert has FBS offers from Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M and Tech, according to 247sports.com.
• The Hawks won the Class 4A baseball state title in 2012.

Key matchup: Longview running game vs. Rockwall-Heath defensive front. The Lobos' offense is full of playmakers, none more explosive than junior running back JaMycal Hasty, who has FBS offers from Baylor, Houston, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. Hasty, who clocked a laser-timed 4.39 40-yard dash at ETSN.fm's recruiting combine at APEC training facility in Tyler last May, is averaging 8.8 yards per touch. He has two 200-yard rushing games to his credit so far this season and is the focal point in head coach John King's run-first offensive attack. After biding his time behind last season's starting running back Tory White, Hasty is on pace for 1,548 rushing yards during the regular season, which would be almost 300 yards more than White produced in 11 games in 2012.

The Heath rush defense has held up well so far this season, limiting opponents to just 112.5 rushing yards per game. The Hawks' defensive front will likely be facing its biggest challenge to date, however, and must force Longview to divert from its running game in order to have a chance. But Lobos quarterback Dezmond Chumley has proven more than capable of burning defenses with his arm. Chumley has passed for 180.4 yards per game and 12 of his 51 completions have gone for touchdowns, including three to Texas commit Dorian Leonard. Stopping or slowing down Longview's rushing attack is not the only thing the Heath defense has to worry about, but it would go a long way in helping the Hawks stay competitive Friday night.

Don't be surprised if: Longview continues its early dominance in 12-5A. The Lobos buried Mesquite, 69-17, in the district opener two weeks and Mesquite responded by battering Heath by 25 points last week. Based on that alone, Friday's matchup doesn't appear too favorable for the Hawks. As long as Longview dictates tempo on offense and its aggressive defense, which has racked up 13 sacks and forced 13 turnovers, continues to thrive, the Lobos shouldn't have too much to worry about against Heath. Running back Deionte Wall retuned to practice during Longview's bye week and could prove to be yet another dynamic weapon in the Lobos' offense down the stretch.