Longview Opens District 12-5A Play at Home Against Mesquite

District 12-5A Opener

Mesquite Skeeters (2-2)

vs.

Longview Lobos (3-1)

7:30 p.m. Friday

Lobo Stadium, Longview

Coaches

• Mesquite: Robbie Robinson
• Longview: John King

Last week

• Mesquite: lost 44-21 vs. Plano West
• Longview: won 55-30 vs. Lufkin

Next week

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

Playmakers

Mesquite

• DB Charles Grant, Sr., 5-11, 190 (43 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 punt block; 1 KO return TD)
• RB Shadavian Reed, Sr., 5-8, 180 (55 carries, 502 yards, 3 TDs; 5 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD)
• LB Jalen Montgomery, Sr. 5-11, 220 (40 tackles, 7 for loss, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles)
• QB Trey LeBlanc, Sr., 5-10, 185 (34 of 67, 428 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT)
• WR Octayvius Miles, Sr., 5-10,170 (17 catches, 249 yards, 3 TDs)
• WR Robert Blythe, Soph., 5-7, 170 (15 catches, 151 yards, 2 TDs)
• LB Brandon Deterville, Sr., 5-9, 190 (42 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 sacks, 1 INT, 1 forced fumble)
• K Marco Rodriguez, Sr. (2 FGs, 9 PATs)

Longview

• RB JaMycal Hasty, Jr., 5-9, 181 (93 carries, 713 yards, 6 TDs)
• S Travin Howard, Sr., 6-0, 179 (31 tackles, 5 for loss, 1 sack, 3 INTs, 1 forced fumble, 1 punt block, 1 def. TD)
• S Stephan Maxey, Sr., 5-11, 186 (36 tackles, 2 INTs, 1 recovery, 1 def. TD)
• DL DeRodrick Alexander, Sr., 6-1, 240 (16 tackles, 6 for loss, 4 sacks)
• DT Omar French, Jr., 6-0, 202 (21 tackles, 8 for loss, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble)
• DL Decord Flanagan, Sr., 5-10, 200 (17 tackles, 5 for loss, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble)
• QB Dezmond Chumley, Jr., 6-0, 188 (40 of 72, 672 yards, 7 TDs, 2 INTs)
• WR Dorian Leonard, Sr., 6-4, 200 (committed to Texas; 13 catches, 193 yards, 2 TDs)
• TE Jordan Whitaker, Sr., 6-4, 190 (11 catches, 204 yards, 2 TDs)
• DL Dillion Winn, Sr., 6-0, 235 (18 tackles, 6 for loss, 2 sacks)
• S Laurent Johnson, Sr., 5-8, 160 (31 tackles, 1 INT, 1 recovery)
• DT Zaycoven Henderson, Sr., 6-1, 293 (missed first four games with foot fracture)

Just the facts

• Mesquite won last year's meeting 33-7 en route to an 11-1 season and the District 12-5A championship.
• That is Mesquite's only win against Longview since 2004. In that span, the Lobos are 6-1 against the Skeeters.
• Mesquite's 2012 league championship prevented Longview from winning or sharing its 10th consecutive district crown.
• Longview has recorded 16 sacks in its first four games.
• Mesquite's two losses came by an average of 29.0 points.
• Longview senior safeties Travin Howard, Laurent Johnson, and Stephan Maxey have combined for 98 tackles, six interceptions, and two defensive touchdowns in the Lobos' first four contests.
• Mesquite senior running back Shadavian Reed averages 9.7 yards per touch on his 60 touches from scrimmage.
• Reed enters Friday's District 12-5A opener averaging 145.5 yards from scrimmage per game, including 125.5 rushing.
• Longview head coach John King said late Wednesday morning that senior defensive tackle standout Zaycoven Henderson has been cleared to play this week. The 6-foot-1, 293-pound Henderson holds about 20 college offers. He missed the Lobos' first four games with a foot fracture.

Key matchup: Mesquite defensive front vs. Longview offensive line. Longview's strong start to the 2013 season can be directly linked to the Lobos' success running the ball.

Head coach John King, a former college offensive lineman himself, always wants to establish his rushing attack. The Lobos have done that in every contest as junior tailback JaMycal Hasty has eclipsed the century mark in all four games.

Hasty has been especially good during Longview's three-game winning streak, gaining more than 600 yards in wins against Marshall, Olive Branch (Miss.), and Lufkin. Longview's offensive line has dictated the action at the point of attack in all of those games.

King knew entering the season that his offensive line, which averages about 280 pounds per starter, could be the largest he's had in his decade-long tenure with the Lobos. The test for defending district champion Mesquite will be if the Skeeters can match up with the Lobos' size and aggression in the trenches.

Don't be surprised if: Longview's defense comes up with big plays to start the Lobos' 12-5A campaign with a victory.

The Lobos have terrorized opposing quarterbacks so far this season, averaging four sacks per game. That pressure should increase even more with the arrival of standout senior tackle Zaycoven Henderson in the lineup after recovering from his foot fracture. Longview has also picked off six passes and scored two defensive touchdowns.

The senior safety trio of Travin Howard, Laurent Johnson, and Stephan Maxey has played exceptionally well in the Lobos' first four contests. Longview loves playing the 4-2-5 defense to get as many fast, physical athletes on the field as possible, even if it means sacrificing some size, and that philosophy has delivered during a 3-1 start.

Mesquite counters with a spread offense featuring one of the district's top backs in Shadavian Reed, but the Skeeters must protect senior quarterback Trey LeBlanc and manage to find running lanes for Reed against a Longview defense allowing only 107.0 rushing yards per game and fewer than 300 total yards per contest (293.0).