Tyler Lee Faces Must-Win Thursday Night At District-Leading Longview, Which Can Wrap Up 12-5A Title

District 12-5A

Tyler Lee Red Raiders (4-4, 1-3)

vs.

Longview Lobos (7-1, 4-0)

7 p.m. Thursday

Lobo Stadium, Longview

Coaches

• Tyler Lee: Darrell Piske
• Longview: John King

Last week

• Tyler Lee: won 61-54 vs. Mesquite
• Longview: won 37-22 at North Mesquite

Next week

• Tyler Lee: vs. Rockwall-Heath
• Longview: at Rockwall

Playmakers

Tyler Lee

• QB Zach Hall, Soph., 5-10, 155 (69 of 122, 1,104 yards, 9 TDs, 6 INTs; 129 carries, 704 yards, 8 TDs)
• RB Tavon Wesley, Soph., 6-1, 190 (96 carries, 671 yards, 8 TDs)
• WR Bryce Wilkerson, Sr., 5-8, 158 (38 catches, 718 yards, 7 TDs)
• RB Kyjuan Johnson, Jr., 5-9, 180 (28 carries, 202 yards, 3 TDs)
• WR Marquiston Williams, Sr., 6-0, 175 (27 catches, 395 yards, 3 TDs)
• DL Triston Taylor, Sr., 6-1, 255
• LB Brandon Durman, Jr., 6-2, 215
• OL Amier Wilson, Sr., 6-3, 245
• DB Patrick Udofia, Jr., 5-10, 165
• WR Diondre Allen, Sr., 5-9, 165

Longview

• DT Zaycoven Henderson, Sr., 6-1, 315 (14 tackles, 5 for loss, 1 fumble recovery, 1 def. TD in four games)
• S Travin Howard, Sr., 6-0, 179 (55 tackles, 5 for loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, 4 INTs, 7 pass break-ups, 1 blocked punt, 3 def. TDs)
• RB JaMycal Hasty, Jr., 5-9, 181 (112 carries, 862 yards, 10 TDs)
• WR Dorian Leonard, Sr., 6-4, 200 (committed to Texas; 26 catches, 502 yards, 8 TDs)
• QB Dezmond Chumley, Jr., 6-0, 188 (77 of 147, 1,402 yards, 20 TDs, 4 INTs; 37 carries, 63 yards, 2 TDs)
• RB L'darrius Peterson, Sr., 5-7, 150 (60 carries, 432 yards, 2 TDs)
• S Stephan Maxey, Sr., 5-11, 186 (63 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 2 INTs, 2 pass break-ups, 1 blocked punt, 1 def. TD)
• OL Vernon Hutchinson, Sr., 5-10, 295
• S Laurent Robinson, Sr., 5-8, 160 (61 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 2 INTs, 1 pass break-up)
• TE Jordan Whitaker, Sr., 6-5, 190 (16 catches, 260 yards, 4 TDs)

Just the facts

• Longview leads the all-time series with Tyler Lee, 39-14-2.
• The Lobos have won 10 straight against the Red Raiders, the longest streak of dominance in the series, which dates back to 1960.
• Tyler Lee snapped a 14-game district losing streak last week. Prior to that, the Red Raiders' last league win occurred in 2010.
• The Red Raiders are second in the district in total offense, averaging 425.8 yards per game. Lee is also averaging 34 points per game after putting up just 13.7 in 2012.
• Lee's 61-point effort last week was the highest single-game scoring output for the Red Raiders since a 63-10 win over North Mesquite in 2008.
• The combined record of Lee's eight opponents -- Sulphur Springs, Lufkin, John Tyler, Texas High, Mesquite Horn, North Mesquite, Rockwall and Mesquite -- is 43-23.
• Under head coach John King, Longview is 51-3 in district. Two of the losses occurred last season.
• Longview ranks third in 12-5A in total offense (412.8) and second in total defense (289.4). The Lobos are averaging 41.1 points per game, while giving up 22.6.
• The Lobos were held to less than 200 yards rushing last week for the first time since their 26-14 win over Marshall on Sept. 6.
• The combined record of Longview's eight opponents -- Coppell, Marshall, Olive Branch (Miss.), Lufkin, Mesquite, Rockwall-Heath, Mesquite Horn and North Mesquite -- is 40-27.

Key matchup: Longview running game vs. Tyler Lee defensive front. The Lobos run the ball 65 percent of the time, and the winning formula over the years under head coach John King has called for success on the ground. That's been no different this season. Longview's averaging 237.5 rushing yards per game, and it's no coincidence that in the Lobos' three closest games this season -- 32-24 loss to Coppell, 26-14 win over Marshall, 37-22 win over North Mesquite -- they've been held to less than 200 rushing yards as a team. The consistent success on the ground has opened up the passing game for Longview this season as the Lobos are averaging more than 18 yards per completion.

Star running back JaMycal Hasty, who holds FBS offers from Baylor, Houston, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech, has been responsible for most of Longview's rushing production. However, Hasty missed last week's game with an ankle injury he suffered on the first play of Longview's win over Mesquite Horn two weeks ago. Backup L'darrius Peterson has picked up the slack with 294 yards in his last two games, but the Lobos will need a healthy Hasty moving forward.

While Tyler Lee's defense has struggled overall this season, the Red Raiders are allowing a respectable 156.5 rushing yards per game. Lee is surrendering 38.4 points and 415.1 yards per game, which ranks sixth out of seven teams in district. The only shot the Red Raiders have in Thursday's game is if they can slow down Longview's strength and force the Lobos to put it in the air. And even that's a dicey proposition with Longview possessing two huge targets in the receiving game -- 6-4 Texas commit Dorian Leonard and 6-5 Jordan Whitaker, who have combined for more than half of Longview's receiving yards and 60 percent of its touchdown receptions. Longview quarterback Dezmond Chumley has only thrown four interceptions in 147 attempts, but has had three games in which he has completed less than half his passes.

Don't be surprised if: Tyler Lee enters the game with renewed confidence after snapping a 14-game district losing streak last week. The Red Raiders are vastly improved from the last two years and have big-play potential with the explosive trio of quarterback Zach Hall, running back Tavon Wesley and receiver Bryce Wilkerson. Even junior running back Kyjuan Johnson got into the act last week with a team-high 179 yards on 17 attempts. Wilkerson has developed into one of the top big-play receivers in the area, averaging almost 19 yards per catch.

With that being said, Lee must find improvement on defense if it wants to stay in the game with Longview. Even though the Lobos are among the top defenses in the area, the Lobos are more than capable of matching opposing teams score-for-score. Longview has hung 69 points on Mesquite and 49 on Mesquite Horn during its impressive run through District 12-5A. A Longview win would sew up the Lobos' ninth district title in 10 years, while a Lee victory would keep the Red Raiders' slim playoff hopes alive.