DISTRICT 11-6A

Longview Lobos (6-2, 4-1)

vs.

Rockwall-Heath Hawks (5-3, 3-2)

7:30 p.m. Friday
Wilkerson-Sanders Memorial Stadium, Rockwall

 

Coaches

  • Longview: John King
  • Heath: Mickey Moss

 

Last week

 

Next week

  • Longview: vs. Mesquite, Nov. 4
  • Heath: at Mesquite Horn, Nov. 4

 

Playmakers

Longview

  • RB Kendrevian White, Sr., 5-9, 215 (151 carries, 969 yards, 12 TDs)
  • TE Jaylin Brown, Jr., 6-4, 225 (10 catches, 288 yards, 7 TDs)
  • OL Kendall Starling, Sr., 6-3, 310
  • QB Gaylon Wiley, Sr., 6-4, 185 (52 of 101, 1,087 yards, 15 TDs, 3 INTs; 40 carries, 133 yards, 2 TDs)
  • FB Trajan Bush, Sr., 6-1, 205 (32 carries, 280 yards, 2 TDs; 4 catches, 85 yards, 1 TD)
  • WR Eric Timberlake, Jr., 5-10, 165 (13 catches, 341 yards, 4 TDs)
  • S Traveion Webster, Sr., 6-0, 202 (55 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovery, 2 INTs, 5 PBUs, 1 blocked kick)
  • S Jephaniah Lister, Soph., 5-9, 155 (70 tackles, 2 for loss, 5 forced fumbles, 1 INT, 1 PBU)

 

Heath

  • RB/CB J'Corian Jimmerson, Sr., 5-8, 160 (115 carries, 770 yards, 8 TDs)
  • SB/CB Tyus Fort, Jr., 5-10, 160 (29 carries, 327 yards, 6 TDs)
  • RB/CB Tanner McCalister, Jr., 6-0, 185 (53 carries, 466 yards, 6 TDs)
  • HB Grant Buckholt, Sr., 6-3, 210 (78 carries, 346 yards, 4 TDs)
  • LB Desmon Williams, Jr., 6-1, 234
  • LB Christian Elbert, Sr., 6-1, 205
  • DE Robert Dunnam, Jr., 6-1, 234
  • RB/LB Jordan Kempf, Jr., 5-11, 185 (58 carries, 436 yards, 3 TDs)

 

Just the facts

  • Longview has not lost consecutive district games since 2003.
  • The Lobos are averaging 44.3 points and 451.3 yards per game -- 313.9 rushing and 137.4 passing.
  • Longview is allowing 28.8 points and 401.4 yards per game -- 218.5 rushing and 182.9 passing.
  • The Lobos' defense has forced 11 turnovers the season -- seven interceptions and four fumbles.
  • In last week's win over Mesquite, Heath competed a season-high four passes. It came in with only two completions through the first seven games.
  • The Hawks also set a season-high in total yards (614) and rushing yards with 468 last week.
  • Heath is averaging 32.6 points and 350.8 yards per game -- 327.7 rushing and 23.1 passing.
  • The Hawks' defense has forced 14 turnovers on the season -- eight interceptions and six fumbles.

 

Longview RB Kendrevian White. (Rob Graham, ETSN.fm)
Longview RB Kendrevian White. (Rob Graham, ETSN.fm)
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Key matchup: Rockwall-Heath rushing attack vs. Longview defensive front. There's not a more one-dimensional team in District 11-6A than Rockwall-Heath, which has brought back the "old-school" single-wing formation this season to great success. In all but one game this season, the Hawks have rushed for at least 264 yards, and come into Friday's game with 373 rushing attempts to just 19 throws. What makes the Hawks' offensive attack so difficult to defend is it's misdirection tendencies, which sometimes confuse opposing defenses. Heath uses a bevy of ball carriers, as five players have run for at least 300 yards on the season. Senior running back J'Corian Jimmerson, the team's leading rusher, gets the bulk of the carries, and is coming off a 164-yard effort against Mesquite last week.

Longview S Traveion Webster. (Rob Graham, ETSN.fm)
Longview S Traveion Webster. (Rob Graham, ETSN.fm)
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Longview's defense, which came into the 2016 season with several new starters, has been behind the offense this year. The Lobos, which had one of East Texas' best defenses a season ago, has struggled at times this year. Longview allows more than 400 yards per game, and more than half of that has come on the ground. In last week's 38-24 loss to John Tyler -- the Lobos' first 11-6A defeat -- Longview allowed 328 rushing yards. Because of the struggles against the run this season, and the unique nature of Heath's offensive formation, Longview must remain true to its gap assignments on defense. Otherwise, one false move could lead to a big play for Heath, which is what the Hawks thrived on last week.

Don't be surprised if: Heath opens up its offense with a few more passes than normal. The Hawks attempted and completed a season-high number of passes last week, and it resulted in Heath's most productive offensive performance of the season. Heath rolled up 614 total yards of offense, including 148 through the air on just four completions. The week before, Heath was held to less than 100 rushing yards and threw just one pass in a 48-0 loss to John Tyler, so it was evident the Hawks needed to find ways to attack defenses through the air. Longview's defense will do everything within its power to contain Heath on the ground, which could lead to a few one-on-one situations the Heath passing game might want to exploit.

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