Tory White, Longview Defense Dominate in the Lobos’ 45-14 Win at Lufkin [VIDEO]
LUFKIN -- An odd first four minutes of Friday's game at Abe Martin Stadium was not at all an indicator of what came in the final 3 1/2 quarters between rivals Longview and Lufkin.
Longview fell behind early, but dominated the final three quarters, riding senior tailback Tory White and a smothering defense to a 45-14 rout of Lufkin for the Lobos' first win at Abe Martin Stadium since 1997. Longview (3-1) trailed 14-7 four minutes into the game, but scored the game's final 38 points as the Lobos owned the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Longview, which outscored Lufkin 17-0 in the second quarter, outgained Lufkin 445-236, including a rushing advantage of 318-136.
White carried 25 times for 232 yards and three touchdowns, while Longview's defense forced four turnovers and kept Lufkin's passing game in check. Senior safety Corey Bartley provided the punctuation mark when he ripped away a pass from a Lufkin receiver for an interception, which he returned 23 yards for a touchdown and 45-14 lead with 10:29 remaining. Junior lineman Zaycoven Henderson had a sack and a fumble recovery, and senior linebacker DeMarkus Lathan broke up two passes and partially blocked a punt. That ill-fated boot resulted in seven net yards and set up a 39-yard receiver pass touchdown from Justinn Spady to Cedric King that put the Lobos ahead 31-14 with 1:37 left in the first half.
The Lobos completely shut down Lufkin's second-half passing attack. Panther senior quarterback Tyler Stubblefield, who finished 10-for-22 for 100 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, completed only 1 of 6 second-half pass attempts for three yards.
Longview senior defensive tackle Cornelius Williams combined with junior Roderick Alexander for a first-half sack, and Williams also had a tackle for loss. Stephan Maxey forced a second-quarter fumble. That turnover led to an 82-yard drive capped by Antonius Sanders' four-yard touchdown run, which put Longview ahead 24-14 with 3:30 left in the first half. Sanders had eight carries for 33 yards and three catches for 22 yards.
Longview senior cornerback Davatric Cooks' interception late in the first quarter led to Andres Perez's go-ahead 29-yard field goal for a 17-14 Lobo lead less than a minute and a half into the second.
Offensively, Longview got better and better as the night progressed. The Lobos controlled the trenches in the second half, which propelled them to 318 rushing yards on 54 attempts.
Longview junior Stephon Dunn started at quarterback, but sophomore Dezmond Chumley got the most reps. Chumley completed 5 of 11 for 51 yards, while Dunn completed 3 of 4 throws for 37 yards.
White started a wild first four minutes with a 71-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage. After Jamal Jeffery's 64-yard run on Lufkin's first play, Key'vantanie Coutee scored from six yards to tie the game 48 seconds into the evening. The teams exchanged fumbles deep in Lufkin territory, and the Panthers wound up benefitting when D'Angelo Hightower's recovery at the 6-yard line led to a seven-yard touchdown strike from Stubblefield to SMU commit JaBryce Taylor for a 14-7 Lufkin lead, the Panthers' only of the game.
But the tide turned shortly after that. Nakia Brown's 33-yard punt return gave Longview the ball at Lufkin's 36-yard line, and the Lobos drove six plays to tie the game on White's three-yard touchdown run with 2:55 left in the first quarter.
Taylor caught four passes for 35 yards before leaving the game with an injury.
Longview visits Mesquite on Friday in a District 12-5A opener. Lufkin starts District 14-5A play at College Station A&M Consolidated.
Longview 45, Lufkin 14
John Outlaw Memorial Field
at Abe Martin Stadium, Lufkin
Longview -- 14 17 7 7 -- 45
Lufkin -- 14 0 0 0 -- 14
First quarter
LGV -- Tory White 71 run (Andres Perez kick) -- 11:48
LFK -- Key'vantanie Coutee 6 run (Luis Garcia kick) -- 11:12
LFK -- JaBryce Taylor 7 pass from Tyler Stubblefield (Garcia kick) -- 8:11
LGV -- White 3 run (Perez kick) -- 2:55
Second quarter
LGV -- Perez 24 field goal -- 10:36
LGV -- Antonius Sanders 4 run (Perez kick) -- 3:30
LGV -- Cedric King 39 pass from Justinn Spady (Perez kick) -- 1:37
Third quarter
LGV -- White 32 run (Perez kick) -- 4:39
Fourth quarter
LGV -- Corey Bartley 23 interception return (Perez kick) -- 10:29
LGV LFK
First downs 23 9
Rushes-Yards 54-318 29-136
Passing Yards 127 100
Comp.-Att-.Int. 9-16-0 10-22-2
Penalties-Yards 8-64 5-61
Fumbles-Lost 3-2 4-2
Punts-Avg. 3-35.7 6-31.8