MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the
Longview (Texas) Lobos have officially been named to the 14th Annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its fourteenth year honoring football.
This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for 100 of the top teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the MaxPreps National Rankings! For football, only 50 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 17,000 competing varsity teams, this puts the Lobos ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!
In order to be eligible, the team not only had to be nationally ranked, but also had to win a state championship. Beating West Brook 35-34 in the
UIL Conference 6A D2 state championship contest on Saturday, December 22 marked the completion of an incredible 16-0 season — and earned Longview an invitation to the Tour of Champions.
Jessie Anderson's two-yard plunge with almost five minutes left held up after a failed two-point conversion, allowing the Lobos to win their first state football title since 1937 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Longview came up short in state football finals in 1997, 2008 and 2009. The Longview defense forced a West Brook fumble on its final possession and Keilyn Williams broke a long run on third-and-six, allowing Haynes King to take a knee and run out the clock.
There were five lead changes in the title game, with Longview taking a 13-7 advantage on Anderson's three-yard plunge and King's 77-yard strike to Kamden Perry. West Brook retaliated in the second quarter, going up 28-20 at intermission after scoring three of four touchdowns in the quarter. Kaden Kearbey caught a 40-yard strike from King, scoring the only Lobo points of the second quarter. King scored on a 25-yard run for the only points of the third quarter before J.K. Martin's 28-yard field goal and Anderson's late score secured the win for the Lobos.
King completed 16 of 27 passes for 423 yards and a pair of scores and led the Longview ground game with 65 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Perry reeled in eight passes for 218 yards and Kearbey grabbed three balls for 87 yards. Anderson and Kyas Moore caught four balls between them to account for 109 yards receiving collectively. Jephaniah Lister and Tyshawn Taylor led the Lobo defense with 12 and 11 tackles respectively, while Isiah Rodgers made 10 stops. Taylor was in on two tackles for negative yardage, while Micheal Martin recovered a fumble.
Longview opened postseason play with a 70-22 win over Copperas Cove before knocking off Prosper 63-17. Then, following a 56-28 triumph over Vandegrift, the Lobos kicked in the door to the Final Four with a 14-0 blanking of Westfield. Longview bumped Tascosa from state championship contention with a 45-42 semifinal win to set up the championship bout with West Brook.
The Lobos opened the season with a 35-28 win over Lufkin. Then, following a 60-14 triumph over Marshall, Longview upended John Tyler 41-13 to open the season at 3-0. The Lobos did not lose a game all year and outscored its opposition 796-315. Longview posted a shutout and held seven foes to 14 points or less, while scoring a season-high 70 points in the win over Copperas Cove.
Having won all 16 games in 2018, the Lobos set themselves up for some rather high rankings come season's end. Not only is John King's club ranked No. 1 in
MaxPreps' Texas Region II Rankings, Longview is ranked third in
MaxPreps' Texas Division 6A Rankings. The Lobos, the third best team in all of
Texas, are ranked No. 24 in
MaxPreps' National Rankings!
These incredible season achievements have earned the Longview Lobos an invitation to the 14th Annual Tour of Champions. Please join us in the gymnasium as we celebrate with the football team, coaching staff, students and fans on Tuesday, February 5 at approximately 7 p.m. at halftime of the varsity boys basketball game.
For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the
MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.