People from all over Texas tuned in to watch the two powerhouse teams face off in what was dubbed “the top 10 showdown in the state” with the Longview Lobos ranked second in 5A Division I and the Forney Jackrabbits at tenth (according to the biggest Texas high school football publication, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football). With numerous Division I and nationally ranked prospects on both sides of the ball, both teams have star power on their rosters. Senior Taylor Tatum, a fourstar running back ranked first in the nation who had 39 official Division I offers prior to committing to the Oklahoma Sooners for football and baseball, is one of the starters for Longview. The Jackrabbits have a lot of talented players as well, including top-100 player and four-star running back Javian Osborne, four-star junior linebacker Kelvion Riggins, and fourstar senior defensive back and Oregon commit Aaron Flowers. Without taking into account the numerous other Division I prospects on both teams, those four players have received over 100 Division I offers combined, so Friday’s game was one not to be missed. The game was predicted to be much closer than the previous meeting, which saw Longview triumph 46-7. Prior to this game, Longview averaged 151.4 points while having a 4-1 record, while Forney averaged 256.4 while having an undefeated record. Although both teams gave it their all, the Lobos ultimately prevailed by a score of 13-7. But as the Jackrabbits and Lobos battled for the victory, spectators on both sides were on the edge of their seats for all four quarters.
Jackrabbit sophomore kicker Vincent Hart started the game with a pooch (short, high) kick caught by Lobo senior linebacker Alexx Hawkins. Starting at the 36-yard line, senior quarterback Andrew Tutt passed to Tatum, who was immediately swallowed up by Forney’s defense and only managed to gain a yard. Tatum continued to struggle to get yardage, going from the 37-yard line to the 42nd to the 44th for a 4th and 10. Senior kicker John “Anthony” Monsivais’ punt was caught at the 34-yard line by sophomore wide receiver Imari Jehiel, starting Forney’s possession. Jackrabbit senior quarterback Kyle Crawford passed the ball to Osborne, who was able to get yardage in a push to the 38-yard line and then the 40. With four yards needed for a second first down, Crawford threw to Jehiel, who caught the ball at the 44-yard line and pushed past the 45-yard line, giving the Jackrabbits more than enough yardage for a fresh set of downs. Starting at the 47-yard line, Crawford passed the ball to Osborne again, who was hit at the line of scrimmage by Lobo senior defensive back Chase Smith but pushed through to the 50-yard line. He kept pushing throughout the next three downs, getting to Longview’s 47 and 35-yard lines. Lobos junior defensive back Bryan Peoples and senior defensive back Jaiden Simmons tried to stop Osborne on that third down, but it ended up seeming like Osborne was the DB as Peoples was knocked to the ground and Simmons had to head to the sidelines after losing his helmet.
The Jackrabbits started their third set of downs with Crawford throwing a screen pass to senior wide receiver Ben Perin, who was met by Lobo senior defensive back Daedrion Garrett for a loss of three yards. Osborne also lost a yard, and junior wide receiver Christian Peña lost the ball on a run from the 46th to the 32nd-yard line, allowing the Lobos to finally have the ball again.
With a 1st and 10, Tutt handed the ball off to Tatum, who, once again, struggled to gain yardage under the Jackrabbit defense for a 2nd and 9. Finally deciding to pass the ball instead of relying on Tatum, Tutt threw to senior wide receiver Ethan Harrison, who was immediately taken down by Flowers. Harrison’s dropped ball was recovered by senior linebacker Easton McMillan, who made a 36-yard dash to the endzone for a touchdown that, unfortunately, was not added to the scoreboard due to an “incomplete pass”. Deciding to return to their usual play, Tatum got the ball again for no yardage as sophomore linebacker Landry Hopkins created a one-man wall.
Monsivais’ short punt allowed the Jackrabbits to start at the 50-yard line. Crawford threw to the 44 for a catch by senior wide receiver Alijah Merkson for a 2nd & 5 and then passed the ball to Osborne, who wasn’t able to get past Longview’s starting defense for the next two downs. Jackrabbit senior wide receiver Kofi Eduful punted to Lobo senior defensive back Willie Nelson at the six-yard line for a Longview 1st and 10. Tatum made a run for it but was pulled down by Flowers short of the 20-yard line, giving the Lobos another set of downs. After his RB gained three for a 2nd and 7, Tutt faked a throw and ran 54 yards to the 23-yard line for a fresh set of downs with 1:37 left in the first quarter. Tatum gained six in the first down and hurdled over Jackrabbit senior wide receiver Seth Hyder for a gain of 11 and the Lobos’ third first down in a row. With less than 30 seconds left in the first quarter, the clock wound down for a 0-0 score.
The rest of the game would essentially be a battle between Tatum and the Jackrabbit defense. With 6:37 left in the fourth quarter during a 4th & 3 after junior running back Kelvin Washington made a 50-yard catch, Tatum gained 7 yards through two downs, and Monsivais kicked the ball from the 25-yard line for 3 Lobo points. The Jackrabbits gained negative yardage during their possession, giving the Lobos the ball again. Tatum ran for a gain of 25 yards to the fiveyard line for a cruise into the endzone, making him Longview’s all-time touchdown record holder, and Monsivias kicked the Lobos into a 10-0 lead. However, in true Jackrabbit fashion, Forney came back with Jehiel making a catch in the corner of the end zone (an extremely impressive one considering he managed to keep his foot in bounds despite having Smith on him). Senior kicker Asher Wall cut the Lobo lead down to just 3 points with 8 seconds left in the second quarter. During the Lobo’s possession, Monsivais kicked the ball from the 22-yard line, almost fully recovering Longview’s lead with a 13-7 scoreboard read. Neither team could put up any more points after that, but they still managed to have some impressive plays and coverage for the next quarter and a half.
With 53 seconds left in the third quarter, Crawford threw to Eduful from the 23-yard line for 10 yards for a 10-yard dash. In the fourth quarter, with 5:46 left, Tatum was unable to score a touchdown from the red zone as the Jackrabbit defense made it impossible for any Lobo to get through. Tutt’s field goal was blocked by senior defensive back Joshua Gatlin, who allowed the Jackrabbits to start at the 32-yard line. Crawford passed to Osborne, who made a catch at the 28-yard line and secured a fresh set of downs after getting past the 40. Lobo senior defensive lineman James Darrenburg flicked the ball out of Crawford’s hands, preventing the Jackrabbits from getting any yardage on their first down. Senior defensive lineman Xaryus Sheppard and junior defensive lineman Isaiah Horton sacked Crawford for 3 and 18. Eduful punted to Nelson, whose fumble was recovered by Jackrabbit sophomore defensive back Tyce Kennedy. In a very close final 30 seconds, Crawford was sacked in the endzone by Sheppard for a Lobo win.
Both teams gave it their all in the closest game of Forney’s season, and gaining yardage seemed to require a fight for both the Lobos and the Jackrabbits. Despite the loss, this game still speaks positively to the improvements the Forney football program has made under head coach Jeff Fleener’s direction. Going from a blowout loss to having the top running back in the nation give his props to the reputed Jackrabbit defense by telling the Bally network that they made him “work for his yards”, the Jackrabbits have come a long way and will continue to go even further. Fleener told the Dallas Morning News that while they gained too much negative yardage, they still managed to compete against one of the best programs in the state.
The Jackrabbits will return to the City Bank Stadium this week to play Lancaster, ranked 6th in the district, for an expected win. However, to have a shot at that state title, the Jackrabbits will have to learn from their mistakes and continue bringing the same level of effort they used against Longview, which they plan on doing. Jackrabbit senior linebacker Josh Anuseium, who had to sit out for this game due to injuries sustained during practice, put it perfectly: “We’ll be back stronger than ever.”
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