Despite being one of the winningest high school football teams in the country, the Longview Lobos have seen scores of classes come and go without a state title. Their last title came in 1937 when during the second term of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
On Saturday, the Lobos had yet another chance to end the 81-year championship drought against the West Brook Bruins.
The game whipsawed back-and-forth throughout.
Midway through the first quarter, Longview's Jesse Anderson put the Lobos on the board first with a short run to pay dirt. Longview would attempt to go for two points after the score, but failed.
On the ensuing drive, West Brook answered back with a 35-yard touchdown pass to give the Bruins a 7-6 lead late in the quarter.
Only two plays later, quarterback Haynes King connected with Kamden Perry for a 77-yard touchdown to give the Lobos a 13-7 lead going into the second quarter.
However, less than three minutes of game time later, West Brook struck again with a 22-yard run to regain their one-point lead.
Longview punted on their next possession and gave the Bruins the ball back. After converting a third and 16, West Brook would ultimately score yet another touchdown to give them a 21-13 lead.
Midway through the quarter, Longview gave up the ball on a crucial turnover that ended an important drive. However, with momentum on the line, the Lobos' defense stood strong and got the ball back.
Longview would go on to score a touchdown to make the game 21-20 nearing the end of the half.
However, West Brook would need less than two minutes to extend that lead to 28-20 at halftime.
In the second half, Longview cut the lead to two with a 25-yard touchdown run by Haynes King, but again the Lobos failed to convert on their two-point conversion.
Going into the fourth quarter, West Brook clung to a 28-26 lead. However, the Bruins were in scoring territory. The Bruins finally scored with a 3-yard run by Jakobi Holland. However, a bad snap and errant pass on the ensuing point-after kept the score a 34-26.
On Longview's next drive, the Lobos quickly drove up the field, but it was stalled only a few yards away. Longview converted their first field goal of the day to bring the Lobos within five points.
On the ensuing drive, Longview charged down the field all the way to the 2-yard-line. On third down, Jessie Anderson pushed his way to pay dirt to give the Lobos their first lead since the first half.
However, Longview failed their third two-point try of the game, giving them a 35-34 lead with less than five minutes left in the game.
On West Brook's next drive, Longview opened with a sack. However, the Bruins would convert on 3rd and 14, putting the ball close to midfield. However, Longview's Michael Martin recovered a crucial fumble to give the Lobos the ball back, clinging to their one-point lead.
With a 3rd and 6, with the ball on the 25 and West Brook out of timeouts, Keilyn Williams sprang free toward a first down and a state title.
The final score was Longview 35 and West Brook 34.
