December 11, 2010

Denton Guyer 28, Longview 27

After defeating Denton Guyer in the state semifinals the previous two seasons in Class 4A, there was no reason to think the 2010 state semifinals in Class 5A-Division II at SMU would be any different for Longview.

The Lobos appeared like they were going to make it three in a row over Guyer by racing out to a 17-0 halftime lead. It could have been much worse given Guyer's five first-half turnovers.

Guyer came out a different team in the second half and it showed on the opening series as the Wildcats marched 80 yards for a touchdown, capped by a 26-yard touchdown run from J.W. Walsh to cut Longview’s lead to 17-7.

With 7:17 left in the third quarter, Longview extended its lead to 20-7 on Kyle Jenkins’s second field goal of the game, the first was a 55-yarder right before halftime. Guyer would answer late in the third when Walsh hooked up with Josh Stewart for a 32-yard touchdown pass to somehow get the Wildcats to within 20-14 heading into the fourth.

Longview extended its lead back to two scores less than a minute into the fourth when Deontre Wilson scored on a two-yard run. It was Wilson’s second touchdown of the day as he hauled in a short touchdown pass from LaDarrin Robertson in the first quarter.

Guyer wasn’t going away thanks to Walsh's 16-yard TD pass to Quinten Gardener with 5:51 left to narrow the Wildcats' gap to 27-21.

Longview got the ball back with the sole intention of running the clock out and were able to run 5:36 off before the Lobos set up a punt with 15 seconds left in the game, setting up one of the most stunning endings to a game I’ve ever witnessed.

The Longview punt was blocked by Guyer DL Dan Kottman giving the Wildcats the ball at the Longview 15 with 10 seconds left. On the next play, Walsh and Gardener connected for another TD and Guyer converted the PAT to give the Wildcats their first ever appearance in the state championship game.

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