The Scots were blinded 41-14 by a Lobo rushing attack that amassed 486 yards and averaged 7.7 yards per carry in the Regional final at Texas Stadium last Saturday night.

It was a night when everything went against HP. The Scots fumbled on the first down of three of their first four possessions. All four turnovers resulted in Longview touchdowns and it was 28-0 before the Scots knew what had happened.

"I've been around this business long enough to know when it starts going bad sometimes it can go bad real quick," explained offensive line coach Don Richardson. "When you fumble as many times as we did on first down you can't expect to win a football game." What made matters worse for the Scots is that each fumble followed a kickoff return that gave HP excellent field position near midfield. At the same time Longview took over near midfield and didn't have far to go for a touchdown.

The only legitimate Lobo drive came on their first possession and started on the Longview 9-yard line after a 36-yard punt by John Hopkins.

After an illegal procedure call against the Lobos moved the ball back 5-yards, Longview marched 96 yards in 14 plays to make the score 7-6. Jimmy Smith went over the goal line from 3 yards out for the touchdown.

Than the turnovers and a spectacular Scots kickoff return displaybegan. Cornerback Josh Lallier caught the kickoff at the HP three and returned it 54 yards to the Lobos 43.

On first down, Casey Clyce tried to pitch to Preston Leon but the Lobos' Joe Brookins tipped the ball and recovered it at the HP 45.

"That pitch has been made a hundred thousand times since I've been here and I've seen it tipped twice," said Richardson. 'That kid (Brookins) made a great play on that one."

Longview ran the ball seven times, moving to the 8-yard line. On first-andgoal, Randy Miears stopped Jimmy Smith in his tracks, fooling HP fens into thinking the Scots were about to make another strong goal-line stand.

On second down Kirt Griffen threw his only pass of the game, an 8-yard touchdown to Eric Faggett with 11:13 to play in the first half.

Again, the Scots made another big return on the kickoff. Patrick Smith took a short kick and moVed the ball to the HP 46.

Down 14-0, the Scots went to the air. Clyce hit Hopkins across the middle at the Lobos 32 but, he was popped by, who else, Brookins. The ball came loose and Canvyn Richardson recovered for the Lobos at the Longview 31.

"The kid hit him. He put his head right on the football and it came out," said Richardson. "You see it in the pros and you see it in high school."

The Lobos wasted no time in moving the ball. The 69-yard drive consumed only 2:16.

Faggett picked up 41 yards on the first two plays, 32 in one carry, moving the Lobos to the HP 28-yard line. After a 26-yard run by Smith, the Lobos were hit with an illegal procedure call that moved the ball back 5-yards. On the next play Smith went over for the score.

Longview held a 21-0 lead and most observers were writing an obituary for the HP Vision.

For the third time, the Scots rekindled HP hopes. Lallier fielded the kickoff at the HP 15 and returned it 30 yards. A penalty against the Lobos tacked on another 15 and HP was only 40 yards away from the endzone. With 8:30 left in the second quarter, the Scots were still trying to run the football. Clyce and Preston Leon missed on the exchange and Warren Smith grabbed the ball at the 42.

"That was just a missed exchange," Richardson explained. "That's the same play that's been run all season, from the same formation."

The Lobos stayed with their ground game, and why not. By the end of the first half they had already racked up 284 yards.

Aided by an unneccessary roughness call against HP, Longview moved 58-yards in 10 plays for their fourth TD. Griffen ran a quarterback keeper from the one, giving the Lobos a 28-0 margin. Damon Jones recovered an onside kick by the Lobos at the HP 44. Finally the HP offense would hold on to the ball for more than one play and take advantage of the good field position they had earned all night.

After Clyce was sacked for a 4-vard loss by Warren Smith, the junior QB hit Hopkins in Lobo country. A 25-yard pick-up moved HP to the Lobo 35. Clyce dropped back to pass but, slipped on the turf, losing 10 yards. Fortunately, an overagressive Lobo hit Clyce after the play was whistled dead and the Scots were awarded a 15-yard penalty and a first down at the Longview 30.

Clyce was sacked again, this time by Brookins for a loss of four, after completing a 14-yard pass to Ward Chandler. On second-and-goal from the Lobo 11, Clyce and Hopkins hit touchdown paydirt. HP trailed by 21 points, 28-7.

The Scots still felt like they were in the game and could make a comeback.

"You knew going in that you had a chance but, you would have to take it a little bit at a time and that's exactly what we told the kids," Richardson said of the halftime talk.

The Scots finally had some momentum and opened the second half with an onside kick. Drew Andrews recovered for HP at the Lobo 49.

"I had made the decision when we scored the first time to go with the onside to at the start of the second half," head coach Randy Emery said of the play. "You don't think about winning at that point, you just think about getting back into the game. 1 thought, realistically, we could do that."

HP marched downfield on a drive keyed by a 26-yard reception by Phillip Simpkins. After avoiding a near interception, Clyce stayed with the passing attack. This time it was senior tight end Robb Boudreaux who made a miraculous catch for the TD, pulling HP within 14 points, 28-14. It was asclose as the Scots would get.

Longview knocked the Scots back to reality, scoring two more touchdowns in the third quarter.

Boosted by a 52-yard run by Jimmy Smith, who was almost dropped for a loss on the play by Robby Grain, the Lobos marched 80 yards in seven plays. Faggett scored on a 7-yard run. The Lobos scored again with 1:08 left in the third quarter. A 30-yard gainby Jimmy Smith and a 19-yard run by Faggett set up an 11-yard TD run by Griffen. David Hill didn't get a chance to kick the PAT but, it didn't matter.

With the game well out of reach, 41-14, HP fans began to leave Texas Stadium. Many of them would not have to see the Scots fumble the ball for the fifth time after Simpkins and Clyce combined for a 22-yard gain to the Lobo 43. David Henderson recovered for Longview.

"Longview just had a tremendous night offensively," said defensive coordinator Ben Tyler. 'They hadn't played that well year. I know they hadn't played that well the three weeks I've seen them."

Tyler explained that the Lobos double teamed the Scots defense and physically beat HP. That combined with missed tackles cost the Scots a chance to advance to the quarterfinals.

Everytime the HP defense came off the field to make adjustments after a Lobo touchdown the offense would fumble. The defense didn't have time to make any changes until halftime, and then it was too late.