Employing a gutsy stop-me-if-you-can fourth-down play late in the game, the run-oriented Lobos went to the pass and made it work to perfection. No, Pine Tree couldn't stop it and a 28-yard strike from Eric Harris to Charles Smith put the game out of reach.

Longview's execution in critical situations enabled it to post a hard-earned 27-16 triumph over Pine Tree Friday night at Pine Tree Stadium and lay sole claim to the District 13-AAAAA crown, halting the Pirates' six-week Cinderella march.

Both teams, however, are bound for the state playoffs.

Longview is 9-1 and will take a nine-game winning streak and its first loop title in three years to Waco next Saturday night to face Killeen Ellison, a 31-15 winner over Bryan in a 14-AAAAA second-place encounter at Baylor Stadium in Waco. Pine Tree, 7-3 and making its first Class AAAAA postseason appearance, will face fifth-ranked Temple, the 14-AAAAA champ, at TCU's Amon Carter Stadium, also next Saturday night.

Back to Longview's version of the Super Bowl.

Facing a fourth-and-10 at the Pine Tree 28, head coach Doug Cox probably went against the grain with his call, but who can argue with success. Holding a slim 20-16 lead, a field goal may have been the safe call, but the pass play left the Pirates holding the short end of the stick with only 2:02 remaining. Smith streaked down the right sideline and cut inside where a picture-perfect pass from Harris awaited him.

It was a race to the goal. Harris won. His second straight scoring reception put the game away.

The win is the Lobos' fifth in the short six-year series and avenged the Bucs' 22-20 win a year ago.

Pine Tree's Rodney Jones rushed for 120 yards, scored a touchdown, returned a kickoff 73 yards and hurled a 40-yard scoring strike to split end Jimmy McMullen. ... Joe Johnson, Jones' counterpart for the Lobos, picked up 113 yards and scored once.