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Rowlett hopes late-season surge continues against power Longview
By DEVIN HASSON, dhasson@starlocalnews.com
Rowlett and Longview are both back where they expected to be before the season began, but neither took a route they were used to.
The Eagles are in the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season, but it took victories over Naaman Forest, North Garland and Lakeview in their final three games to overcome a five-game losing streak to make it back.
The final hurdle was the toughest against a Patriot team that was hoping to break a 17-year postseason drought, but Rowlett quarterback Carson Hyles capped a back-and-forth second half with a touchdown run with two minutes left to send the Eagles on to the playoffs.
"I thought we showed a lot of resilience hanging in there. It was a close game and we made a couple of big plays down the stretch," Rowlett head coach Kiff Hardin said. "We had lost four games that were really close just like that one, so to pull out the win was big for us."
Rowlett has needed to rally late in the season during its playoff streak before. In 2009, they also started 0-3 in district play before getting hot in the final month. But the Eagles had an extra district game that season, making each game a must-win.
"The last three weeks have been a confidence builder for us because they have all been playoff games," Hardin said. "We didn't have any margin for error and the guys stepped up when they needed to."
Rowlett has a quarterback in Carson Hyles that has improved as the season has progressed. Hyles has thrown for more than 2,000 yards and 15 touchdowns while adding six scores on the ground.
The Eagles are battling some injury issues.
Jalen Rhodes, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season, has already been lost for the season and backup Derrick Imade is also banged up. However, Nigel Hasty has a solid game last week against Lakeview and is more than capable about stepping in.
There is a similar issue at receiver, where Tyler Hogan is questionable. The cupboard is not bare, though, as Chris Heath has 47 catches for 763 yards and Jonathan Williams has come up big in district play.
The defense has played their best ball of late, with lineman Cedric Johnson anchoring the front and playmakers Jerek Capdeville and Grant Dotsy leading the back seven.
Longview has been a perennial playoff team, including back-to-back state runner-up finishes in 2008 and 2009, but suffered unexpected stumbles with district losses to Mesquite and Horn.
The Lobos had to deal with quarterback Bivins Carraway to a season-ending injury, with Dezmond Chumley stepping in and improving as the season has progressed. The offense has been fueled, though, by a strong running game, led by Tory White.
The defense, as always, is full of playmakers and Longview seems to be rounding into playoff form. Since a loss to Horn, the Lobos have crushed the competition, outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 144-16 in their last three games.
"Longview is a very good football team," Rowlett head coach Kiff Hardin said. "They are athletic and talented ... they have made the playoffs 12 straight years and have made some runs and that is where we would like to be.
"It is going to be a battle, but we are excited about it."
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