LONGVIEW, Texas — The Longview Lobos are having a storybook season, where the team is currently ranked number one in the state, sitting at 14-0 and headed to the state semifinals.
"I knew when the season started that we had a chance to be pretty good and it started with the chemistry in the locker room,” Longview head football coach John King said.
This season, the Lobo defense has wreaked havoc, while the offense has made headlines for having some of the best skilled players in the state with Jordan Allen as quarterback and Jalen Hale as receiver. But its bread and butter is the run game.
The Lobos have displayed an unstoppable rushing attack all season long, led by junior running back and our player of the week, Taylor Tatum.
“Not only does he run the ball," King said. "He'll block if he doesn't have the ball, he can catch it, he can play the slot, he can run. He had 28 acres on the night and we had to have every one of them. He had 25 against Lancaster and we had to have every one of those. Whatever the situation calls for he's ready to go do it.”
Over the season, Tatum has accumulated 1,840 rushing yards and 33 rushing touchdowns, a single-season record for touchdowns in Lobo football history.
“It's amazing," Tatum said. "It's just a blessing. Longview always has a good running back, and I'm sure there'll be other running backs coming in to take my spot. But it's just cool to be one of the greats. not just in Longview history but those greats that went on to be good in college and the NFL."
Up next, the Lobos look to go 1-0 this Saturday against the 10-time state champion Aledo Bearcats and Tatum believes the community will travel with them.
“The fans are the biggest part," Tatum said. "Just hearing them get loud and we see how many more fans we have than other teams. If you ever go to a Lobo game you see how many Lobo fans there are, just the emotion is real.“
After his performance Friday night against Mansfield Timberview, Tatum picked up an offer from the University of Texas, adding to his long list of Power Five offers, impressing head coach Steve Sarkisian on the sideline.
