Longview Lobo senior running back Tylan Miller, left, muscles away Lufkin Panther defender Zamarion Johnson near the sideline during the second quarter of bi-district football play on Friday at Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium in Tyler. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph

The last two times the Longview Lobos faced the Lufkin Panthers, they used a pair of late plays to squeak out one-point wins.

When the teams met in the Class 5A Division I bi-district playoffs at Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium on Friday night, the Lobos made sure it didn’t come down to the final minute.

After a hard-fought first half that ended in a 10-10 tie, the Lobos dominated the second half in every phase and knocked out Lufkin starting QB Kordell Rodgers before cruising to a 31-10 victory.

With the win, Longview advances to the second round of the postseason for the 10th-straight year where they will meet Mansfield Summit at 7:30 p.m. Friday at DeSoto High School.

Lufkin ends its season at 7-4.

Bralynn Anthony ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries and Tylan Miller had 89 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries as the Lobos completed a season sweep of the Panthers and won their third straight game in the series.

The real story of the game came in the second half when Longview used a punishing defense and a bruising ground game to knock the Panthers out of the playoffs.

In the second half, Longview outgained the Panthers 182-62. Lufkin gained 53 of those yards on the final drive of the half after the game had long been decided.

The Lobos also forced the Panthers in to five turnovers while giving it away only once.

Rodgers threw for 89 yards and a pair of interceptions on 12 of 22 passing before leaving the game after the opening drive of the second half.

Blake Brooks came on to complete 4 of 9 passes for 41 yards with an interception.

Khalil Brown led Lufkin’s ground game with 59 yards on 13 carries while Ellis Jackson ran for 49 yards on eight carries. Malik Jackson had five receptions for 47 yards, Javante Ellington had five catches for 43 yards and a touchdown and D’Hailon Phillips had five receptions for 36 yards.

The first half was a back and forth affair with the defenses telling much of the story.

Longview took the opening kickoff and used a 41-yard run by Anthony to set up a Cody Jenkins 36-yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead.

The Panthers had an 11-play drive that stalled out after a holding penalty before Rodrigo Molina came on to kick a career-long 43-yard field goal to tie it up at 3-3 midway through the opening quarter.

After Lufkin’s defense forced a punt, the Lobos came up with a big play of their own with Stacy Nelson reading a screen pass and making an interception before returning it to midfield.

On the next play, Anthony sprinted untouched for a 50-yard score to give the Lobos the lead back at 10-3 with 2:12 left in the first quarter.

Lufkin’s next drive ended with another interception, this one by Travian Clayborn near the end zone.

However, after Lufkin came up with another stop, the Panthers came up with their best drive of the first half.

Facing a fourth-and-17, Rodgers found Javante Ellington in the corner of the end zone for a 20-yard score, tying the game again at 10-10.

Longview’s next drive ended with Jacory Miller recovering a fumble at the Panthers’ 15-yard line, but Lufkin eventually had its drive stall with a turnover on downs.

With Longview attempting to drive for a score before the half, Bronson Massie read a reverse, dropping Brycelon Pruitt for a hard hit on an 11-yard loss to give the Panthers some momentum headed into the half.

In the opening half, Lufkin outgained Longview 204-182 with Rodgers throwing for 85 yards on 11 of 21 passing with a pair of interceptions. Brown led the rushing attack with 61 yards on 12 carries while Ellington had four receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown.

Longview was led by Anthony, who made the most of just five carries, running for 116 yards and a touchdown on five carries. Lobos QB Michael Ross completed 1 of 6 passes for 23 yards.

The second half was a different story starting with the opening drive when Lufkin had a three-and- out and a shanked punt went for five yards.

Longview seized momentum four plays later with Austin Moore scoring on an 11-yard run that made it 17-10. After Rodgers left the game and Lufkin had another three-and-out, Miller scored on a five-yard run to up the lead to 24-10.

On Lufkin’s next drive, Kybrinn Sheridan recovered a dropped snap and Anthony scored on a nine-yard run on fourth-and-two to put the game away at 31-10.

The Panthers’ next drive ended on an Ameron Dean interception and the Panthers never mounted another serious threat.