#bEASTTexas Football Countdown: Longview

Published 8:57 am Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Editor’s Note: Leading up to the high school football season, we spotlighted teams ranked in the preseason #bEASTTexas Fabulous 15 for the 2022 season. The series concludes today with the No. 1 team in the Class 6A/5A/4A poll: the Longview Lobos.

If there’s a preseason poll, Longview is likely No. 1. The Lobos received the top billing in the Class 5A Division I state rankings and also landed in the top spot in the #bEASTTexas Fabulous 15. Longview has won at least seven games and reached the playoffs in every season since 2001, including a 16-0 finish in 2018 that resulted in a state championship. With six starters back on offense and eight returning starters on defense, the Lobos could be on their way to contending for another state title this season.

Poll history: Longview was No. 1 in the inaugural preseason poll in 2019 and remained at No. 1 for the entire 2019 season. The Lobos were preseason No. 1 again in 2020, but spent most of the season ranked at either No. 2 or No. 4. Longview was the preseason No. 2 team in 2021 and fell out of the Top 5 for the first time during the final two weeks of the season, landing at No. 7 and then finishing at No. 6 in the final poll.

That dude: Jalen Hale. The four-star receiver is ranked as the No. 55 player nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings and is expected to pick between Alabama, Texas and Georgia in the next month. As a junior, Hale had 50 receptions for 1,154 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Lobos also have four-star Class of 2024 running back Taylor Tatum — ranked as the No. 67 player nationally by 247Sports — or stud 2024 cornerback Willie Nelson, who intercepted eight passes as a sophomore.

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For more on Longview and other East Texas high school football programs, check out The Zone magazine, which released on Aug. 21 inside the Tyler Morning Telegraph and Longview News-Journal.

Aug. 26: at McKinney Boyd

Sept. 2: Marshall, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 9: at Tyler Legacy

Sept. 16: *at Lufkin, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 23 *Lancaster, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 7 *Forney, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 14 *at North Mesquite

Oct. 21 *McKinney North 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 28 *at Tyler

Nov. 4 *West Mesquite, 7:30 p.m.

*District 7-5A Division I Game

All games at 7 p.m. unless noted