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Wixon: Wylie's underdog magic runs out in regional semis against bigger, faster Longview

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ARLINGTON - Wylie, often an underdog when it gets a few rounds into the playoffs, did the kind of things underdogs need to do Saturday. The Pirates got a huge gain off a deflected pass, scored on a fourth-and-10, made a goalline stand and didn't turn over the ball.

But against a bigger, faster Longview team, Wylie couldn't come up with enough bite in a 35-14 loss at AT&T Stadium.

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"They're a well-coached team," Wylie coach Bill Howard said, "and they were attacking us where we had holes."

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Longview (11-2) moves on to the Class 5A Division I Region II final, where it will face the winner of Mansfield Lake Ridge and Mesquite Poteet, who played late Saturday. Wylie (8-5) ended a season in which it won its final three regular-season games to snag a playoff spot and then advanced to a regional semifinal for the second time in three years.

To get to the regional final, however, Wylie needed to get Longview's offense off the field more. It was a difficult challenge with Longview's combination of a massive offensive line and a collection of fast, strong running backs. Longview rushed for 306 yards, led by Tylan Miller's 25 carries for 174 yards and three touchdowns.

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Miller's 1-yard touchdown gave Longview a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter, but Wylie's offense got a jolt from a 61-yard pass from Emilio Ames to Kollier Knight.

The deep pass down the middle of the field hit the outstretched hand of Longview defensive back Traveion Webster, and after the ball popped into the air, Knight grabbed it, raced downfield and nearly scored. Two plays later, Jordan Whaley pulled in a 13-yard pass on a fade route for Wylie's first touchdown.

But that was as close as Wylie would get. Longview was back in the end zone a little more than a minute later, and after a halftime break, the Lobos resumed where they left off, driving for a touchdown that made it 28-7.

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Wylie cut Longview's lead to 28-14 on Ames' 31-yard pass to Whaley, and the Pirates then made their biggest stop of the game by foiling a fake field goal on fourth-and-goal at the 3-yard line. With 2:30 left in the third quarter, Wylie appeared to have a momentum-turning play to claw back in the game.

"We hoped that it would be," Howard said.

But Wylie, which finished with only 216 total yards, had to punt the ball away on its next possession. Longview followed with a big-dog drive, with seven straight runs that led to a touchdown.

That was the end of Wylie's hopes of making a regional final for the fourth time since 2008.

"We did not bring our 'A' game today," Howard said. "But we had a good season and I'm proud of them. We have a ton of kids coming back next year, and we'll be ready to roll."

Twitter: @mattwixon