One of the oldest rivalries in all of Texas high school football is getting more national exposure. The Longview and Marshall rivalry game will be featured on the Great American Rivalry Series this upcoming season, announced Wednesday by Longview head coach John King and first reported by Hayden Henry of the Longview News-Journal.
This year’s matchup will be the 107th meeting between the two East Texas rivals.
“It’s a special game between two towns with a lot of blue-collar people who love their high school football,” King told TexasHSFootball.com on Thursday, “We’re both one high school districts and with us going for over 107 years, there’s not much love lost. But there’s a lot of respect between two teams that get after each other once they get on the field.”
As part of the series, Longview will also be honoring former Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee as the school’s nominee for the Great American Rivalry Series Hall of Fame. Scobee was a kicker for the Lobos from 1998-2002 and announced his retirement back at the end of March.
“We’re fortunate to have a guy like Josh Scobee who has been part of this rivalry from Longview High School and it’s a great chance to recognize him on this stage,” King said of the former Lobo.
Just 23 miles up Highway 80, new Marshall Mavericks head coach Claude Mathis will get his first taste of the rivalry this upcoming season after being hired in March from SMU.
Even with being a newcomer, Mathis understands how important the game is to both communities and is glad for the extra spotlight.
“It’s huge for us. When I first got here to Marshall, the first game I was told about was the Longview-Marshall rivalry and they wanted to make sure I understood just how crazy it was going to be when we played them. I’m very excited about to go up against Coach King and Longview because it’s going to a great ball game between two great teams. ”
The game also provides from motivation for the Mavericks given the fact that the Longview Lobos have dominated the series in recent years, winning 15 of the last 16 meetings. Where has Mathis turned to? Watching the 2015 game, where Marshall won a classic 28-25 game and it marks the last time the Mavericks have taken a game in the series.
“I went back and watched that 2015 game and I saw Coach (Harper) high-stepping on the sidelines after they won that game and I know Coach King hasn’t forgotten about that and I can tell there’s no love lost in this rivalry.”
This is not the first time that the game will be featured on the Great American Rivalry Series. The game was featured back in 2009 where Longview came out on top 47-30.
The two teams will duke it out again on September 8 at Lobo Stadium in Longview.
Brought to you by:
