IRVING -- For three quarters of Saturday’s Class 4A Division I state semifinal, Guyer had exactly what it needed to advance to the state championship game.

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they didn’t come close to replicating it in the final quarter and saw their season end in a 41-30 loss to Longview at Texas Stadium.

Guyer’s Sam Alspach hit a 27-yard field goal as time expired in the third quarter to give the Wildcats (12-3) a 30-27 lead, but on the ensuing kickoff, the Lobos’ playmakers began taking over. Longview running back Tyler McCray returned the kick 72 yards to the Guyer 32 and needed two runs to find the end zone and give Longview the lead for good.

“Some of our key players did get gassed, but that’s no excuse,” Guyer head coach John Walsh said. “I’ll tell you what happened was they got that train rolling and we couldn’t stop it. The first half we had some answers for them, but we just couldn’t answer back the way we needed to in the fourth quarter.”

The Wildcats’ calling card all season long was their ferocious defense, but they met the best playmakers they’d seen all year, and it got started immediately.

On the game’s first play from scrimmage, Longview quarterback Aaron Johnson found Aaron Hollins on a play-action bomb for an 81-yard touchdown. It was a sign of things to come, as Johnson finished with season highs in yardage (279) and touchdowns (four), while completing 10 of 11 passes. He also had a 35-yard touchdown scramble to ice the game for the Lobos.

“I don’t know if it’s the best offense we’ve played, but it’s definitely the best quarterback and running back we’ve seen,” Guyer senior middle linebacker Cody Marley said. “They had speed. They’re the fastest people I’ve ever played with. They were special fast.”

McCray entered the game with 1,573 yards and 25 touchdowns on the season, but was held in check through the first three quarters with just seven carries for 44 yards. He finished the night with 13 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown -- the third back Guyer allowed to rush for more than 100 yards this season.

Following McCray’s touchdown that gave Longview a 34-30 lead, Guyer went on a 10-play drive but stalled on its 49-yard line, as quarterback J.W. Walsh had to leave for a few plays on the drive due to leg cramps.

After a 32-yard punt, Longview took possession at its 19-yard line and was flagged for a hold that gave the Lobos the ball on their 9 with seven minutes remaining and a four-point lead.

The Wildcats, who stopped the Lobos just once all night, forced a third-and-8 from the Longview 44 with 4:36 remaining when Johnson made the play of the night.

Johnson was chased back from the line of scrimmage from two Guyer defenders, and followed by defensive tackle Taylor Bible 25 yards behind the line, before he found running back Jonathan Oliver open in the flat. He got one block and raced for a 15-yard gain to the Guyer 41, all but ending Guyer’s chances.

“When you have special players, he’s just making time out there,” Marley said. “You can’t ask a DB or a safety to cover someone for that long. They’re a good team, and he’s a playmaker.”

The teams traded big plays in the first half, as Longview struck quickly while the Wildcats went on sustained drives behind Walsh, who had a phenomenal night.

The sophomore signal caller, who suffered his first loss in nine games as Guyer’s quarterback, finished the night with a career-high 273 yards on 19-of-28 passing and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a career-high 143 yards on 21 carries. He was 11-for-12 for 114 yards and had 99 rushing yards at the half.

The Wildcats outgained Longview on the ground and through the air, while amassing 501 total yards.

Denton Record-Chronicle/Gary Payne

Guyer defensive back Antonio Burton, right, reacts on the bench following a 41-30 loss to Longview in the Class 4A Division I state semifinals Saturday at Texas Stadium. In the background is defensive back Quentin Gardener. The Wildcats finished the season with a 12-3 record after winning just one game in their first two varsity seasons. The loss also ended Guyer’s seven-game winning streak.

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The Lobos appeared to snatch the momentum with just more than a minute remaining in the first half when Carey Fortson caught a 50-yard strike from Johnson -- one of Fortson’s three scores on the night.

But Walsh came back to drive the Wildcats 68 yards on four plays, capped by a miracle grab by Daniel Harkins on a 38-yard touchdown pass that seemed as if it would be intercepted by Hollins before Harkins darted in front of him and picked the pass out of the air on his way to the end zone.

Harkins finished the night with a career-high eight catches for 151 yards, and Luke Russell caught 11 balls for 121 yards and a score.

But the fourth quarter doomed Guyer on both sides of the ball.

“They just made the plays when it counted,” Marley said. “That last drive, it was a long drive, but that’s when it’s time to buck up and make a play. They’re a good team.”

As for the offense, J.W. Walsh saw more pressure in the final quarter than in the first three combined. He was sacked four times in the fourth and twice in the first three.

“It just seemed like they brought a lot more pressure,” the quarterback said. “Other than that, they didn’t change a thing. It was mostly us screwing up ourselves.”

The loss marks the end of Guyer’s stellar breakout season after the Wildcats went 1-19 in their first two years, and it also snapped a seven-game winning streak.

Marley said that despite his disappointment with his high school career ending, he was happy to be a part of what he and his teammates were able to do this season.

“All of those past seasons were just motivation,” Marley said. “I’d like to have gotten this one done, and I know everyone else would have on this team, but you can’t win them all.

“All of the losing definitely prepared us to finally come out here and win. Our senior class -- I don’t know of anyone that had the seasons we had and then come back and done this. I love every single one of my teammates and I’m gonna miss it out here.”

ADAM BOEDEKER can be reached at 940-566-6872. His e-mail address is aboedeker@dentonrc.com.

Longview 41, Guyer 30

Longview         7          12        8          14        --         41

Guyer   7          13        10        0          --         30

Scoring summary

First Quarter

L – Aaron Hollins 81 pass from Aaron Johnson (Kyle Jenkins kick), 11:44

G – Jaimaine Wilhite 1 run (Sam Alspach kick), 5:35

Second Quarter

L – Carey Fortson 12 pass from Johnson (kick failed), 6:46

G – Luke Russell 5 pass from J.W. Walsh (Alspach kick), 2:27

L – Fortson 50 pass from Johnson (run failed), 1:04

G – Daniel Harkins 38 pass from Walsh (pass failed), 0:22

Third Quarter

G – Marquis Smith 1 run (Alspach kick), 7:40

L – Fortson 51 pass from Johnson (Jonathan Oliver pass from Johnson), 5:08

G – Alspach 27 field goal, 0:00

Fourth Quarter

L – Tyler McCray 7 run (Jenkins kick), 11:32

L – Johnson 35 run (Jenkins kick), 1:38

Team Statistics

           L          G

First downs      14        16

Rushing yards   21-181 43-217

Passing yards    279      284

Total yards                                               460   501

Passes  10-11-0           20-30-0

Fumbles-lost     2-1       0-0

Punts-avg         1-45.0  2-36.0

Penalties-yds    7-50     9-70

Individual Statistics

Rushing: L -- Travis McCray 13-102, Jonathan Oliver 2-31, Aaron Johnson 6-48. G – Jaimaine Wilhite 17-59, Deandre Wilson 3-13, J.W. Walsh 21-143, Luke Russell 1-1, Marquis Smith 1-1.

Passing: L – Aaron Johnson 10-11-0-279. G – J.W. Walsh 19-28-0-273, Marquis Smith 1-1-0-11, Luke Russell 0-1-0-0.

Receiving: L – Travis McCray 1-8, Jonathan Oliver 2-29, Aaron Hollins 1-81, Ladarrin Robertson 1-4, Carey Fortson 4-140, Cody Taylor 1-17. G – Luke Russell 11-121, Daniel Harkins 8-151, Jaimaine Wilhite 1-12.