Midland Christian’s Stacy Jones carries to the goal line on homecoming night at Gordon Awtry Field.
Forrest L. Allen/Special to the Reporter-Telegram
Midland Christian’s Caleb Cruz on the carry versus FW Southwest Christian on MCS homecoming night at Gordon Awtry Field.
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Midland Christian’s Caleb Cruz runs for daylight as Holt Brownlee blocks downfield against Fort Worth Southwest Christian at Gordon Awtry Field on 10/16/2026.
Forrest L. Allen/Special to the Reporter-Telegram
Midland Christian’s Kobi Baldonado on the pass reception versus FW Southwest Christian In TAPPS DII District 1 action at Gordon Awtry Field on 10/16/2026.
Forrest L. Allen/Special to the Reporter-Telegram
Midland Christian’s Caleb Cruz runs for daylight as Holt Brownlee blocks downfield at Gordon Awtry Field on 10/16/2026.
Forrest L. Allen/Special to the Reporter-Telegram
Midland Christiam running back Stacy Jones strolls into the end zone versus FW Southwest Christian at Gordon Awtry Field on 10/16/2026.
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Fort Worth Southwest Christian’s captains walk to midfield for the pregame coin flip at Midland Christian’s Gordon Awtry Field on 10/16/2026.
Forrest L. Allen/Special to the Reporter-Telegram
Midland Christian’s Ryan Branco outraces FW Southwest Christian’s Malcolm Anderson to the end zone for a TD on 10/16/2026.
Forrest L. Allen/Special to the Reporter-Telegram
Midland Christian’s Beau Burkholder returns a FW Soutwhest Christian interception on homecoming night at Gordon Awtry Field.
Forrest L. Allen/Special to the Reporter-Telegram
Midland Christian School’s captains walk out for the pregame coin flip against Fort Worth Southwest Christian at Gordon Awtry Field on 10/16/2026.
Forrest L. Allen / MC Athletics
The Midland Christian School Mustangs take the field for Friday’s game with FW Southwest Christian at Gordon Awtry Field on 10/16/2026.
Forrest L. Allen/Special to the Reporter-Telegram
It was only fitting that the Midland Christian football team got a spark from the crowned king on homecoming night at Gordon Awtry Field.
Stacy Jones returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown at the end of the first quarter to give the Mustangs the lead for good in a 70-31 rout of Fort Worth Southwest Christian on Friday night.
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Jones, the homecoming king, also had a rushing touchdown and the Mustang defense came up with four turnovers as Midland Christian (5-3, 2-0 in TAPPS Division II District 1) won its fourth straight game.
“We put up 70 points and we were good all around; offense, defense and even special teams,” Jones said. “These first two games (in district) were exciting and set the tone to get ready for (Fort Worth All Saints) next week.”
MCS coach Phil Dawson said he liked the consistency of his team on homecoming night.
“There were some things we did really well, there were a few things that we need to clean up, but overall, we took care of business, handled the distractions of homecoming week that now they can all enjoy the festivities,” Dawson said. “In a game like this, you need to execute and get on them early, and I felt like we did that. And then we managed it from there.”
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The Eagles (5-4, 0-3) had the momentum for only seconds at the end of the first quarter after a 9-yard TD pass from Eli Huftstetler to Crosby Pipes for a 10-7 lead as they capitalized on a fumbled punt return by the Mustangs.
But on the ensuing kickoff Stacy Jones returned it 100 yards for the score to give the Mustangs the lead for good, 14-10, as time expired in the opening quarter. Jones also had a 21-yard TD run earlier in the period.
“The first one of the season, I finally got one,” Jones said. “I got the ball, cut up the middle and I was just free from there. Great blocks from my teammates and I give everything else to them.
“It was kind of back and forth and then after I scored, we just kind of ran with it from there. (The Eagles) had the momentum shift to them and when it shifted back to us, it was no looking back from there. That’s what we do a lot at Midland Christian where it seems like everything is all lost and then it shifts in the last second.”
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Dawson said it was good to see the Mustangs execute on that first kickoff return in a key moment.
“It was important in that point of the game,” he said. “Once we got control of it, we were able to maintain that. We got a lot of young guys in the game tonight and they executed really well.”
The Mustangs continued that momentum into the second quarter.
After the MCS defense came up with a fourth-down stop at its own 21, the Mustangs capped off a nine-play, 79-yard drive with a 19-yard TD pass from Jaxon Franco to Ryan Branco.
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The Mustangs then took a 28-10 lead at the half when Beau Burkholder picked off a pass at the MCS 1-yard line and returned it to the Eagles’ 6-yard line. One play later, Franco found Callaway Rodriguez for a 6-yard TD pass.
MCS put up 42 points in the second half as Franco started things off with a 65-yard TD run on the first play of the third quarter.
Turnovers then helped to turn this game into a blowout as a fumble recovery Kylar Childers and then interceptions by Taylon Alexander and Childers were converted into 21 points.
Franco finished his night completing 8 of 10 passes for 134 yards and three TDs, to go with 77 yards rushing. Reggie Ross added 90 yards rushing and three TDs; Branco added two TDs; and Brayden Ramos came in relief of Franco in the third quarter and was 4-of-4 passing for 75 yards and a TD to Kobi Baldonado.
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Hufstetler threw for 215 yards and a TD, rushed for 46 yards, and kicked a field goal but did not play for the Eagles in the second half.
The Mustangs look to take their momentum into next week’s game at state power All Saints on Oct. 23.
MIDLAND CHRISTIAN 70, FW SOUTHWEST CHRISTIAN 31
Southwest Christian 10 0 14 7 –31
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Midland Christian 14 14 28 14 –70
SWC – FG Eli Hufstetler 30, 6:03
MCS – Stacy Jones 21 run (Andrew Buckingham kick), 4:22
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SWC – Crosby Pipes 9 pass from Huftstetler (Hufstetler kick), 0:11
MCS – Jones 100 kickoff return (Buckingham kick), 0:00
MCS – Ryan Branco 19 pass from Jaxon Franco (Buckingham kick), 4:01
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MCS – Callaway Rodriguez 6 pass from Franco (Buckingham kick), 1:19
MCS – Franco 65 run (Buckingham kick), 11:38
MCS – Branco 10 pass from Franco (Buckingham kick), 9:56
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SWC – Dane Smith 11 pass from Kobie Jefferson (Wyatt Pittman), 5:02
SWC – Jefferson 1 run (Pittman kick), 3:54
MCS – Reggie Ross 47 run (Buckingham kick), 2:59
MCS – Ross 3 run (Buckingham kick), 1:48
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MCS – Kobi Baldonado 14 pass from Brayden Ramos (Buckingham kick), 11:45
MCS – Ross 12 run (Buckingham kick), 7:07
SWC – Noah Breedlove 63 pass from Jefferson (Pittman kick), 6:27
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FWSC MCS
First Downs 19 17
Rushes-yards 32-98 27-243
Passing yards 340 209
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Comp.-Att.-Int. 19-39-3 12-14-0
Punts-Avg. 2-18.5 0-0
Fumbles-lost 3-1 1-1
Penalties-yds. 6-40 7-60
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RUSHING – Southwest Christian, Eli Hufstetler 7-46, Tre’von Taylor 8-22, Gunnar Tornberg 11-29, Kobie Jefferson 4-(-1); MCS, Reggie Ross 12-90, Caleb Cruz 5-41, Stacy Jones 3-31, Jaxon Franco 3-77, Ryan Branco 1-24, Brayden Ramos 3-(-20)
PASSING — Southwest Christian, Hufstetler 12-25-1–215, Jefferson 7-15-2–125; MCS, Franco 8-10-0–134, Ramos 4-4-0–75
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RECEIVING – Southwest Christian, Crosby Pipes 11-169, Malcolm Anderson 5-98, Noah Breedlove 2-66, Tornberg 1-7; MCS, Branco 3-53, Kobi Baldonado 4-75, Callaway Rodriguez 1-6, Payton Ross 1-9, Holt Brownlee 1-10, Maddox Crowe 1-35, Cael Zumwalt 1-21
INTERCEPTIONS – MCS, Beau Burkholder 1-93, Taylon Alexander 1-0, Kylar Childers 1-29