The Mavericks started off strong early, forcing and recovering a fumble by the Tigers with 9:36 left in the first quarter. 

After the Texas defense came up with a stop, the Mavericks attempted a field goal. Senior cornerback Timothy Austin managed to block and recover the attempt, running it back for a Tiger touchdown. With 8:57 remaining in the quarter, Texas led 7-0.

“I really just tried my hardest to get to the ball as soon as I could,” Austin said. “I knew that, once I got loose, I was going to have that touchdown.”

The Mavericks answered with a touchdown of their own one minute later, after senior Diego Smith scratched off a 65-yard rushing touchdown, evening the score at 7-7. 

The remaining time of the first proved quiet for both sides, making the score 7-7 going into the second quarter.

The Tigers struck early in the second quarter with a double-pass play. Sophomore running back completed a pass to sophomore receiver Kam Wrightner for a touchdown, putting Texas up 14-7 with 11:42 remaining in the half. 

The half stilled, with neither team being able to gain any momentum. Both defenses proved strong, consistently forcing punts. Going into the third quarter, Texas remained in the lead 14-7.

The Tigers went up 16-7 midway through the third quarter after a safety, followed by a touchdown from senior receiver TJ Gray. Gray broke a tackle to get into the endzone, putting the score at 23-7 with 4:15 remaining in the third. 

The game turned physical in the fourth quarter, with multiple personal fouls from both teams. After scratching off a final touchdown from Ball with 8:50 remaining, the Tigers secured the 30-7 district victory over the Marshall Mavericks in their rivalry game. 

“I thought, defensively, we played one of our best games we’ve played all year long. We kept battling offensively and we came alive a bit more in the second half,” Head Coach Gerry Stanford said. “We got a couple guys back, our kids played hard and just did a great job.”