No. 3 Midland Christian Mustangs (4-5, 2-2) vs. No. 2 Grace Community Cougars (9-1, 3-1)
Kickoff: Friday, 7 p.m. Clyde-Perkins Stadium, 3001 TX-248 Spur, Tyler, Tx
Enrollments: Midland Christian- (1,197), Grace Community (998)
Coaches: Midland Christian - Chris Cunningham, Grace Community- Tim Russell
Last meeting: Midland Christian 37, Grace Community 7 (11/11/22)
Streaks: Midland Christian- 2 wins, Grace Community- 2 wins
At Stake: Midland Christian snuck into the playoffs with a win at the end of the season, and the team has gotten going at the right time with QB Colten Newsom lighting it up on the ground and in the air. This is a rematch of last year’s playoffs, where the Mustangs came away with a win.
What to watch: Newsom was on fire last week in a 58-3 rout of the Southwest Christian School Eagles, which earned the Mustangs a trip to the TAPPS Division 2 playoffs.
Newsom went off for four rushing touchdowns with 157 yards. He also was 5-for-6 for 183 yards and a pair of touchdown passes. Newsom has been a beast under center all season, and look for him to be the main catalyst.
Brylee Perez is also a force, and last week he had a 68-yard rushing score and a 95-yard touchdown catch.
Watch for this duo to continue the strong play they have shown the last two weeks just in time for the playoffs.
Grace Community is coming off a 52-21 win over Covenant in the final game of the regular season. They have won two straight and are outscoring teams 455-188 on the year.
Look out for running back Grant Turner, who in the regular season tallied 1,087 yards rushing, 330 yards receiving and 27 touchdowns.
Quarterback Zach Davis has also been a sold player in his sophomore year. He had 314 yards and three passing touchdowns against Frisco Legacy, and the week before that he threw for two touchdowns and 246 yards. Davis was last year’s freshman of the year in TAPPS 5A
The Cougars are looking for a bit of revenge, as they were beaten in the playoffs last year by Midland Christian.