The story here is not in the stat sheet or even in the score itself. The story is that the Brookesmith Mustangs even bothered to play the game at all. Officially, a forfeit, as the Mustangs have been plagued all year with UIL eligibility issues. They had every reason to bow out and not play against the DII #1 ranked Coyotes. Instead, Coach Jeremy Phillips, returned to his Alma Mater with his 6 Mustang studs, ready to test themselves in battle. The mostly JV Mustang squad gave, a combination of Varsity and JV Coyotes, a valiant fight.

On nights like this, a team has to seek out the little things to stand on and be proud of, a first down, or a nice catch, a good block or just a well executed play. The experience of testing yourself against a team of Richland Springs caliber has to make you stronger. Playing for the love of the game....priceless... So....hats off to the Mustangs!! You should be proud.

Coach Shawn Rogers’ offense scored touchdowns on 4 of 6 rushing attempts and 2 of 6 completed passes. Denim Reeves, did his thing, scoring 3 tds rushing on four carries and was 4 of 8 passing with 2 touchdowns. John Greenwood had two runs which included a beautiful 38 yard dash for 6 pts. Stephen Thornhill caught one pass, but it was big..43 yards and six points. Brennan McGinty ...got his on a three yard catch for 6. Ben Vancleave had two snares for 42 yds and Chance Bush caught a long one for 36 yards. John Greenwood made a nice catch for 13 yards to complete the stat line for the Coyote Air Force. The three kickers were perfect tonight with Brian Torres going 2—2, Franky Soto adding 2 more and Trevor Tinney nailing his only attempt. With the JV boys getting the lion’s share of the work, Head Coach Jerry Burkhart’s defense bent a little... but did not break. A total of 17 Coyotes were credited with at least an assist. Chance Bush, Ben Vancleave, Tra Williams, Gunner Mann, Trevor Tinney and Stephen Thornhill were the headliners on defense this week.

The 9-0 overall 3-0 in district, Coyotes, will travel to Mullin next week looking to clinch the district title. This was Senior Night as all the Seniors and their parents were recognized before the game and Emily Smith and Chance Bush were named Football Sweetheart and Beau.