Malakoff shows tenacity, determination in program's first-ever Texas state football championship

Tigers' defense makes key plays to deny Franklin a third straight Class 3A Division I title

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - In last week’s semifinal playoff game, Malakoff quarterback Mike Jones suffered an injury to his thumb.

Speculation began to run rampant that the injury was severe enough to have Jones possibly miss Thursday afternoon’s UIL Class 3A Division I state championship game.

Would Jones actually sit things out, denying him the opportunity to help the Tigers bring home their first-ever championship?

Not a chance.

Jones played, and even threw two touchdown passes — more than enough to lift the Tigers past two-time defending state champion Franklin, 14-7, at AT&T Stadium.

Malakoff holds off Franklin: Live score, updates of Texas high school football championship (12/14/2023)

“My thumb is throbbing a little bit from last week, but it will be all right. … Playing in the Brock game (last week’s semifinal win), I threw a ball and a kid like smashed it,” said Jones, a junior who also plays linebacker on defense. “I thought I broke it, but I had a bunch of treatment on it and it was hurting a little bit, but I tried to go through it and play through it.”

Jones’ performance perhaps epitomized the determination and the tenacity displayed by the Tigers all game long - and even leading up to Thursday’s championship tilt.

“We played two great teams in Brock, and of course, Franklin, and both great programs, and our kids just found a way,” Malakoff coach Jamie Driskell said. “And I’m not sure how, not sure how, but we just found a way and we got the turnovers against Brock and then of course (Thursday), we just held on.”

Both of Jones’ TD throws came on Malakoff’s opening drives of each half. Both also went to senior receiver Chauncey Hogg.

The first covered 32 yards, finishing off an eight-play, 77-yard drive that put the Tigers in front to stay.

Then the second TD went for 41 yards to cap a six-play, 73-yard march after the Tigers received the kickoff to begin the third quarter. That came on a nifty play-action fake from Jones, who threw it deep to find Hogg all alone in the end zone.

Look: Malakoff edges Franklin to claim Texas 3A Division 1 state football championship

“Before the game, he really wanted the ball a lot,” Jones said of Hogg. “All week, we just had a bunch of plays in for deep balls for Chauncey. … On the second (TD), the safety dropped back a little deep and I was like, ‘Chauncey, you can get behind him,’ so I threw the ball on a line and he was in the end zone to snag it.”

And Hogg definitely knew what his task was once Jones threw that ball, and the earlier TD toss, high in the air.

“We’ve been throwing it a lot this summer and we went to training, so we’ve been through it. … Whenever he throws it, I’m going to go get it,” Hogg said.

Hogg also symbolized the Tigers’ can-do spirit when he was shifted from his normal cornerback position to safety in order to focus on Franklin senior standout Devyn Hidrogo, a Wyoming commit. Hidrogo was held to 82 total yards, including two catches for 31 yards.

“They had me locked on (Hidrogo), so I’m always really locked on their best receiver type of guy. … New position, too, at safety; I’m really at corner, so I just had to watch him, keep my eyes locked on him and just work on my technique,” Hogg said.

Malakoff got a huge defensive play on Franklin’s second series following the Tigers’ opening score. The Lions drove deep in Tiger territory, and Hidrogo appeared to score on a running play.

But right before crossing the goal line, Hidrogo was hit by Malakoff defender Kayland Davis, and the ball was recovered in the end zone by the Tigers’ Bubba Hicks.

“That was probably the play of the game to be honest with you; you wouldn’t think it would be in the first quarter, but that was huge,” Driskell said. “It kind of took their momentum from them a little bit, they had put together a great drive and were fixing to tie it up.

"Just a big play by our guys, doing whatever they have to do to get the job done and just a great job on their part.”

Trailing 14-0, Franklin finally got on the scoreboard late in the third quarter, and had grabbed the momentum away from Malakoff. The Lions advanced to the Tiger 32 to start the final quarter, but a holding penalty pushed Franklin back, and a third-down pass toward Hidrogo was broken up by Jones, forcing Franklin to punt.

Then when the Lions got the ball back following a Tiger punt, they marched down to the Malakoff 15 in the closing minutes. But once again, the Tiger defense held their own.

Junior defensive lineman Michael Elliot’s pressure forced an incomplete pass on third down. On fourth down, the Lions tried a trick play with a reverse pass, but the pass sailed well beyond the end zone.

“They were on top of things out there; they knew what was kind of coming, they knew what was going on; we just had to tackle,” Driskell said. “We were getting there, making plays, but Franklin’s kids are really tough to tackle and run the ball hard.

“Once we kind of got them out of their comfort zone of running the ball a little bit and they had to throw it some more, we were kind of on top of that and broke up some big passes.”

One keeper by Jones for a first down later, and Malakoff finally was able to have its long-awaited coronation with the title trophy, the cherry on top of an impeccable 16-0 season.

“As a kid, people dream of this,” Hogg said. “Some people don’t get to do it, but it’s unreal. … As a senior, all you want to do is just win state, so you just kind of want to keep everybody in line.”

-- Buck Ringgold | buck@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveTX 

Lead photo by Tommy Hays.