The TCA Football team hosted the Prestonwood Christian Lions Friday night at Tom Landry Stadium. Despite falling short on the scoreboard, the Trojans showed positive moments in all three phases of the game, competing throughout the 48-minute contest.
Prestonwood opened the game with possession after TCA won the coin toss and elected to defer. The Trojan defense forced a third-down situation on the opening drive, but the Lions converted to extend the possession and eventually found the endzone on a passing touchdown at the 10:19 mark. After a Trojan punt, Prestonwood added another touchdown and converted a two-point attempt to take a 0-15 lead with 2:36 remaining in the first quarter.
The Lions extended their advantage early in the second quarter, capitalizing on a long reception to reach the redzone before scoring to make it 0-22. The Trojans responded on special teams as
Ethan Perkins returned the ensuing kickoff to the TCA 45-yard line.
Easton Franz moved the offense into Lion territory with a strong run, while
Davis Crumrine connected with Perkins to advance the drive. Franz continued to carry the ball effectively, setting up the Trojans in the redzone. Crumrine then found
Will Loukas for a touchdown with 6:06 remaining in the half, putting TCA on the board at 7-22. The Trojan defense followed with a key stop on Prestonwood's next possession.
Jax Goldenberg applied pressure on the third play of the drive, pushing back the PCA offense which ultimately led to the Lions' first punt of the night. TCA capitalized on the favorable field position as Crumrine connected with
Ben Brewer for a long reception to the Prestonwood 26-yard line. The drive reached the 12-yard line before
Drew Parrill converted a field goal with 1:43 remaining, cutting the deficit to 10-22.
Andrew Abshire applied pressure on the Lions' final possession of the half, forcing an incompletion on third down as the Trojans entered halftime trailing 10-22.
Both defenses controlled the opening stages of the second half, limiting opportunities for the opposing offenses. TCA punted on its opening possession, while the Trojan defense responded with a key third-down pass breakup by Perkins at the Prestonwood 41-yard line to force a Lions punt. The defenses continued to hold firm throughout the remainder of the third quarter, keeping the score 10-22 heading into the final period.
Prestonwood added a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to extend its lead to 10-29. The Trojans answered with another strong special teams play as Perkins returned the kickoff to the Lions' 39-yard line. Following a face mask penalty, TCA took possession at the 24-yard line and quickly capitalized. Crumrine connected with Perkins in the back of the end zone for a touchdown at the 9:35 mark. The Trojans elected to attempt a two-point conversion, with Crumrine completing a pass to
MJ Smith to bring the score to 18-29. The Lions responded with a touchdown drive that consumed much of the remaining clock, extending their lead to 18-36 with 2:38 left in the game. TCA continued to push offensively on its final possession, driving down the field in an effort to close the gap, but time expired before the Trojans could find the endzone again.
Despite the result, the Trojans showed resilience on both sides of the ball and delivered key contributions across offense, defense and special teams. TCA moves to 3-4 overall and 0-3 in district play. The Trojans head on the road Friday, October 16, for a 7 p.m. kickoff against Parish Episcopal at Gloria H. Snyder Stadium. TCA will close out its home schedule Friday, October 23, against John Paul II at Tom Landry Stadium.
