TCA Football opened up the 2026 season at Grapevine Faith Christian School Friday night. The Trojans took on the Lions at Grapevine Ford Field. In the first quarter, the Lions were the first team to find the endzone after just a few plays in the first offensive drive. Davis Crumrine evened the score on a quarterback sneak to pull the game even 7-7 with 6:42 remaining in the first quarter. The tie lasted less than three minutes when the Lions' quarterback found an open receiver who ran all the way to the endzone to put the Lions on top 7-14. Drew Parrill converted on a field goal with just eight seconds left in the quarter to pull the Trojans within four points.

In the second quarter, both offenses struggled early on to get in a rhythm. However, at the 6:22 mark, Davis Crumrine found an open Ethan Perkins who converted on fourth down for a touchdown to put the Trojans back in front 17-14. Crumrine later connected with MJ Smith to extend the lead to 24-14. The Trojan defense asserted its dominance for the remainder of the first half and shut out the Lion offense. The Lions came close to scoring with just 35 seconds left in the half, but the ball was stripped from the ball carrier just short of the goal line, causing the ball to bounce into the endzone where Freshman Christian Swann recovered it for a touchback. The Trojans went into halftime with a 24-14 lead.

The third quarter had a similar pace to the second quarter. Both defenses were making plays and keeping offensive drives short. The Lions pulled within seven on a field goal at the 7:55 mark. Three and a half minutes later, the Lions evened the ballgame at 24-24. The score would remain tied heading into the fourth quarter.

Both offenses went back and forth on three and outs early in the final quarter, causing short recovery time for the defenses who struggled with cramps in the final frame. Crumrine found an open Ben Brewer to break the tie with just 8:22 remaining. The lead lasted only 15 seconds when the Lions' return man took the kickoff the length of the field to tie the game 31-31. The Trojan defense stood tall as the time started to wind down and forced a missed field goal by Grapevine Faith at the Trojans' own 30-yard line to take over with 5:48 left in the game. Shortly after, Davis Crumrine connected with MJ Smith again on a big reception of 55 yards to set the Trojan offense up inside the redzone. MJ found the endzone on a pass from Crumrine to put the Trojans ahead 38-31 with just under four minutes. The final four minutes were filled with a back-and-forth battle as the Lions worked to find the endzone and the Trojans were fighting to deny them. The Lions had the final possession on the Trojans' half of the field. With multiple receivers in the endzone waiting on the pass from the Lions' quarterback, Ethan Perkins denied the attempt and intercepted the ball in the endzone to seal the game in his debut in Trojan blue and white.

Davis Crumrine led the Trojan offense with one rushing touchdown and four passing touchdowns. MJ Smith made several snags to build momentum for the Trojan offense and had two receiving touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, Christian Swann and Ethan Perkins prevented the Lion receivers from being an offensive threat. The Trojans continued to fight the entire game and displayed grit and determination in the victory. The team moves to 1-0 on the season and will travel to Episcopal School of Dallas August 28 for a 7 p.m. kickoff.