Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
Malakoff’s Jalen Smith (right) shows joy after quarterback Mike Jones (left) scores the game-winning touchdown at the bottom of the pile.

Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
Malakoff defensive lineman Daniel Norrell returns a Brock turnover to within 16 yards of the end zone with 1:29 left in the game.

Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
Malakoff’s Parker Poteete (right) celebrates after returning a Brock fumble more than 50 yards for a touchdown, joined by Bubba Hicks.

Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
Malakoff tight end Doc Renberg gets control of a Mike Jones pass on his way to a 61-yard touchdown against Brock Dec. 7.

Monitor Photo/Russell Slaton
James Studley returns a fumble by a Brock kickoff returner 35-yards for a touchdown during the Dec. 7 State semifinal game.

FRISCO–The Malakoff Tigers stayed undefeated at 15-0 by beating the Brock Eagles, 38-31, in the State semifinal game Dec. 7 at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco to advance to the Class 3A Division I State championship game Dec. 14 (today) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Malakoff seeks to be the second Henderson County school to win a football State championship, hoping to join the Trinidad Trojans, who won the six-man State title in 1998. The Tigers will face the 14-1 Franklin Lions, the two-time defending Class 3A Division I State champion, who beat the Edna Cowboys in the other State semifinal, 52-14. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Against Brock, the game was tied at 31 when Tiger defensive lineman Daniel Norrell snatched the ball out of the air for a turnover and rumbled to the Eagle 16-yard line with 1:29 left in the game. Malakoff quarterback Mike Jones scored the game-winning touchdown on a quarterback keeper less than a yard from the goal line, handing Malakoff a 38-31 lead with 19 seconds left in the contest.
Malakoff had taken its first lead of the night at 24-17 with 4:25 remaining in the third quarter, when James Studley took the ball away from a Brock kickoff returner and dashed for a 35-yard touchdown. After Brock tied the game at 24 on a 4-yard touchdown run with 2:08 left in the third quarter, Malakoff reseized a 31-24 lead with 1:08 left in the third, when Tiger tight end Doc Renberg got control of a Mike Jones pass that Renberg bobbled in stride, running 61 yards for a touchdown.
Early in the game, Malakoff fell behind 10-0 with 6:51 left in the first quarter. After that, Malakoff linebacker Parker Poteete picked up a Brock fumble and returned it more than 50 yards for a Tiger touchdown, cutting Brock’s lead to 10-7 with 2:15 left in the first. After Brock scored a 61-yard rushing touchdown to go ahead 17-7 with 10:07 left in the second quarter, Jones scored a 52-yard quarterback-keeper touchdown with 8:08 left before halftime, which accounted for Brock leading 17-14 at halftime.
With 4:38 left in the third quarter, Malakoff kicker Landon Boswell booted a 30-yard field goal to tie the game for the first time, setting up the Tigers’ late-game heroics. That came after a seemingly blocked punt by Malakoff, returned deep in Brock territory by Michael Elliot.