The venue added a unique atmosphere to the first meeting between the two schools. Built in 1939 by the Works Progress Administration, the Mustang Bowl is in the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.
“It’s special to play in a place like the Mustang Bowl. The stadium has so much history and tradition and they’ve done a lot to improve the facility as well. The turf was in really great shape and all of the folks in Sweetwater treated us really well,” said Head Coach Jay Northcutt.
The Tigers found themselves in an early 14 point deficit but it was off to the races when junior quarterback Chad Pharies found senior wide receiver Carson Miller in stride racing two steps ahead of his defender down the middle of the field. Miller took that 60-yard pass to the house and the Tigers kept the pressure on the rest of the way. Pharies, who finished 11/13 for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns threw his second scoring strike in the second quarter. This time a 14-yard fade in the left side of the end zone again to Miller, who racked up 3 receptions for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns on the day.
The junior quarterback wasn’t done yet, as he also rushed 16 times for 190 yards and 3 scores rounding out a career day and an exceptional performance all around. Those rushes were highlighted by a 74-yard touchdown scamper on a broken play as Pharies saw daylight and toted the rock three quarters of the length of the field for pay dirt.
Northcutt was also quick to point out the exceptional play of senior running back William Bayouth, who finished with 14 carries for 64 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bayouth’s play away from the ball in pass protection and particularly aggressive downfield blocking opened up multiple opportunities for the Tigers’ offense throughout the contest.
Defense and special teams were not to be ignored either as Gabriel Duncan recovered a muffed punt for Frenship to help with the momentum swing. When the Spartans cut the lead to one score late in the game, Osemudiamen Olumese securely snagged the onside kick attempt and sealed the deal for Frenship from there on. Junior cornerback Brooks Hocutt turned in his second exceptional performance with lockdown coverage equating to 5 tackles and 2 assists. Senior linebacker Jake Gilbert led the way with 8 tackles and 5 assists, junior safety Marquis Turner tallied 1 tackle, 10 assists, and a tackle for loss, and senior defensive tackle Trace Buchanan notched 2 tackles, 7 assists, a sack, and a tackle for loss.
The Tigers will be back in action Friday, October 9 meeting the Lubbock-Cooper Pirates (1-1) at 7:00 pm at Jones AT&T Stadium on the campus of Texas Tech University. Presale tickets are available online and no tickets will be sold at the gate.
The game can be heard on Double T 97.3 FM and www.doublet973.com with Keith Patrick and Chois Woodman on the call. A live stream will also be available at www.Frenship.TV, on the Boxcast app on your smart device, or on Frenship Athletics social media accounts.