Wall Hawks Put 21-Game Winning Streak on the Line Against Midland Christian

MIDLAND, TX — The 5-0 Wall Hawks continue to win and look to keep their streak alive against the Midland Christian Mustangs.

Last week, Wall beat Midland Greenwood 31-13 at Clayton Weishuhn Field, where quarterback Gunner King threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns, along with two interceptions. He added 100 yards and a TD on the ground.

"We had four turnovers, which obviously you want to play more efficiently, but it's also a good sign that we claimed a 31-13 victory in a game that we turned it over four times," head coach Craig Slaughter said after practice on Wednesday. "That's definitely encouraging. That means there is room for improvement, but we are playing pretty well in a lot of phases right now."

This week, the Hawks get the 2-3 Midland Christian Mustangs, a 10-time state champion from the private school ranks. They're coming off a big win against Jim Ned, 50-27. While their record might not impress, they beat the Argyle Liberty Christian Warriors in Week 1, 66-63, and then lost three straight games against strong competition in Wayne Hill, Jarrell and Brock.

In their Week 1 shootout against Liberty Christian, sophomore quarterback Jaxon Franco went 31-of-50 for 657 yards and seven TDs with two interceptions. On the ground, senior Stacy Jones handled the carries as did senior Caleb Cruz, who rushed for a combined 73 yards with Jones getting into the end zone twice. Through the air, junior wide receiver Payton Ross caught seven passes for 220 yards and a score, while junior Holt Brownlee and senior Kobi Baldonado (an Odessa High transfer) had 194 and 109 receiving yards, respectively, and each scored twice.

"Outstanding quarterback," Slaughter said of Franco. "I don't think I've seen a team in high school where it's 80% pass. They are Air Raid, up-tempo, up at the line of scrimmage with that kid. They may run the same play three or four times, and the ball gets to different guys each time. It all depends on what he sees and what you give him. He is an outstanding passer."

It seems the Hawks' secondary will have their hands full with the Mustangs' receiving corps.

Wall has welcomed all challengers this season and opened the year with a 42-35 victory over 4A Division I Canyon West Plains on a last-minute TD pass. In Week 2, the Hawks played 6A La Joya; even though they were favorites, a 3A beating a 6A is still impressive. Then in Week 3, they played Jim Ned, the only common opponent they have with Midland Christian, and won 49-13, then followed that performance with a 51-6 win over the Ozona Lions.

While he looked human last week, Wall QB Gunner King has been anything but this season. He has completed 67% of his passes, going 84-of-124 for 1,497 yards, an average of 299 yards a game, and he has thrown 18 TDs to only three interceptions.

Senior running back Gunner Garza has rushed for 463 yards and six TDs, while King has chipped in 216 rushing yards and three scores.

The aerial attack has been the key to the Hawks. Senior Jager Thompson has led Wall with 400 receiving yards and two TDs. Senior Evan Boehle is second with 304 yards and six TDs, followed by sophomore Hudson Surber, who has 298 yards and five TDs. Garza has also been a weapon in the passing game with 193 yards and a score, and Braylon Nelson has seven receptions for 149 yards and two TDs.

The Hawks offense has been stellar, but so has the defense. Kaden McFarden was everywhere against Midland Greenwood, with 55 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble. Senior Slayton Hallmark has been right there with him, with 55 tackles, two sacks, and a fumble recovery.

Altogether, the Hawks have 11 sacks, six interceptions, led by Kalen Sanders with three, and seven forced fumbles and fumble recoveries.

Overall, the Hawks have allowed only 81 points, and 62 of those have come against schools in a bigger classification.

As awesome as they were last season in winning the program's first state title, this year the Hawks have one thing in mind: getting back to Jerry’s World and showing Texas they’re not going away easy, even after moving up from 3A-DII to 3A-DI.

The Wall Hawks take on the Midland Christian Mustangs at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, at Gordon Awtry Field in Midland.