Mustangs rushes through SA Christian in opener

Nixon-Smiley Mustangs kicked their season off with a loud bang on the road against the San Antonio Christian Lions.

Nixon-Smiley triumphed over the Lions, 48-27, in the first game of the 2022 season, and now has won back-to-back season openers. The Mustangs combined on the ground for 446 rushing yards with seniors Bradyn Martinez (tight-back) and George Rodriguez (running back), both of whom had over 150-plus yards against the Lions. Both players also had two rushing touchdowns.

Martinez was also a threat in the air as he caught three receptions from quarterback Luke Moses for 77 yards receiving and one touchdown. Martinez gave a lot of credit to his offensive line for their blocks and help with his scoring three touchdowns (two rushing and one receiving), as well as gaining a lot of yardage.

The Mustang defense had a great start this season as sophomore corner-back Tristen Mikesh recorded a fumble recovery and an interception.

Proud of his contribution to the defense, Mikesh stated, “Just a lot of hard work we've been coming up to this summer getting workouts and lifting weights, a lot of hard work.”

Mustangs head football coach Troy Moses said a strong start was important for the team, and he knows his team has been working hard during the off season.

“I wasn't surprised with the outcome tonight. I knew, based on what I've seen in practice and the way we've been preparing, we were going to play well. Doesn’t mean we played error free, we still made some mistakes,” Moses said.

The game became closer in the second half, as the Mustangs’ 36-6 lead was challenged for a short period of time. Moses explained the importance of making the mistakes and improve upon them in practice.

“That's a good thing that we're making mistakes. We can go back to film and watch it and learn and get better next week,” Moses said.

The Mustangs will take on the Three Rivers Bulldogs in the home opener, giving the coach a chance to face a familiar team, having played that district during his days at Orange Grove.

“Three Rivers has a great ball club they got some really good skill kids. I'm from that area down there. The high school I graduated from [Orange Grove] and Three Rivers have a good rivalry,” Moses said. “It's kind of gonna be a little bit more personal to me than it is the kids. I'm excited about what the next week holds for us.”

The Mustangs take on Three Rivers tomorrow at home. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

STATS:

--Offense--

Passing:

Luke Moses: 5/9 completions, 121 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.

Rushing:

Bradyn Martinez: 15 carries, 199 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

George Rodriguez: 16 carries, 157 rushing yards and two touchdowns

Aiden Flores: 19 carries, 93 rushing yards, and one touchdown.

Receiving:

B. Martinez: three receptions, 77 receiving yards, and one touchdown.

T. Mikesh: one reception, 37 receiving yards, and one touchdown.

--Defense--

Solo tackles:

Sebastian Ortiz (seven), John Garza (six), Kade Dixon, B. Martinez and G. Rodriguez (five)

Assisted tackles:

Armando Martinez, Miguel Valerio, Holden Canion, S. Ortiz, G. Rodriguez, and J. Garza (two)

Sacks:

Carl White (three) and Jesus Espino (one)

Interceptions:

Tristen Mikesh (one)

Fumbles recovery:

T. Mikesh (one)

Fumble cause:

A. Martinez (one)