Schreiner Mountaineers Top Howard Payne JV 41–28 in Balanced Road Victory

Schreiner Mountaineers Top Howard Payne JV 41–28 in Balanced Road Victory

Brownwood, TX — October 20, 2025

The Schreiner University Mountaineers earned a hard-fought 41–28 victory over Howard Payne University’s JV squad on Monday night at Early HS Longhorn Stadium. The win showcased a balanced offensive attack, opportunistic defense, and strong special teams play that helped the Mountaineers control the game from start to finish.

Schreiner jumped out to an early 21–0 lead in the first quarter behind two touchdown runs — a 4-yard and a 7-yard score — by quarterback Isaac Ponce and a defensive scoop-and-score by linebacker Aden Hajek. Running back Christian Lora added two more rushing touchdowns, including a pair of red-zone bursts from 4 and 2 yards out, giving Schreiner four rushing touchdowns on the night.

Ponce was steady under center, completing 11 of 25 passes for 160 yards, connecting with Andew Castillo (5 receptions, 108 yards) and Nathan Hall (2 receptions, 38 yards) for explosive plays that kept the chains moving. On the ground, Lora led all rushers with 24 carries for 128 yards, while Tyler Simpson added 54 yards and two scores.

Defensively, the Mountaineers created three takeaways, including Hajek’s fumble return touchdown and an interception by the secondary. Defensive linemen Marcus Brooks-Hoodye and Jorge De Leon combined for 3 sacks and multiple tackles for loss, while linebacker Darius McKenzie added another sack and strong pursuit all night.

Head Coach Keith Allen praised the team’s growth:

“Overall, I’m pleased with our performance. Offensively, we moved the ball when needed, and our kicking game kept us in great field position. Defensively, three takeaways is huge. Outside of a few minutes at the end of the second quarter and beginning of the third, we stopped them. We just need to clean up penalties and sharpen execution. I’m proud of our kids’ toughness and their fight.”

With the victory, Schreiner continues its developmental season undefeated in JV play and will next face the Texas Spartans on Saturday, November 1st in Round Rock, Texas.