Bishop Lynch picked the right time to get its season back on track, using a pair of defensive touchdowns to not only overcome an early deficit, but help pave the way for Friday's 38-21 win over Midland Christian in the district opener for both teams at Roffino Stadium.

The Friars (2-2, 1-0) fell into an early 14-0 hole after the Mustangs (2-2, 0-1) struck for the big play — a 73-yard TD pass from Westin Elliott to McLane Mannix — before adding Luke Sheppard's four-yard scoring run.

Bishop Lynch countered to slice the lead in half on Tristan Smith's six-yard run, and tied the score late in the first when Titus Beacham picked off Elliott and returned the ball for a 25-yard score.

The momentum continued to swing in the second period as Jermaine Mask (117 rushing yards) scored on a 10-yard run. Later, as the Mustangs were driving for a potential game-tying touchdown, Zach Russell stepped in front of a MCHS screen pass and took the ball 88 yards to the house, giving the Friars a 28-14 halftime advantage.

Mask scored for a second time in the third to make it 35-14. Sheppard put the Mustangs' final points on the board in the fourth before Sergey Blansit nailed a 33-yard field goal to close the book on Midland Christian.

The Friar defense forced four turnovers in the contest, including three interceptions. Smith put together his most efficient outing of the season, completing 16-of-24 passes for 209 yards, and added 43 yards on the ground. Drayton Delaney led BL with 105 yards on four receptions while Trapp Hawthorne added 52 yards on six catches.

The Friar offense punted just once in the game and avoided turning over the ball to notch a +4 in the turnover column.

Bishop Lynch travels to Argyle on Friday to face Liberty Christian (3-1, 1-0) at Bowles Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the contest can be watched live on Sportsgram.net.

Photos: Click here

Box Score: Click here

— Cliff Gibson, Sports Information Director