Navarro, ranked No. 8 nationally, defeated No. 12 Tyler Junior College 43-30 on Saturday afternoon, October 17, 2026, in a Southwest Junior College Football Conference game held at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium. The Bulldogs secured their victory by scoring the final 22 points of the contest.
Tyler Junior College had established a 30-21 lead early in the third quarter following an 8-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Luke Ullrich to Khalil Ewell. However, Navarro then began its decisive comeback. Quarterback TJ Tupou connected with Braylen Harris for a 47-yard touchdown pass with 7:50 remaining in the third quarter, narrowing TJC’s lead to 30-28. Hubert Caliste then gave Navarro the lead, scoring on a 6-yard touchdown run with 2:50 left in the third quarter, making the score 35-30. The Bulldogs solidified their win with 4:09 left in the contest when Bralen Smith ran for a 6-yard touchdown.
The Apaches opened the scoring after a short pass from Ullrich to Ewell went 64 yards, setting up a 3-yard touchdown run by Ashton Searl, giving TJC a 7-0 lead with 11:08 on the clock in the first quarter. Navarro quickly responded with an 83-yard touchdown pass from Tupou to Harris, tying the score at 7-7. TJC regained the lead after a 13-play drive concluded with a 25-yard field goal by Chris Meagher, pushing the score to 10-7 with 3:29 left in the first quarter.
Navarro took its first lead in the opening minute of the second quarter with a 12-yard touchdown run by Tupou, putting the Bulldogs ahead 14-10. TJC's Ewell returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards, positioning the Apaches in Navarro territory, which Gavin Black converted into a 4-yard touchdown run to give TJC a 17-14 advantage. On the subsequent drive, despite TJC pushing Navarro to a second and 25, Josiah Bushnell broke free for a 43-yard touchdown, restoring Navarro’s lead to 21-17 with 3:31 remaining in the first half. A 51-yard pass from Ullrich to Braylyn Brandon then set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Ullrich. The Apaches successfully stopped the Bulldogs on fourth down, taking a 23-21 lead into halftime.
The third quarter began with TJC’s Camron Vines returning the opening kickoff 71 yards. A 10-yard penalty against Navarro placed the Apaches at the Bulldog 10-yard line, leading to Ullrich’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Ewell and the 30-21 TJC lead. TJC recovered the subsequent kickoff when David Mensah came away with the ball, but then fumbled on the next play, which Navarro’s Nehemiah Borner recovered. This turnover led to Tupou's 47-yard touchdown pass to Harris, beginning Navarro’s comeback.
After Navarro established a 35-30 lead with Caliste’s touchdown run, TJC was stopped on fourth down. Later, the Apaches started a drive at their own 5-yard line and advanced 11 plays before an interception by Navarro’s Jarius Williams. The Bulldogs then sealed the victory with Smith's touchdown run and stopped TJC on fourth down at the Navarro 15-yard line with 1:44 remaining.
Navarro concluded the game with 463 total yards, while Tyler Junior College accumulated 396 total yards. For Navarro, Hubert Caliste led rushers with seven carries for 63 yards, all gained in the second half. Josiah Bushnell contributed 60 rushing yards, and TJ Tupou added 48 yards on the ground. Through the air, Tupou completed 14 of 20 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns. Braylen Harris was Navarro’s top receiver with four catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns.
For Tyler Junior College, Luke Ullrich led the offense with 17 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown, in addition to completing 12 of 22 passes for 187 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Braylyn Brando had three receptions for 78 yards. Khalil Ewell contributed two catches for 72 yards and a touchdown, alongside 11 carries for 36 rushing yards. Ashton Searl also ran for 36 yards on eight carries.
Penalties played a role in the contest. Navarro committed 15 penalties for a total of 111 yards throughout the game, with eight infractions for 66 yards in the first half. Tyler Junior College had four penalties for 34 yards, with no penalties in the first half.
Tyler Junior College, now with a 5-3 overall record and 3-3 in conference play, will host New Mexico Military on October 24. Navarro, with a 6-2 overall record and 5-1 in conference play, will play at Snow.
