Malakoff entered the 2024 season as the defending 3A-DI state champions and on a 16-game winning streak. The Tigers had only one goal: to repeat, and it looked from the very start that they would once again be the favorite for the 3A-DI crown. 
Led by dynamic, playmaking quarterback Mike Jones, who accounted for over 3500 total yards and 39 touchdowns, Malakoff started the season with two dominating wins over West Rusk and Lorena. The Tigers would then have to hold off a scrappy Madisonville team with a 29-29 win, before taking down Grandview 42-14, ending non-district play 4-0 and extending their winning streak to 20 games.
District play is where we saw the dominant defense that Malakoff has become known for. Through their first five district games, they gave up a combined 16 points, and won by an average of 58 points. That would set up a showdown for the district title against 8-1 Winnsboro in the last week of the season. For the first time since non-district play, both teams would play a one-score game, with Malakoff surviving with a 35-28 win and the 7-3A-DI title, for their sixth consecutive district championship.
The Tigers went into the playoffs with the state’s number one ranking and with 26 straight wins, the longest active streak in Texas HS Football. The Tigers kept doing what they do, they dominated Tatum 62-13 in round one, and hammered Maypearl 70-7 in round two. That would set up a matchup with state-ranked and undefeated Jefferson in the regional semifinals. Malakoff was too much for the Bulldogs, as they ran away with a 31-21 win, sending them to face another state-ranked opponent and a very explosive offense, Liberty-Eylau, for the regional final. Malakoff absolutely mauled Liberty-Eylau with a dominant 35-0 win, reasserting that they are the state favorite.
Malakoff matched up with Paradise in the state semifinal, looking for their second straight title game appearance, but Malakoff would need some fourth-quarter magic to stay alive. Paradise’s defense dominated the Tigers all game, as Malakoff entered the fourth quarter trailing 19-7, but the Tiger offense, along with the help of a pick-six, woke up as they scored 20 unanswered points to escape with a 27-19 victory.
That sent Malakoff to AT&T Stadium for the second straight year, facing off with a dangerous Columbus team. The Columbus weapons and defensive line proved to be too much for the Tigers, as they fell just short of a second consecutive state title. However, a 31-game winning streak and a state title have comprised a great two-year run for Malakoff.
