Deacon Johnston and the THS Student Media program earned fourth place in the state at the UIL Young Filmmakers Film Festival in Austin on Thursday with their compelling documentary about the Cougars football team. The film, a condensed version of a longer piece previously shown on campus, centers on quarterback Jaxson Faldyn as he overcomes a devastating injury to make a triumphant return to the field.
The UIL Film Festival, which includes multiple competition categories, attracted 691 entries this year. In addition to Johnston, the film’s creative team included Ace Garcia, Jessica Dale Cox, Leonard Mabry, and Oakland Ashmore, all of whom contributed to the project’s statewide success. Reflecting on the achievement, Johnston said, “It was a really great experience, and it was cool getting recognized for something so personal to me, but being able to share that experience with all the people who helped throughout the process was the most important thing to me.”
