Playoff-bound Rams down Mavericks for 8th victory
Mayde Creek senior offensive lineman Curtis Stripling said he saw the talent as soon as junior high, when some of the current Rams won a district title.
The Rams were already assured of their first playoff spot since 2008 entering the Nov. 8 season finale at Legacy Stadium.
With that still sinking in, Mayde Creek completed its best regular season in a decade with a 47-27 win against rival Morton Ranch.
“It’s exciting,” Mayde Creek coach Mike Rabe said. “To watch our kids work the way they’ve done to get to this point, see them come away with an 8-2 record, they’ve done a really good job. I’m really excited for them.”
The Rams will play in the Class 6A Division II bracket next week. The opponent had not been determined at press time.
The Rams’ win also put Katy Taylor in the Division II bracket, with the Mustangs avoiding a three-way tie with Morton Ranch.
Mayde Creek made strides the last two years, if not clearly reflected in record. The Rams did not win a 19-6A game last year but quickly established a different tone once league play began this year.
“We’ve been talking about playoffs since my sophomore year,” senior linebacker Victor Holdman said. “To make this come true, it feels good. This year the team has been coming together more than other years. Other years we had the talent but we didn’t have a team that came together. That was the difference.”
Mayde Creek could not have started much better, with Donte Jones and Julius Loughridge finishing early drives for a 14-0 lead.
The Rams recovered a fumble shortly after, and a catch by L’Den Skinner set up Loughridge’s second touchdown for a 21-0 lead less than nine minutes into the game.
The Rams even answered Morton Ranch’s first touchdown quickly, as Devin Winfield’s scoring catch cut into the lead by the end of the quarter.
Mayde Creek took advantage of a pass interference call on third and long to set up a 46-yard strike from Jones in stride to Skinner for a 28-7 lead.
But the last six minutes of the half belonged to the Mavericks.
Jaymarcus Wilson rushed for every bit of a 70yard march, then scored again after a fumble recovery by Brandon Sciba and a 28-yard juggling catch by Josh Gaton.
Gabriel Garcia set up for a 38-yard field goal, but the Mavericks pitched to Gaton, who found Brandon Brown for a 21-yard touchdown with 1:27 left. They could not convert the point-after kick, leaving the halftime score 28-27 after an interception in Morton Ranch territory by D’shawn Winfield.
“Their mentality is really good,” Rabe said. “They don’t really get too high or too low at any point in the game. Morton Ranch made a good run at us at the end of the half there and got the game close. They came out with a finishing mindset and did that in the second half.”
A 12-play, 83-yard drive ended with a 28-yard screen pass for a touchdown by Eddie Harrell on third and 13.
An interception by Joseph Kinyock set up the final score of the game as John Zolacha snuck in with 49 seconds remaining.
“We practice how we play,” Jones said. “We’ve been working hard every day, getting each other better. The defense hitting hard, offense going hard. When we get in the game it shows.”
For the first time in 11 years, the Rams’ will continue working.