Morton Ranch Mavericks vs. Obra D. Thompkins Falcons - October 9, 2025

     On Thursday, October 9, 2025, the Thompkins Falcons hosted the Morton Ranch Mavericks at Rhodes Stadium. Kick off was at 7pm. For Morton Ranch, this was the last game of the season at Rhodes Stadium.

    As you'll see when you get down to the box score, this wasn't a great night for the Mavericks. Each week, the Mavericks have looked better than the week before; until we got to this week. I have no idea what happened this week. I don't know if the flu has been going around, or something else was out of the ordinary, but watching them play looked like something was just off. There were a few moments where things looked normal, but they were few and far between.

    If I were advising the coaches, I would tell them to revisit their pass coverage. This aspect of the game was showing marked improvement, but not in this game. I saw players standing and waiting for receivers/ball carriers to get to them. I saw defensive players standing 5+ yards away from a receiver watching while he caught the ball then running toward the receiver. I saw long passes caught with no defender anywhere near the receiver. I would encourage the coaches to teach the players to be focused on the ball and not the other team. If they were, they might have recovered the fumble at the beginning of the second half instead of tackling the player so that he landed on top of the ball. I would also advise the coaches to get to the bottom of whatever it was that had the team out of sorts. There are still 3 games left in the season and the team still has the chance to finish 4-4 in district play.

    One bright spot was the punter. He has steadily improved throughout the season and this was probably his best game yet. 

Box Score
	1st Q	2nd Q	3rd Q	4th Q	Final
Morton Ranch Mavericks	0	0	0	2	2
Obra D. Thompkins Falcons	7	28	10	6	51

    Despite the way the game turned out, there are still players who deserve a pat on the back for their efforts during the game. The players who deserve attaboys this week are C. Williams, T. Lazar, T. Eli, M. Kinlaw, M. Washington, H. Reed, Hartwell, J. Wilson, C. Rosalez, L. Hernandez, C. Brown, D. Hamilton, & S. Fontenette. There was also a player who was injured in the 3rd quarter. I'm not sure who he is (I have a guess, but I'm not positive).  I would like to wish him a speedy recovery.

    Another bright spot for this game was the Maverick Belles' halftime performance. This week was the annual "Belle and a Buddy" dance. This year's theme was Under the Sea. There were lots of surfers, inflatable fish, inflatable sharks, and even and inflatable octopus. They looked like they were having fun and the crowd loved their performance.

    Next up for the Mavericks is their last Friday night game of the season. The Mavericks will take on the Rams from Mayde Creek on Friday, October 17, 2025. Kick off is scheduled for 7pm.

    Be there, be loud and GO MAVERICKS!

Morton Ranch Mavericks vs. Paetow Panthers - October 3, 2025

     On Friday, October 3, 2025, the Morton Ranch Mavericks hosted the Paetow Panthers at Rhodes Stadium. Kick off was at 7pm.

    This was the annual Pink Out game for Morton Ranch and was junior high night for both schools. Personally this was a fun night because I had family in town who went to the game with me. 

    The start of the game was not great. While the Mavericks who took the field to start the game and throughout most of the first half might have been the same players who played against Jordan, they didn't play like that team. Watching the Paetow offense run away from the Mavericks looked like a greased pig chase. The Mavericks got to the ball carriers several times, but the Panthers slipped so many tackles. Honestly it was a little odd to watch. It kind of reminded me of a football movie where the hero is the ball carrier and he is running toward the goal line for the game winning touchdown. 

    Something else I noticed, especially in the first half was the total mismatch between players. The Mavericks not as big, not as fast and not as strong.

    Things got better in the second half. I'm not sure what the coaches said during halftime, but it was effective. If the Mavericks had played the entire game like they played the third quarter, they would have won this game. Last week I commented on the Maverick defense all chasing the QB and leaving the receivers open. I've also commented several times about the defensive backs playing too far off the receivers. This week I saw a HUGE improvement in both. Well done!

Box Score
	1st Q	2nd Q	3rd Q	4th Q	Final
Paetow Panthers	13	27	0	20	60
Morton Ranch Mavericks	8	7	14	8	37

    I did notice a Maverick or two complaining to their coaches that the referees were missing calls. While I did not see the specific things that they were complaining about, I did see a few other missed calls that did result in points on the board. Referees need to do better.

    Time for the best part of the blog - the attaboys. Because I was visiting with family during the game, I didn't catch as many jersey numbers to give the credit due for some good plays. If you see any of these players this week, please give them a pat on the back, they earned it. This week's attaboys go to C. Brown, K. Jenkins, T. Williams, C. Williams, T. Lazar, D. Hamilton, T. Williams, T. Eli, #31, H. Reed, & S. Fontenette. If anyone knows who #31 is, please let me know. I take note of jersey numbers during the game and look up their names on MaxPreps. If there is a better source for the Mavericks roster, please let me know.

    Next up for the Mavericks is their last game in Rhodes Stadium for this season. The game will take place on Thursday, October 9 between the Morton Ranch Mavericks and the Thompkins Falcons. Kick off is scheduled for 7pm. Be there or be square. 

GO MAVERICKS!

Morton Ranch Mavericks @ Jordan Warriors - September 25, 2025

     On Thursday, September 25, 2025, the Jordan Warriors hosted the Mortan Ranch Mavericks at Legacy Stadium. Kick off was at 6:30pm.

    Over the years, I have been to Legacy Stadium many times, both for band contests and for Drum Corps International; however, this was the first time I had ever been there for a football game. I do like this stadium (clean, great views, nice restrooms, and one of the best concession stands), but I do not like Thursday night games. In my humble opinion, Friday Night Lights belong on Friday nights. I completely understand why some games are on Thursdays and Saturdays - district stadiums must be shared by multiple schools, band contests occur in stadiums on Saturdays, etc. Just because I understand it doesn't mean that I prefer it.

    So, how did Morton Ranch fair against Jordan. Well, . . .  I don't know if players were missing due to grades or illnesses, but there were some obvious changes in personnel. That being said, the players who did play did a good job.

    The game started off wild. During the 1st quarter, there were 3 turn overs in about 7 plays. During that time, we discovered that the Maverick defense knows how to play offense, at least to the point that they play heads up football, know how to pick up the ball, know how to run, how to evade, and how to block. In fact, I think they block better than the offense. They were stopped before getting to the end zone, but the guys involved in that play still deserve a huge shout out!

    For the most part, the biggest problem that Morton Ranch faced during the game was size. The Warriors were just bigger and stronger. The Maverick O-line did their best to protect the quarterback, but more than once, the QB was sacked as soon as he got the ball or the running back was tackled as he was bring handed the ball. 

    As for defense, they did their best to contain the Warrior offense and were successful often. Even so, the defense needs to work on is being aware of the field. More than once I saw most of the defense chasing the QB. If the defense is chasing the QB, who is covering the receivers? Another thing to note, they seriously struggled against the pass. That being said, the pass defense is seriously improved over week one. It appears that the defensive coaches are seeing the problem and working to correct it. The students are responding well to the new scheme. I'm not sure how long it will take for that drastic of a change to be complete, but they are definitely moving in the right direction.

    I can't write a blog without talking about the referees. First, did the UIL make some penalty changes? I try to be on the lookout for those updates from the UIL, but maybe I missed some. I can also say that this was the first time I've ever seen a personal foul penalty when there was no physical contact. A couple of players started throwing words around after a play and a flag was thown and yards marked off. I also saw them blow the whistle right after a Maverick caught the ball. He was close to the sidelines but was still on his feet and still in bounds. He was hit after the whistle right in front of the official and was pushed out of bounds. Two mistakes within 5 seconds. If the official had not blown the whistle, the hit would have been justified. However, . . .

Box Score
	1st Q	2nd Q	3rd Q	4th Q	Final
Morton Ranch Marvericks	0	0	6	7	13
Jordan Warriors	6	22	14	14	56

    This game marked halfway through the regular season, but we still have 6 weeks of district play left. After 3 district games, the district standings are

District 19-6A Football Standings
	Team	Wins	Losses	Points For	Points Allowed
1	Katy Tigers	3	0	165	35
2	Jordan Warriors	3	0	122	62
3	Mayde Creek Rams	2	1	113	97
4	Cinco Ranch Cougars	2	1	105	87
5	Paetow Panthers	1	1	89	44
6	Morton Ranch Mavericks	1	2	37	130
7	Taylor Mustangs	0	3	72	114
8	Tompkins Falcons	0	2	71	85
9	Seven Lakes Spartans	0	2	43	94

    Now it's time for the best part of the blog - the attaboys. If you see any of these players this week, be sure to give them a pat on the back, they earned it. This week's attaboys go to: #50, J. Wilson, H. Reed, M. Kinlaw, S. Fontenette, M. Washington, E. Butler, D. Hamilton, C. Williams, #18, T. Williams, L. Hernandez, T. Alexander, T. Robinson, C. Brown, T. Eli, B. Knight, K. Jenkins, K. Murray, D. Sims, R. Johnson, I. Altuma, & A. Francis. I apologize to the players whose names I don't know. I take notes during the game and get the names from MaxPreps. If there is a better source for the player roster, PLEASE let me know.

    Next up for the Mavericks will be a Friday game against the Paetow Panthers. Kick off will be at 7pm on October 3rd at Rhodes Stadium. Morton Ranch will be the home team. Be there, be loud and GO MAVERICKS!

Katy Taylor Mustangs @ Morton Ranch Mavericks - September 18, 2025

    On Thursday, September 18, 2025, the Morton Ranch Mavericks' Homecoming game was played against the Mustangs from Katy Taylor High School at Rhodes Stadium.

    The Mavericks won the toss and received the kick off to start the game. This seems to be their preferred choice when they win the toss. Unfortunately, the game started with mistake after mistake after mistake for the Mavericks. The first drive they went three and out. The second drive was all bad handoffs and bad snaps.  Third drive was the same. After an offensive meeting on the sideline and multiple people warming up to play center, the problem was solved. Which is a very good thing since the Mustangs were racking up points while the Mavericks were trying to figure things out. The box score below makes this obvious.

    Morton Ranch showed determination and improvement on both sides of the ball.  That being said, I still don't like the defensive scheme. What I don't like about it is that they don't do a great job of protecting against the pass if it's not thrown across the middle. Taylor however,  put on a clinic for how to defend against the pass. I think some of the Maverick players noticed, because I saw some of them trying to emulate their opponents. I think the Maverick coaches would do well to go back and watch Taylor's pass coverage. There are some lessons to be learned there. If I were advising the coaches, I would tell them that in addition to studying Taylor's pass defense, I would also have the defense run drills against the offense. I would tell the defensive backs to stick to the receivers like glue and make sure every time the ball was thrown, a defender caught it. Obviously, I'm talking about when a pass is thrown down field and not a screen pass or a reverse. The hardest part is learning to read the offense. That is a process that takes time and experience. Once they learn that, they will know when to close ranks near the line, when to shift right or left and when to stick to the receivers. 

    To my soapbox issue - while these officials were by far not the worst I've ever seen, I do feel like they got some calls wrong and even missed or ignored a few. At one point in the game, I felt like they might have been trying to help out one team over the other. 

    The best part of every week - the attaboys. If you see any of these players this week, please give them a pat on the back. They earned it. This week's attaboys go to J. Wilson, M. Kinlaw, M. Washington, D. Sims, S. Fontenette, C. Izquierdo, C. Brown, #50, J. Jenkins, T. Eli, J. Alexander, K. Jenkins, T. Lazar, C. Williams, L. Hernandez, T. Williams, R. Nichols, C. Rosales & D. Hamilton. I apologize for not having a name for #50. I take notes of jersey numbers during the game and then look up names on MaxPreps. If there is a better source for the team roster, please let me know.

Box Score
	1st Q	2nd Q	3rd Q	4th Q	Final
Katy Taylor Mustangs	17	0	0	0	17
Morton Ranch Marvericks	0	6	8	10	24

    Due to the homecoming activities at halftime, the Maverick Marching Band performed their show after the game. As the band was preparing to begin, I noticed the football coaches calling the players down to the field. The players sat behind the end zone and watched the band perform. It was great to see the football players supporting the band. Football doesn't often have the opportunity to do that and it's great when they take the opportunity when it does present itself.

    If anyone is interested, below are the district standings for District 19-6A. There are 7 weeks to go in district play. The top 4 teams from each district advance to the playoffs.

District 19-6A Football Standings
	Team	Wins	Losses	Points For	Points Against
1	Katy Tigers	2	0	113	28
2	Jordan Warriors	2	0	66	49
3	Mayde Creek Rams	1	1	77	63
4	Cinco Ranch Cougars	1	1	70	59
5	Morton Ranch Mavericks	1	1	24	74
6	Paetow Panthers	1	0	55	44
7	Seven Lakes Spartans	0	1	3	42
8	Tompkins Falcons	0	2	71	85
9	Taylor Mustangs	0	2	44	79

    Next up, the Mavericks will move over to Legacy Stadium for their first game of the season on that turf. The Mavericks (2-2, 1-1) will play the Jordon Warriors (3-1, 2-0) on Thursday, September 25, 2025. Kick off is scheduled for 6:30pm.

Be there, be loud, and GO MAVERICKS!

Morton Ranch Mavericks @ Katy Tigers - September 12, 2025I

     On Friday, September 12, 2025, the Katy Tigers opened district play by hosting the Morton Ranch Mavericks at Rhodes Stadium. Kick off was at 7:30pm.

    Before the game, it was announced that students would be running the audio and visual technology during the game. Those students did a great job. I especially liked the starting line ups for each team. Also before the game, a group of ROTC students presented the colors for the National Anthem. I was impressed that the students waited until the colors had left the field before leaving their respectful positions. Some of the fans didn't know this piece of ettiquite, but once they realized what was going on, they quickly corrected.  Kudos! Something else I noticed, I do not recall there being a moment of silence. Whatever the opposite of kudos is, that's what is deserved for forgetting this important part of the customary pre-game routine.

    Interesting piece of trivia - before the moment of silence was common at games, there was a student-led prayer. A high school student would recite a prayer for safety before each game. In the 1990s, a law suit was filed against Santa Fe High School in regard to this custom.  Despite the prayer being student-initiated and student-led, the United States Supreme Court in 2000 ruled 6-3 that this violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. In response to the decision, a moment of silence replaced the prayer.

    Now to the game.

    I have to say that the outcome of the game was not unexpected. Katy is a perennial powerhouse and Morton Ranch is an aspiring team that is working hard to have a winning season. To be honest, my hope for this game was 0 injuries and that Morton Ranch would put some points on the board before the game was over. Half of my hopes were fulfilled - there were no injuries. It wasn't that every Tiger played better than every Maverick on every play.  It was that Katy was bigger, stronger, and knew the Maverick's defensive scheme. I saw a Katy player drag a Morton Ranch Player. I saw a Katy Tiger push Mavericks out of the way. I also saw the Tiger defense effectively defend against the pass - to the point that they intercepted more than one. Morton Ranch on the other hand, simply did not have an effective pass defense. The Mavericks did not have the strength to create holes for the running back. And the Mavericks didn't have creative play calling. One thing that the Mavericks did display was heart. More than one Maverick did not give up on the chase. Not until the Tiger that they were chasing crossed the goal line.

    My hope as the Mavericks prepare for next week is that the coaches would spend time with the players - watching film and taking the time to explain what they are seeing, what went right and what could have been done better. I hope that the coaches take the time to raise the players' football IQ and that the student-athletes would understand more about the game after the film sessions. I hope that they are able to correct the mistakes (offsides, false starts, delay of game). I hope that as the Mavericks prepare for their next game that they are able to put this loss behind them and focus on the next team and not what happened during this game.

Box Score
	1st Q	2nd Q	3rd Q	4th Q	Final
Morton Ranch Mavericks	0	0	0	0	0
Katy Tigers	23	10	21	3	57

    The box score really says it all.

    

    Despite the score, there are still plenty of players who deserve attaboys for the efforts in this game. If you see any of these players this week, please be sure to give them a pat on the back. They earned it. This week's attaboys go to J. Jenkins, C. Williams, M. Washington, T. Eli, #31, K. Jenkins, R. Nichols, H. Reed, C. Meche, E. Rios, D. Hamilton, T. Robinson, T. Williams, S. Fontenette, M Kinlaw, G. Obikili, T. Alexander, & J. Wilson. I take note of jersey numbers during the game and look up names on MaxPreps. If there is a better source for the roster, please let me know.

    

    Next up for the Mavericks is a Thursday game on September 18. The Mavericks will attempt to get back on track when they play the Katy Taylor Mustangs at Rhodes Stadium. Kick off is scheduled for 7pm.

Go Mavericks!

Disclaimer: My football education is from attending high school football games for 45+ years and sitting between my dad and my grandpa for the first 12 of those years. I continue to learn more about the game and strategies every week. My vocabulary may be lacking, but I know what I see and describe it as best I can.