On Saturday, August 30, 2025, the Morton Ranch High School Mavericks from Katy, TX, hosted the Aldine Nimitz Cougars at Rhodes Stadium. Kick off was scheduled for 7:30pm, but due to lightening, the stadium gates opened at 7:30pm at kick off was close to 8pm.
This was the first time that I had ever seen the Morton Ranch Mavericks play football and the first time I had ever been to a football game in Rhodes Stadium. I have been to Rhodes Stadium before, but for band contests. I'm dating myself a little bit here, but the last time I was in Rhodes Stadium, I was wearing a band uniform at the Region Band Contest. It's funny the things we remember. I remember leaving the field and being so hot that I could feel my heartbeat in the back of my head pulsing against my shako. I remember another year being in the stands (in section EE) hearing that we had earned a spot in the prelims of the state marching contest. I remember eating lunch in the parking lot being surrounded by busses. Those memories filled my mind as I watched today's high school students in the stands and on the fields for Friday Night Lights - on a Saturday evening.
I was impressed with the turnout for a school whose students, I had been told, cared more about soccer than football. Though the student section was much less than full, the parents and fans in the stands more than made up for it. The band (both bands) did a great job playing fun music and keeping the atmosphere entertaining. The fans on both sides were focused on the game, and the officials. But more on my soap box issue later.
The very first play of the game put a sour taste in the mouths of everyone wearing purple, white and black and made everyone very aware of the biggest weakness for the Mavericks - special teams. The Mavericks kicked off to the Cougars and we all watched their team work together for the ball carrier to run approximately 95 yards to score a touchdown. The Cougars special teams players threw some impressive blocks and kept Morton Ranch from having a chance to stop him. But the first snap of the game, the PAT for the Cougars, exposed one of their weak spots - they were unable to score the extra points, leading to a score of 6-0.
After the first play of the game, expectations were not high for the Mavericks; however, the offense proved us wrong. After that first play, the Mavericks proved that Coach Cavallo's optimism about the season was not unfounded. The team played well on both sides of the ball and showed heart throughout the game. The Cougars did expose weaknesses for the Mavericks, but overall they exceeded the expectations of many. If I were advising the coaching staff, I would suggest working on special teams and making sure the team has the appropriate footwear. This may seem trivial, but I saw multiple players slip and seem to trip over thin air. Proper footwear could not only prevent that; it could also prevent injuries that result from those slips and falls. Proper footwear will also offer long term protections for the feet, ankles, knees and hips. Another thing I would advise would be to avoid falling victim to Van Meter Disease. If you are new to my blog, Van Meter Disease is named after Coach Van Meter who was the head coach of our home town team when I started writing. It's the same as Einstein's definition of insanity - doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. If running up the middle only gains no more than 2 yards, do not call a play where the running back runs up the middle 3 times in a row. If you do, you will be kicking the ball on the 4th play. If however, you see that running up the left gets you a first down every time, then by all means, run up the left all night long. On the flip side, if you are the defensive coach and you see that the offense is successfully doing the same thing over and over and over, then it's time to move people around to stop that run.
For those who are new to my blog, for the last 16 years, the soapbox issue I've been writing about has been poor officiating. And it's not just for high school football games that I've been complaining. I've seen poor officiating lead to injuries as well as leading to teams who didn't deserve to lose finding themselves on the wrong side of the final score. I've taken my own daughter to Urgent Care after an official ignored too many fouls. Each would was worse than the last which led to a player forcefully elbowing my daughter in the eye during a basketball game. I've seen a state quarterfinal football game officiated so poorly that the UIL sanctioned the officiating crew. Poor officiating can make or break a game. Poor officiating can get people hurt. Poor officiating does not help anyone. If players and not playing by the rules of the game and no one tells them, they won't get any better. A player could end up on a college team before anyone tells him that what he's doing is against the rules. He will have to break 10+ years of bad habits. He will have to undo 10+ years worth of instinct. A player could also sustain serious, lifelong injuries because a game official didn't protect him by calling a fair game. Even when poor officiating affects the outcome of the game, even when the officials are choosing the winner, even when it's so bad that the UIL sanctions the officials, there are no do overs. You can't undo an injury. You can't undo the final score. You can't undo the results of a play in a game. Last night an official threw a flag when a player did nothing wrong. Last night, the officials decided the final score of the game. I'm not the only one who thought the officials just wanted to go home (after all, them game ended after 11pm). I obviously couldn't hear what Coach Cavallo was saying to the officials, but his body language wasn't hard to read and he was very justified in his anger. After going 0-10 last year, the Mavericks were looking to win their first game of the season. If the officials had called a fair game, they might have just done it. Instead they are staring the year 0-1 and going into next week's game against the Magnolia West Mustangs 0-1. The Mustangs will come into the game 1-0 after defeating Bryan in over time. If I were an official with MRHS, I would be sending film from this game, especially the second over time, to the UIL for their review. The officials from last night's game need more training and the very least.
| Box Score | |||||||
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | 1st OT | 2nd OT | Final | |
| Aldine Nimitz Cougars | 6 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 29 |
| Morton Ranch Mavericks | 8 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 27 |
