I had forgotten that this is a huge rivalry game. I'm new to Morton Ranch football so I have no idea why this is a rivalry or what kind of bad blood exists between these two teams, but I was quickly reminded that the rivalry exists. The first "fight" was early in the first quarter and the scuffles continued throughout the game. Watching the game without any knowledge of the previous encounters and not being able to hear what the players were saying to each other on the field, it seemed like the officials were over reacting to everything. There were at least 3 flags every time two players started "jawing" at each other. The first one, no one swung on anyone, no one hit anyone, they just kept pushing as if the play weren't over. This continued long enough that I was honestly looking to see if someone's glove was stuck to his opponent's uniform. This was the case for most of the "fights". Having seen many a fight where someone left the field bloody, seeing this type of pushing, it really looked like the officials were over reacting to everything.
As for the officials, this week's were not the best. Not only were they over reacting, they were not calling a fair game. I've been to two games at Legacy Stadium and both times I've seen an official blow the whistle while a Maverick had the ball in bounds and was moving forward. Both times I've seen official refuse to call defensive pass interference on the team playing against the Mavericks. This game, I also saw a fumble recovered by the Mavericks and the officials decide the ball carrier was down. I've noticed that the officials won't dare watch the replay screen. They might be proven wrong, despite the fact that everyone on the stadium just saw what actually happened. I know that the UIL has people who attend random games to report on the referees. I've never spoken to one, but multiple members of my family have. I sincerely hope that someone has attended a Morton Ranch game. The UIL needs to know that these officials need more training.
On the plus side, the Mavericks started off the game with more fire than I've seen lately. If they had been playing with this much passion all season, things would probably look at little different for them at this point in the season.
I saw so much improvement in the Mavericks over last week. They were attacking the ball on every play. The defense's pass protection was tight, no one gave up on a play, and no one on the field stood still while watching a play develop. More than one of this week's attaboys were earned by not giving up on a play.
| Box Score | |||||
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | Final | |
| Mayde Creek Rams | 6 | 34 | 0 | 7 | 47 |
| Morton Ranch Mavericks | 6 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 16 |
The first attaboy for this week goes to the kicker C. Rosalez. You don't often see a field goal kicked into the wind that bounces on the uprights and falls through. Those 3 points he scored were well earned. Several other players are receiving well earned attaboys this week. If you see any of these players, be sure to give them a pat on the back. Attaboys for the game against Mayde Creek go to #31, K. Murray, M. Kinlaw, B. Liggins, S. Fontenette, J. Jenkins, C. Williams, C. Brown, L. Hernandez, J. Wilson, H. Reed, K. Jenkins, J. Williams, B. Knight, E. Rios, D. Hamilton, B. Sims, D. Sims, T. Alexander, #45, R. Johnson, & L. Bridges. I apologize to the players I whose names I don't know. I take note of jersey numbers during the game and get names from MaxPreps. If there is a better source, please let me know.
This coming week the Mavericks get their bye week. For any injured players, hopefully they will be recovered before the Mavericks play again. For the coaches and non-injured players, this is a great time to work on somethings that still need improvement. It's also a great time for everyone to get some rest and get caught up on anything that needs catching up.
If I were helping the coaches prep for their next game, I would suggest spending a significant amount of time over the next couple of week working on tackling technique. There have been too many instances where a defender gets his arms around the ball carrier only for the Maverick to fall to the ground, his arms sliding down and off the ball carrier. I've also seen some arm tackling and too many diving tackles that only tackled air. I would also suggest watching film of Maverick games, college games, and NFL games with the players and asking the players to critique the players. Doing so can help the high schoolers learn more bout how the game is played. Let them watch film of them playing defense where they are running around on the field looking like they are lost and ask them what they should have done differently. One other thing I would encourage is for the players and coaches to go to a game during this week off. There are two reasons for them to go to a game: (1) enjoy football, and (2) watch to learn. What are the teams doing well, what needs improvement, and what do they see that can be applied to their own game?
The next game for the Mavericks will be on Thursday, October 30, 2025 at Legacy Stadium. The Mavericks (1-5, 2,-6) will be on the visitor side of the stadium as they take on the Cougars of Cinco Ranch (5-1, 5-3). Kick off is scheduled for 6:30pm
Be there, be loud and 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.
