Facing a 10-point deficit with 6:21 left in a high-stakes District 19-6A game against Taylor on Friday, Oct. 18, Mayde Creek relied on its two strengths—a big-play offense and stout, high-energy defense—to rally and stage a thrilling comeback, scoring a pair of touchdowns and holding off a final Taylor threat for a 14-10 win at Rhodes Stadium.

The win pushed the Rams (6-1, 2-1 19-6A) closer to securing their first playoff appearance since 2008. It also foiled the Mustangs’ plans to become the first Katy ISD team to clinch a postseason berth this season.

The final six minutes were filled with highs and lows for the Rams, as they seemingly won and lost the game multiple times.

Taylor’s final possession over the last 1-minute, 18-seconds featured a Mayde Creek interception negated by a roughing-the-passer penalty and four shots at the end zone from the Rams’ 17-yard line.

The game wasn’t finally over until junior defensive back Levante Bishop knocked the ball out of a receiver Tanner Isola’s hands in the corner of the end zone on a fourth-down play as time expired.

“It was a little nerve-wracking, especially after getting into a situation where we thought we had an interception,” Mayde Creek coach Mike Rabe said of the final sequence. “We had a penalty that went against that, so for our defense to rise up and make some plays at the end there, it was really exciting.”

The flurry of action in the game’s final quarter was in stark contrast to the previous three. Both defenses excelled, with Taylor holding on to a narrow 3-0 halftime lead before a quarterback sneak by junior J. Jensen III for a touchdown and 10-0 advantage with 6:21 left. That drive was only kept alive by two pass interference calls against Mayde Creek.

The touchdown seemed to wake Mayde Creek’s offense up, though, and especially quarterback and wideout Donte Jones. The junior split snaps in the pocket with senior John Zolacha, who found him for the first touchdown on a lofted 32-yard pass in the corner of the end zone with 5:10 remaining.

“Next play, next play, next play,” Jones said, repeating the team’s mantra this year when asked how they put the first three quarters behind them. “It’s all about the next play, and you can’t worry about the previous play.”

The Rams forced Taylor to a three-and-out the ensuing possession, and more importantly, their special teams punt rush forced a drop on the snap. Mayde Creek took over on the Taylor 30-yard line with 3:47 left as a result.

After an incomplete pass, there was yet another series of wild swings. Zolacha threw an interception, but on the ensuing return, the defensive back was hit and stripped of the ball by Mayde Creek running back Julius Loughridge.

The Rams retained possession and scored six plays later with 1:27 left, after Jones kept the ball for a 14-yard rushing touchdown on a read option. At that point, Mayde Creek, boasting the No. 2 defense in 19-6A entering the game, made its final defensive stand to seal the win.

Joseph Kinyock, a junior defensive back, attributed the unit’s success this year with a change in mindset, and again repeated the team’s mantra.

“Instead of worrying about making plays, we’re focused on doing our own job and next play, next play,” he said. “We’re not worried about one big play. We clear that out and move on to the next. It’s about doing our job, filling our gaps, reading our man, and reading our keys and staying on it the whole game, even if we don’t make the play.”

Rabe said the coaches have tried to stress that sort of short-term memory to the team, to channel its intensity better. He was confident that if the defense held up, the offense, ranked No. 3 in the district, would eventually come around.

Mayde Creek held Taylor to 222 total yards. Claiming the district’s second-best rushing attack, the Mustangs mustered just 57 yards on 34 carries.

“All we can control is our next rep,” Rabe said. “That’s what we keep telling them. Our points are coming at some point, we’ve been able to score with our offense, so we knew at some point we’d be able to get it going again.”

Before the Taylor win, Mayde Creek had not won two games in district play since 2010. The Rams had not won six games in a season since 2008.

Taylor, which entered on a three-game win streak, could have clinched a playoff spot with the win, and instead fell to 5-3 overall, 3-1 in district play, with tough challenges against Tompkins and Katy remaining. One more win secures a playoff spot for Taylor.

“It’s a big program win for us,” Rabe said. “These dudes are always fired up. Every day, they’re ready to go. Once they sensed the moment, they really got after it … We’ve just got to line up and keep playing every play. We tell them that going into every football game.”