After Morton Ranch and Seven Lakes traded touchdowns in the opening four minutes of their Saturday, Nov. 2, game at Legacy Stadium, it suggested a back-and-forth offensive showdown between the two teams.

Instead, both defenses bore down and neither team scored a touchdown for the remaining 44 minutes. A 36-yard field goal by Morton Ranch kicker Gabriel Garcia with 7:48 left in the second quarter proved to be the deciding factor in the Mavericks’ 10-7 win, which kept their playoff hopes alive and still largely under their control.

Morton Ranch improved to 5-4 overall, 2-3 in District 19-6A play, while the Spartans fell to 3-6, 0-5 in district.

Senior defensive lineman Brandon Brown and junior defensive end Jacoby Graham made the difference for the Mavericks, as both continually harassed Seven Lakes junior quarterback Cristian Beltran throughout the game. Beltran was sacked eight times, with Brown and Graham having three sacks each.

“We’ve been waiting to get off like that,” Brown said, adding that there was a friendly, competitive spirit between he and his teammate. “I told him (Graham) that he had to beat me to the quarterback. On the field, it worked today.”

Graham attributed their success to the coaching staff.

“It was pretty much all coaching,” he said. “Coaches were telling me to get off the line and use my hands, get off at the snap of the ball.”

The best example of the pressure came on consecutive plays in the third quarter. On second-and-10, Brown used a speed rush to meet Beltran at the same time the shotgun snap did, sacking him immediately for a six-yard loss.

On the next play, Brown was double-teamed but still pushed both Spartans linemen backward, forcing Beltran to sidestep and move up in the pocket. Graham immediately tackled him for a sack and a two-yard loss.

“I told him that we were going to do that all game,” Brown said of the sequence. “Every time I pressured up the middle, (Beltran) turned right back to him.”

Senior defensive back Jaelon Parker also had an interception for the Mavericks, and their defensive special teams also excelled. The Spartans attempted a field goal at the end of the first half, but couldn’t get the kick off because of a bad snap and a strong rush by Morton Ranch. In the second half, Seven Lakes dropped a punt return, which was quickly covered by Morton Ranch players.

It came down to defense for the Mavericks because the offense was limited to only four plays greater than 10 yards in the second half. Seven Lakes did a good job containing Morton Ranch skill players, as the longest gain was a 16-yard run by Mavericks quarterback Jaymarcus Wilson.

Morton Ranch managed just 232 total yards but held Seven Lakes to 213.

Seven Lakes forced a Morton Ranch punt with 1:56 left in the game, taking over at its own 28-yard line. The Spartans drove to the Mavericks’ 44-yard line, but a stiff hit on a wide receiver led to a fumble with 52 seconds left, and Morton Ranch ended the game with two kneel-downs.

Morton Ranch coach Ron Counter said he relied on his defense in the second half.

“It wasn’t very pretty,” he said. “We did a lot of things wrong. We had some personal fouls and some late hits on the quarterback. We had too many penalties, but the defense really came through at the end. I may have been a little too conservative at the end, but I have confidence in our defense and they made plays when they needed to.”

In terms of defensive philosophy, Counter said they put many of their best athletes on that side of the ball.

“More times than not, it works out,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in our defense. We’ve got a lot of good players on that end, and they won the game for us.”

With the win, the Mavericks remain alive for the fourth and final playoff spot in 19-6A and control their own destiny to an extent.

Heading into the regular season’s final week this week, Mayde Creek holds the inside positioning with a 3-2 record in district play and a win head-to-head against Taylor, which is also 3-2. Taylor can clinch a playoff spot with a win in its finale, but it would require a major upset against undefeated Katy on Thursday, Nov. 7, at Legacy Stadium.

If Taylor loses, the Mustangs need help to get in.

Mayde Creek and Morton Ranch face each other in their respective district finales on Friday, Nov. 8, at Legacy Stadium. Mayde Creek clinches the No. 3 district seed with a win, which would also put Taylor in the No. 4 spot.

Counter said a win by Morton Ranch would set up a three-way tie for the last two spots, at which point the tiebreaker is point differential in head-to-head matchups.

According to Counter, a Morton Ranch win by four points or more against Mayde Creek would give the Mavericks a plus-one differential and the No. 3 seed in district, with Mayde Creek then qualifying as the fourth and final playoff team because the Rams beat Taylor head-to-head. If Morton Ranch wins by three points or less, then Mayde Creek is the No. 3 team and Taylor qualifies as the fourth seed, because the Mustangs beat the Mavericks head-to-head.

The only way Mayde Creek does not get into the playoffs is if Taylor beats Katy and Morton Ranch beats the Rams.

“We’re going to have to play better, because Mayde Creek is better on offense this year, and a whole lot better on defense,” Counter said. “It’s a big game between the Morton Ranch kids and the Mayde Creek kids, and it’s kind of exciting this year that the last game, there’s more to it and playoff spots are on the line.”