Tompkins is starting to find its groove as it goes through its district schedule.

The Falcons had a rough start to the season, but over the past two weeks, the Falcons have rectified a lot of what plagued them. Last week, it was the team’s offense that showed its growth and ability to put up points, and this week it was the Faclons defense that showed its growth. Tompkins (3-3, 2-2) put together its best defensive game of the season in a dominating 42-7 win over Morton Ranch (0-7, 0-5), stepping on the gas early and never letting up.

“They have really focused on getting better and making plays in practice and you can see them getting better each game,” said Tompkins head coach Todd McVey. “That’s what we expect them to do. They have done a great job of trusting the process and it’s starting to pay dividends on the field.”

Tompkins got things going on both sides of the ball early on and after a three and out on Morton Ranch’s first drive, the Falcons drove down the field and got a touchdown on a 2-yard run to open the scoring just three minutes into the game. Tompkins added another later in the first quarter on a 37-yard pass from Justin Thierheimer to Bisi Bello and in the second quarter they added two more touchowns, on a 37-yard pass from Thierheimer to KJ Madison and a 4-yard run from Ethan Meadows to go into the half up 20-0. The Falcons offense has started to open up the deep pass game in recent weeks and its paid dividends, creating bigger holes for the run games and giving more space for the Falcons to throw underneath and screens too.

“The stuff down the field has really made the defense back up a bit on us and with that it gives us so many options,” said senior quarterback Justin Thierheimer. “Our run game is better for it, the stuff underneath is better for it, our offensive line is in a better spot because of it. It just makes everything harder to defend when you are balanced on offense.”

Meadows added an 80-yard touchdown run on the first play of the third quarter and in the fourth quarter with backups in, quarterback Ryan Emidy ran in a 3-yard score which lit up the Tompkins sideline before Morton Ranch scored its only touchdown of the game with just over a minute left when Daniel Diarra scored on a 2-yard run.

“It was a great feeling,” Emidy said. “It meant everything, how the guys cheered us on and were so excited for us. The coaches supported all of us so much, so it was great to get a touchdown and help the team.”

Tompkins defense was dominant all game. The Falcons only allowed under 30 yards rushing and under 200 yards total on the night and a standout performer on that side was Riley Jones. The junior set the tone from the start of the game with a big tackle on the opening kickoff and made plays throughout, whether that be on special teams or defense. The only time that Morton Ranch moved the ball against the Falcons first team defense, Jones came up with a big play as well, intercepting the Mavericks in his own endzone when they were driving.

“We talked in the locker room about coming out fired up and hyped up and being ready to play,” Jones said. “I think we really did a great job of setting the tone early. The defense played with high energy all game and took advantage of the opportunities we were given, it was a fun game.”

Tompkins will face Cinco Ranch next in what may be the most important game of the season for both. It’s a matchup that could end up deciding the final playoff spot in District 19-6A and while it’s a high-pressure game, that is not what the Falcons are focused on. They are focused on themselves, being the best they can be and taking things day by day.

“It’s just about turning the page on Monday,” McVey said. “We will celebrate this one for 24 hours, but then it’s on to a very good team, just like every week in this district. But then we will turn the page to Monday and get back to preparing day by day. The biggest thing is to come out next week and have another great three days of practice.”

Tompkins 42, Morton Ranch 7

First quarter

T: Ethan Meadows 2 run (Benny Kapoor kick) 9:18

T: Justin Thierheimer 33 pass to Bisi Bello (Kapoor kick) 5:09

Second quarter

T: Thierheimer 37 pass to KJ Madison, 11:53, 11:53

T: Meadows 4 run (Thierheimer throw to Madison) 2:58

Third quarter

T: Meadows 80 run (Kapoor kick) 11:45

Fourth quarter

T: Ryan Emidy 3 run (Kapoor kick) 4:03

MR: Daniel Diarra 2 run (Kason Martinez kick)

Team Statistics

Individual Statistics

Rushing – Tompkins: Ethan Meadows, 7-98-3; Robert Bernard, 11-63; Rnnie Quinn, 6-29; Ryan Emidy, 3-25-1; Sheldon Higginbottom, 3-11; Justin Thierheimer, 6-10; Morton Ranch: Daniel Diarra, 4-15-1; Tyler Gilmore, 6-10; Jayceon Jenkins, 1-2; Tyler King, 2-(-5); Edward Vasquez, 4-(-5); JaTyren Ames, 2-(-6);

Passing – Tompkins: Justin Thierheimer, 13-15-219-2-0; Morton Ranch: Jayceon Jenkins, 7-14-135-0-1; Edward Vasquez, 4-8-50-0-0;

Receiving – Tompkins: KJ Madison, 3-55-1; James Mayes, 2-51; Carter Young, 4-44; Bisi Bello, 1-33-1; Fabi Aguirre, 2-19; Cade Bauer, 1-17; Alex Matovich, 1-10; Morton Ranch: Alex Matovich, 4-71; Chase Carroll, 3-54; Trevor Lazar, 2-48; Tyler Williams, 1-12;