Tompkins lines on both sides of the ball have started to click.

The Falcons had struggled early in the season, but have really hit their stride over the past few weeks, and a lot of that success has come from the work of the big boys up front on both sides of the ball.

That dominance up front has led to a four game winning streak for the Falcons and it was on full display on Friday as Tompkins (5-3, 4-2) topped Mayde Creek (3-6, 2-5) to bring themselves a step closer to the playoffs in a very competitive District 19-6A.

“We just take thins one game at a time and focus on getting better every single day of the week,” said senior defensive end Rotimi Olayinka. “We had to raise our level from the start of the season and we’ve just built on that every time we go out there. We want to get better and keep pushing towards the playoffs.”

The Falcons came out and committed to the run game from the opening kickoff and it paid off.

Caleb Blocker opened the scoring on a 3-yard run early in the first quarter and Mayde Creek almost answered back, taking a long drive into Falcons territory, but a blocked field goal attempt gave it back to the Falcons and Wyatt Young made it a two score game on a 55-yard touchdown run.

The Falcons went to work in the second quarter after the Young touchdown run. Blocker scored twice in the quarter, on runs of 32 and two yards and Mayde Creek was only able to respond with a field goal as time expired in the half as the Falcons took a 28-3 lead into the locker room.

Blocker finished the game with 12 runs for 108 yards and three rushing touchdowns while Young added 114 yards on the ground and a score, also throwing for 131 yards in the win.

“It’s really important for us that we come out and establish the run the way we did today,” said senior offensive lineman Ashton Funk. “Getting Wyatt Young back has been so great for us, he’s such a dynamic player for us along with Caleb Blocker and we as an offensive line just try to create as much space as we can for those two. It’s us five against them and we know if we’re able to do our jobs that those two will make plays happen every time.”

Blocker added to the lead in the pass game in the third quarter, taking a handoff before completing a jump pass for a touchdown to Rhys Phillips. The Rams got their first touchdown of the day on the ensuing kickoff that Daylin Robinson took 78 yards for a score.

The backups came in in the fourth and Tompkins added one more touchdown from Ronnie Quinn on a 9-yard run before Christian Bradford answered back with a 1-yard score of his own. Williams Duncan sealed things with a 20-yard field goal late in the fourth as Tompkins never let the Rams back in the game.

“After the first few drives I think the guys really settled in and played well,” said Tompkins head coach Todd McVey. “They understood the little nuances and different things that Mayde Creek was doing and the speed that they play with. It’s a team you have to have really good communication against and I think the guys did a good job of that and we finally fit our fits the way we should. It just got better as things went along.”

The win sets up a huge game for the Falcons against Jordan, as the Warriors also sit at 4-2 in district play. The winner of the game would clinch a playoff spot while the loser would face a tougher task heading into the last week of the regular season.

“We’re going to enjoy this one first, but we have to be ready,” McVey said. “It’s Monday first so that’s where we’re going to start and you just have to take it day by day from there.”

Tompkins 45, Mayde Creek 16

First quarter

T: Caleb Blocker 3 run (William Duncan) 9:00

Second quarter

T: Wyatt Young 55 run (Duncan kick) 11:21

T: Blocker 32 run (Duncan kick) 7:26

T: Blocker 2 run (Duncan kick) 2:05

MC: Michael Garcia 26 kick, 0:00

Third quarter

T: Blocker 2 pass to Rhys Phillips (Duncan kick) 2:30

MC: Daylin Robinson 78 kickoff return, 2:17

T: Ronnie Quinn 9 run (Duncan kick) 1:26

Fourth quarter

MC: Christian Bradford 1 run (Garcia kick) 8:11

T: William Duncan 20 field goal, 2:25

Team stats

Individual Statistics

Rushing – Tompkins: Wyatt Young, 4-114-1; Caleb Blocker, 12-108-3; Ronnie Quinn 5-66; William Sweet, 2-4; Justin Thierheimer, 1-3; Mayde Creek: Christian Bradford, 12-74-1; Trey Williams, 10-29; Tavious Mitchell, 7-26; Chad Nelson, 3-18;

Passing – Tompkins: Wyatt Young, 5-7-131-0-0; Caleb Blocker 1-1-2-1-0; Mayde Creek: Trey Williams, 7-13-76-0-0; Cole Jensen, 2-5-24-0-2;

Receiving – Tompkins: Dylan Rodriguez, 2-46; Adebisi Bello, 1-45; Dante Johnson, 1-32; Jhase McMillan, 1-6; Rhys Phillips, 1-2-1; Mayde Creek: Chad Nelson, 2-43; Tavious Mitchell 2-24; JJ Graves, 3-12; Cole Jensen, 1-11; Daylin Rodriguez, 1-10;