Mayde Creek has found its footing over the past month.

The Rams had to overcome some struggles early in the season, figuring out a new offensive system and learning how to succeed in a new culture on the fly.

But things have started to click lately for the Rams. In their past four games, Mayde Creek has 20 points in each and in their last two they have surpassed 30 points in both.

It’s been spearheaded by the teams aerial attack. Trey Williams has settled into the starting quarterback role and he has started to thrive. He is spreading the ball around and getting all of the Rams talented players at the skill positions.

That success showed up again on Thursday, as the Rams (5-4, 3-4) put together a complete game in all three phases while beating Seven Lakes (3-6, 1-6) 44-14 with Mayde Creek continuing to gain momentum late in district play.

“It’s been rewarding seeing these guys continue to work and start to get all of this down,” said Mayde Creek head coach Mike Arogbonlo. “They are understanding what we need out of them and I’m understanding the best way to use them. It’s been awesome, there was some frustration at the beginning and it took a while, but we’re starting to see what our offense could be. The skies the limit and we’re hoping to build on this and continue using that momentum through the season and into the offseason.”

Seven Lakes struck first in the game. After the Spartans and Rams traded turnover on downs to start the game, Seven Lakes took over deep in its own territory and scored when Apollo Lema broke through the middle  on a 79-yard run for a touchdown. 

The game stayed that way until the second quarter, then Mayde Creek trimmed into the lead on a 45-yard touchdown pass from Trey Williams to Daylin Robinson. Mayde Creek got aggressive and got the ball back on a surprise onside kick and then took the lead two plays later when Williams threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to David Matthews Jr. The Rams added a 37-yard field goal later in the half by Michael Garcia, but Seven Lakes was able to answer back late in the second quarter, driving down the field before Edgar Varela ran in a 2-yard touchdown that trimmed Mayde Creek’s lead to 17-14 heading into halftime. 

“We’re just a whole new offense and a whole new team,” said senior quarterback Trey Williams. “We’ve grown so much from last year and even from the start of this season and you can see how the work we have been putting in has paid off.”

The Rams came out and dominated the second half. They added a 48-yard field goal from Garcia to start the third and Williams got the team to the endzone twice more, one on a 30-yard pass to Matthews Jr. and another on a 12-yard run before Garcia added one final field goal and Juice Vela ran in a 2-yard touchdown to cap off the scoring.

Williams ended the night with 152 yards in the air and 70 yards on the ground, scoring four touchdowns while Johnson had 84 yards receiving on six catches. That duo has been front and center to the teams success and they are embracing the new culture fully in their senior years.

“it’s just been really fun,” Robinson said. “We’re building something special here and I’ve just been put in a position to succeed with how we are playing. The best part though is in these fourth quarters while we’re ahead. Being able to see the other guys get in, get there shine and rooting those guys on. That’s the most special part for me.”

Mayde Creek closes out its season against Katy next week. The Rams though, aren’t focused on any particular opponent. For them, this is about themselves, continuing to improve and showing they can play well in all three phases.

“All three phases tonight really came together. That’s exactly what we have been trying get these kids to play for nine weeks and they put it all together tonight,” Arogbonlo said. “I just emphasized to them in the locker that ‘this is who we are and who we can be on a week to week basis.’ It doesn’t matter who we play next week it’s about ourselves and looking beyond our opponent. These guys have really bought into that and we’re just going to try and keep building.”

Mayde Creek 44, Seven Lakes 14

First quarter

SL: Apollo Lema 79 run (Alex Farinez kick) 6:50

Second quarter

MC: Trey Williams 45 pass to Daylin Robinson, 11:19

MC: Williams 30 pass to David Matthews Jr. (Williams run) 10:47

MC: Michael Garcia 37 field goal, 7:04

SL: Edgar Varela 2 run (Farinez kick) 0:20

Third quarter

MC: Garcia 48 field goal, 9:15

MC: Williams 30 pass to Matthews Jr., 3:57

Fourth quarter

MC: Williams 12 run (Williams run) 10:47

MC: Garcia field goal, 7:15

MC: Juice Vela 2 run (Garcia kick) 2:40

Team Statistics

Individual Statistics

Rushing – Mayde Creek: Juice Vela, 13-79-1; Trey Williams, 12-70-1; Jaylin Cousin, 5-34; Christian Bradford, 2-29; Michael Shifatu, 2-12; Daylin Robinson, 1-2; Seven Lakes: Apollo Lema, 9-100-1; Edgar Varela, 8-13-1; Braylon Hayes, 5-3; Dominik Davis, 2-(-6), Shaan Patel, 3-(-7);

Passing – Mayde Creek: Trey Williams, 14-25-152-3-1; Seven Lakes: Shaan Patel, 8-19-88-0-0;

Receiving – Mayde Creek: Daylin Robinson, 6-84-1; David Matthews, 3-60-2; Stone Bankston, 2-8; Marcus Estes, 1-4; Montrae LeBlanc, 1-1; Christian Bradford, 1-0; Michael Shifatu, 1-(-1); Seven Lakes: Kaiser Floyd, 2-35; Peter Noonan, 3-27; Apollo Lema, 1-13; Carter Hatten, 1-10; Edgar Varela, 1-3;