The Mead Mavericks and Holy Family faced off on Friday, October 3, at home, resulting in a close 27-21 loss in the second half, breaking the team’s winning streak of 4-0. Holy Family pulled the win by scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Both teams had three-and-outs on their first possessions. On the Mavericks’ second possession, the run game got going, which led to an Ethan Elmore (‘27) to Eli Davis (‘26) connection. It was a 31-yard touchdown grab for Davis on a post route in tight coverage.
The Tigers were unable to respond and the first quarter ended with the Mavericks leading 7-0. The defense would make another stand as Holy Family would be unable to convert on fourth down. The offense took advantage of the opportunity and finished another drive in the end zone. Another Elmore to Davis connection was successful, this time from 12-yards out.
The defense would make another stand, and the offense would take the field again. However, this possession did not go the Mavericks’ way, and Holy Family intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown.
Both teams were unable to score before the half, and the score was 13-7. The closest game of the Mavs’ season so far.
The Tigers’ second possession of the second half was an 11-play, 89-yard drive, which gave them the lead. It is the first time the Mavericks have trailed this season. The fourth quarter started with Holy Family leading 14-13. They were driving into Mead’s territory. It was 4th down and inches. The Tigers had the ball. They went for a QB sneak, but they were short. The Mavericks’ offense would take over.
The offense knew they had to come in clutch if they wanted to win this game. They went on a 14-play drive that took four minutes off the clock. Carter Woods (‘26) finished the drive in the endzone with a run up the middle. The Mavs went for two, where Elmore connected with Griffin Kratochvil (‘26) to make the score 21-14.
However, this game was not over yet. Holy Family connected for a 78-yard touchdown and weren’t satisfied. They were going for two and the lead. The ball was dropped in the end zone, and the lead was now cut to one. The offense would take over, trying to run out the clock, but it would only get to 34 seconds before the Tigers got the ball back.
The Tigers got to work right away. They started with a crossing route that went for 34 yards, and on the very next play, they threw a deep ball that was caught for a touchdown. The offense had 18 seconds to score a touchdown. The effort was there, but they were unable to score.
The Mavericks’ perfect regular seasons have never fared for them anyway. When you’re the “top dog,” everyone is out to beat you. This loss is going to motivate the team to be even better. This game is similar to the 2021 season, where the Mavericks were beaten badly by Roosevelt and Frederick. They faced Roosevelt in the semifinals and returned the favor to them to advance to the state championship. Last season, a close loss to Windsor motivated the team to work even harder. That team would go on to barely lose in the state championship. These types of losses at this point in the season are not always a bad thing.
Despite the disappointment of the loss, the team was still able to look back on the game positively. Outside linebacker Issac Sword (‘26) stated, “We haven’t had a game this year where we’ve had to maintain four quarters of effort straight, and everyone was going all four quarters. We rallied around our guys, and even without the win, we gave full effort.”
