The Mayde Creek football team knew early Saturday afternoon it would be in for a dogfight with winless Morton Ranch.

But no one had a grasp on how crazy the afternoon would get until the fourth quarter, and even then it was tough to get a sure hand on things.

Mason Hooper’s 31-yard interception return for a touchdown, a pick the junior cornerback made only after Morton Ranch quarterback Matt Bumer’s pass bounced off at least two Mayde Creek defenders, sealed a 31-24 win in a District 18-5A game at Rhodes Stadium.

“I saw the receiver run the slant and I had great defense by (defensive back) Lamar Coward. I saw the ball spin on his helmet, I grabbed it and ran it for a touchdown,” Hooper said. “It was amazing. I couldn’t have done it without Lamar Coward. It was a great team play.”

That capped the turnaround from a seven-point halftime deficit and kept Morton Ranch (0-6 overall, 0-3 district) from its first win.

Chris West ran for a 57-yard touchdown on the first play of the second half to tie the game at 21, and Roberto Alfaro’s 30-yard field goal midway through the fourth gave the Rams (4-2, 2-1) the lead for good. The ensuing kickoff backed the Mavericks up to their own 16, and on third-down Hooper intercepted Bumer and tightroped the left sideline to make it 31-21.

“Off one kid’s head, spun onto another kid’s head and it looked like it was stuck to his head and Mason takes it back,” Mayde Creek coach Lance Carter said. “That was good for him. We had a lot of fun tonight.”

West rushed 17 times for a game-high 124 yards. He shared time in the backfield with Justin Giglio, whose 62 yards on 10 carries helped spread Morton Ranch’s defense enough for quarterback Will Handlin to throw for two touchdowns.

“We have two great backs; why waste one?” West said. “We were both anxious to get on the field and run the ball. He’s been waiting patiently. I love the formation a lot. It’s something new to spice the offense up.”

Handlin’s scoring passes, 7 yards to West and 30 yards to Sheriff Thomas, answered upstart Morton Ranch. Michael Venson scored from 2 yards midway through the first quarter and Bumer threw a 30-yard score to Collin Espindola in the second.

Bumer’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Quentin Miles 13 seconds before halftime made it 21-14, but West charged 57 yards up the gut to open the second half and sap some of the Mavericks’ momentum.

“That’s the first play I’ve ever gone untouched,” West said. “Nobody touched me except for my o-linemen.”

Kelly Yarger’s 27-yard field goal made it 31-24 with 2:26 left, but long runs by Giglio and West helped Mayde Creek run out the clock.

Morton Ranch outgained Mayde Creek 328-320.

Venson rushed 15 times for 94 yards for the Mavericks.

“I don’t care what their record is. Coach (Jim) Shumake has them playing hard right now,” Carter said. “We threw the ball and got into more two-back sets. Our play-action worked well; the defense couldn’t just sit there and go dead-red on Chris West all the time. …

“This was a good team win. The offensive line blocked their teeth out all night long. We had too many drive-killers that stopped us dead in the water, but our kids played well.”

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