As the Maverick football team took the field at Houston Christian on Friday, Sept. 23, they noticed a cheeky message posted on the scoreboard.

Despite losing to the Mavs in the 2015 season, Houston Christian wrote the final score of their 2014 match on the board. That year, the Mustangs had won 66-21.

The confident Houston Christian came into the duel 3-0, while the Mavericks were 0-3 and coming off a close loss against Episcopal School of Dallas the prior weekend. Still, the team felt optimistic.

“A lot of contributors on this team were not even on the team from 2014,” junior Thomas Carpenter said. “That game was in the past and we knew we had a chance to win this one.”

And win they did. The Mavericks dominated their SPC rivals and won by a large margin of 39-7, their first win of the season overall.

“Our defense was great and played aggressively throughout the whole game,” captain John Thomas said. “We played with our hearts on our sleeves.”

The advantages of the new spread offense were put on display yet again, allowing the Mavericks to attack Houston Christian with a balance of runs and throws.

“We played a complete game and every part of the team contributed,” junior Sam Donovan said. “We almost returned a kickoff for a touchdown.”

Getting their first win out of the way was key for the Mavericks, who will need to gain momentum as SPC play nears closer.

“That game showed that now it’s time to make our run,” Thomas said.

The Mavs will face Fort Bend Christian on Sept. 30 in their final non-conference game before picking up SPC play again against rival Episcopal on Oct. 14.