Morton Ranch turned to backup quarterback Adriel Gomez and didn’t miss a beat Thursday night, riding his five touchdown passes and 331 yards of total offense to a 43–28 District 22-6A victory over Seven Lakes.

Gomez started in place of Thaddeus Williams and completed 15 of 20 passes for 229 yards while adding 102 yards rushing on 15 carries. He directed an offense that amassed 479 total yards—250 rushing and 229 passing—as the Mavericks evened their overall and district records.

Morton Ranch struck first when Gomez connected with Cameron Brown for a 21-yard touchdown. The missed extra point left the Mavericks with a 6–0 lead before Seven Lakes moved in front, 7–6, on Hayden Gandolfo’s 2-yard touchdown run.

Gomez responded with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Taylan Eli, and Brown’s two-point conversion run gave Morton Ranch a 14–7 advantage. Seven Lakes answered behind quarterback Tyson Fifer, who found Chace Janda for a 10-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 14.

Fifer’s 3-yard touchdown run then put the Spartans in front, 21–14, but Gomez and the Mavericks took control from there.

A 20-yard touchdown pass from Gomez to Chase Williams pulled Morton Ranch within a point, and Gomez ran in the two-point conversion to give the Mavericks a 22–21 lead. Gomez later connected with CJ O’Daniels for a 33-yard score, extending the advantage to 29–21.

Brown delivered the game’s biggest play on the ground, breaking loose for an 81-yard touchdown run that pushed Morton Ranch’s lead to 36–21. He finished with 156 yards on 14 carries in addition to his touchdown reception and two-point conversion.

Seven Lakes stayed within striking distance when Gandolfo returned a blocked punt 26 yards for a touchdown, cutting the margin to 36–28. Gomez provided the final answer, hitting Williams for a 64-yard touchdown that sealed the Mavericks’ 43–28 victory.

Williams caught four passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns for Morton Ranch. Eli added five receptions for 61 yards, while O’Daniels finished with five catches for 60 yards.

Seven Lakes totaled 321 yards, including 170 through the air and 151 on the ground. Fifer completed 13 of 26 passes for 170 yards, and Janda led the Spartans both rushing and receiving with 101 yards on 14 carries and 116 yards on six receptions. Daryl Edmonson added 43 rushing yards on eight carries.

The victory evened the all-time series at 10 wins apiece. It was also the 16th time in the teams’ 20 meetings that the final margin was no more than two scores.

Morton Ranch improved to 2–2 overall and 1–1 in District 22-6A and will have an open date next week. Seven Lakes fell to 0–3 overall and 0–1 in district play and will face Paetow next week.