By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Finally, the glory of victory!

It took some doing, but Mount Rainer football, finally, got its first win of the season Friday.

And what better time to do that but in front of all its fans chanting and cheering all game long, including, "I believe that we will win. I believe...win", as the Rams beat the Decatur Gators, 35-28, at Highline Memorial Field.

The Rams moved to 1-5 on the season overall and 1-2 in the 4A South Puget Sound League Northwest Division.

"Finally found a way to win," said Rams head coach Tremain Mack. "Despite the adversity, I always tell the kids, respond. Be accountable. Respond positively to adversity. A good thing will happen. It may not happen when you want it to happen, but it will happen."
With the score tight at halftime, following the Rams' comeback from down, 13-0, early in the second quarter to lead the Gators, 21-13, at the half, it was the second half that provided the thrills -- and the scares even -- that decided this one's outcome in the Rams' favor.
That followed halftime homecoming activities that included the dance team, the band, the cheerleaders performing -- and Rams football player Renato Contreras being crowned as homecoming king and Kaitlin Ross as queen.

The Gators got the ball first in the second half, but nothing doing.
The Rams' defense led by the likes of linebackers Justin Martinez and Jayvon Foster made the foe's offense go three plays before punting. This was a big change from the start of the game, where Gator quarterback Isaiah Hatch ran like crazy for yards, including for the Gators' drive that put them up, 13-0, with 11:40 left in the second quarter. Hatch ran the ball five times for 70 yards, including a 10-yard pass, in that second series for the Gators. So, the Rams turned that bad start to the game on its ear, starting the second half.

And, then, for its first drive of the third quarter, following halftime's fun, the Rams went three and out on offense, not getting things going either, offensively, to start the third. And the Gators got stopped again by the Rams' defense that included a nice tackle for a loss of Hatch by linebacker Sumner Shorey, a captain. And, on this Gators drive, the enemy was not just stopped but slammed as the Gators fumbled, on good, hard-nosed hitting by the Rams defense, with the ball recovered by Foster with 6:35 left in the third quarter.

The Rams got the ball back and punted after three downs getting nowhere, and, the Gators got possession and punted after three downs, too, in this defensive battle.

Finally, the Rams broke it somewhat open with a score on their next series with 1:59 left in the third quarter.

Jersiah Tafia, the Rams' quarterback and a captain who threw for a score and ran for another in the first half, passed to Frazier Alefaio for 12 yards.

Capping this six-play drive, Qun'Tay Berry, who ran for 125 yards on 25 carries in the game, scored from five yards out on this drive that started at the Rams' 26-yard line after a consortium of Rams had blocked a quick, trick-play Gators punt on fourth down.

Time was 11:56, just four seconds into the fourth quarter, when the Rams upped their lead to 28-13.

So getting down 13-0 on homecoming night, of all nights, did not deter the Rams from coming back.

"We focused on keeping our energy up," said Tafia. "We were going to finish fast. No matter how you start, it's how you finish."
And the Gators, too, were far from finished, scoring on their very next possession, an eight-play drive, going 76 yards, in 2:24 as Hatch passed to Isaiah Diggs for 11 yards in the end zone to make it 28-21 after the two-point conversion was good.

Time left was 9:26 in the fourth quarter so, definitely, the Rams fans were worried now, but they still believed as they chanted "I believe we will win," again and again and again, as the final crucial quarter continued to unfold.

Tyler Keene, who made all his PAT's after touchdowns in this game, punted the ball.

So it was Gators taking over, first and 10, from the 42-yard line, with 7:02 left in the fourth quarter, and the Rams clinging, now, to a six-point lead.

The Rams needed a stop on this drive, the most important of the game, with the Gators only needing a touchdown and PAT to take the lead and kill the Rams' momentum.

And the Rams held! Their defense helped Hatch to throw three incomplete passes, with good pressure on wide receivers by the likes of Grier and Charles Wheeler.

The Rams' offense then sputtered, however, and, were punting after three downs.

The Gators got the ball back, with 5:39 left in the fourth quarter and on first and 10, from their own 31 yard line, Hatch was sacked by the Rams' defensive lineman Nic Giammona with Martinez contributing, too.

So, going to third and six, now, the Gators tried a pass and Sergio Satterwhite broke it up. On the ensuing fourth down, in this still close game, the Gators looked like they were going for it, with 4:30 left in the game. But, another trick play, quick punt was thwarted, again, by the Rams' defense penetrating the middle and blocking the kick.

The Rams got the ball on the Gators' 31-yard line and after Berry ran for four yards, Alefaio ran it in 27 yards for a 35-21 lead with 4:04 left in the game.

"Kid's something special," said Mack of Alefaio, who caught the Rams' first touchdown of the game, from Tafia, with 7:44 left in the first quarter, making it 13-7 Gators at that time of the game. "Frazier gives it 100 percent every time he goes into the game. He had some struggles, but got his grades up and is a positive member of the team. He's a team leader, now, and he's only a sophomore."

The Gators still had fight in them, getting a touchdown on five plays after having started at the 38-yard line, so, not over yet, as 1:00 showed in red LED on the scoreboard clock, in a 35-28 game.

Needing the ball quick, the Gators did an onside kick, kicking the ball into the ground on kickoff so it would roll 10 yards before they could pounce on it. But the Rams' Shawn Mamon pounced on the ball.

The Rams' Berry ran a play for eight yards and Tafia took a knee as the clock ran out.

"Jersiah commanded the huddle, focused on the things we practiced," said Mack.

Berry spoke about Mack.

"He put in a lot of effort into this game," said Berry. "And, not just this game. He stays up, studying, making sure we are in the best position to win games. And I appreciate him for that."
Tafia spoke for Berry and himself, who ran for yards too, blocked by the offensive line.

"I got to thank them," said Tafia. "We challenge them to fire off the ball. We were successful today because of them."

The line guys are Donnie Moore, Nathan Voluntad, Chachi Lotulelei, Nic Giammona, and, Loto.

And, in this game, Contreras, the team's leading rusher, and, homecoming court guy honoree, did not play as he was hurt three weeks ago. He tore a lateral collateral ligament, but he was the team's leading rusher until he got hurt. And Contreras was out there, cheering his team on all the way through this one.

"That's you, Yamonee," he could be heard yelling as the Gators were trying to score when the game was close.

And Contreras was cheering names of a lot of his teammates, moving back-and-forth on the sidelines with energy, despite the season-ending MCL knee injury. Perhaps that's why teammates and peers voted him king.
Tafia, a captain, along with Shorey and Brogan Meyers, said some words to his 50-plus teammates, listening.

"If we give glory to God, we can start out slow, but good things happen," said Tafia.