North Meck High football coach Mike Bradley had that — and not much else — to fall back on after his team’s 63-0 loss to powerhouse Mallard Creek last Thursday in an I-Meck Conference game. Football games were moved to one day earlier than normal because of the Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur.

“As the game went on, our players were saying that their second and third string players were about as good as their first team,” said Bradley.

But the Vikings (1-7 overall, 0-4 I-Meck) aren’t the first team this season to be overwhelmed by the Mavericks (7-0, 4-0), and they probably won’t be the last.

“They’re better this year than they were last year,” said Bradley of the Mavericks, who advanced to the 4A West Regional semifinals before being upset by Vance in 2010. “They’ve got a few more weapons now.”

And they used them all to good advantage against the Vikings, overwhelming the visitors with a five touchdown first quarter to put the game away early.

Maverick running back Jela Duncan ran for four touchdowns and caught a 55-yard pass from quarterback Andrew Goodman for another. Goodman completed 15-of-22 passes for a season-high 358 yards passing and four touchdowns.

The Mavericks, who finished the game with 548 yards of offense, were up 21-0 before the first quarter was half over, on Duncan’s 20-yard run a minute into the game, and scoring passes from Goodman to Jamel Harbison for 33 yards and Corey Miller for 42. They scored every time they had the ball in the first quarter.

“In games like this, you stop looking at the scoreboard, and just try to play football,” Bradley said.