Football: Rams win; they’re in

Rockville romps over Blake, 43-14, in regular-season finale

Rockville (5-4) barely missed the playoffs last year’s 7-3 run when Winters Mill upset Francis Scott Key in the last game of the regular season.

‘‘As excited as I was, I was still a bit skeptical after what happened last year,” second-year Rams coach Mark Maradei said. ‘‘These kids could’ve packed it in after they lost those three games in a row. But they came out and responded to Poolesville last week and they responded to Blake Friday. They’re starting to accept that mentality that they won’t back down when there’s a challenge. We had a solid week in practice. The kids were very focused. They went into Friday’s game determined, fully aware that if we beat Blake, and Northwood lost to Kennedy, we were in.”

Friday’s playoff berth rewarded the Rams for sticking it out in a season laced with inconsistency and adversity — massive graduation casualties, injuries. When at their best though, as they’ve been the last two games when everyone’s really settled into and accepted their roles, the Rams boast a versatile, option-filled offense and a stingy defense.

Rockville’s ground game was working against a weaker Blake defense Friday. Senior running back Tarik Paul rushed for a 182 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Junior running back Malcolm Robinson carried 13 times for 84 yards and three touchdowns.

‘‘They’re always bumps along the way in getting to your ultimate goal, which for us is the MPSSA Class 2A title,” Maradei said. ‘‘We’ve faced several bumps this season. But it’s how you handle adversity. These kids have learned to play through that. I think they’ve really bought into what I’m selling, system-wise, the hard work and discipline it takes to be a successful team. And they’re really working as one unit now, working together for a common goal, rather than a bunch of individuals.”

In just two years Maradei’s transformed a team that hadn’t experienced a winning season in nine years, to a postseason threat. And it’s renewed community interest in Rams football.

‘‘We’re trying to push out that old-school Rockville High mentality and bring in the new mentality,” Maradei said. ‘‘And it starts with these kids. We’re very excited to play Clarksburg in the Class 2A semifinals.”