Rampart knows it doesn’t matter when its football team outscores its opposition.

As long as the Rams do so before the game’s finale.

Rampart scored 14 points in 4 ½ minutes to earn a 14-10 victory against 3A’s No. 8-ranked Discovery Canyon on Saturday at District 20 Stadium.

“These kids have it on their chest and it says, ‘Grit,’” Rampart coach Rob Royer said. “We talked about that stubborn refusal to quit, and this situation has played out against two incredible football teams in Lewis-Palmer and now Discovery Canyon. We trail, but the kids aren’t willing to give up. We battle back and keep battling and all of a sudden at the end, they’re there.”

In a 15-14 victory against Lewis-Palmer on Aug. 30, Rampart trailed 14-7 with less than two minutes left in the game.

The Rams then blocked a punt, returned it for a touchdown and earned a 2-point conversion to secure the one-point victory over the Rangers.

Against the Thunder, who entered the contest averaging 33 points per game, the Rams trailed 10-0 near the end of the third quarter.

But Rampart quarterback Daimion Diestch connected with James Royer to complete a swift 2-play, two-yard drive that took 56 seconds and cut the Thunder’s lead to 10-7.

“One of their defenders was head up, so I had to stack him up and jet to the outside,” James said. “I’m thankful for (Diestch), he threw a great ball and our line held up and that allowed me to get that catch. When you get a pass like that you have to keep turning up field and that’s what I did.”

The Rams forced the Thunder to go three-and-out on their following drive to start the fourth and fielded the punt at Discovery Canyon’s 40 with 10:53 on the clock.

Rampart then marched 40 yards in seven plays and capped the drive with a 10-yard run by Camden Bruns to give the Rams a 14-10 lead with 8:02 left in the game.

“Our team fights until the end of the game. The game’s not over until the final buzzer,” Bruns said. “(Khalid Elwazier) blocked the corner really great and I just had to beat one guy and then I managed to get the touchdown. That touchdown doesn’t happen without great blocking from (Elwazier) and our O-line.”

The Thunder had two more shots to score or take the lead, but the Rams forced another Discovery Canyon three-and-out on the ensuing drive.

On the Thunder’s final possession of the contest, the Rams shut down Discovery Canyon on its first three plays, forcing a fourth-and-10.

Max Reitan managed to snag an interception near the Thunder sideline to seal the game for the Rams.

“Coach (Shawn) Mitchell does one heck of a job with his team and (Hayden Jones) is one of their stars,” Royer said. “We did our best to try to control their full back and quarterback. Our kids bought into the scheme and held them to 10 points. I was proud of their effort out there.”

Since scoring 39 in the opener against Falcon, the Rams have 43 points in three games including their matchup with the Thunder.

Rampart also has scored just seven points in the first half in its last three contests.

The Rams now boast a 3-1 record, their best start since 2020 when they finished 5-2 during the COVID-shortened season.

“We talk about answering the bell every game,” Royer said. “When you can answer the bell in the third and put it away in the fourth, that’s what we want from our team. You couldn’t ask for more from this team. They fought until the end, just like we wanted them to do.”