MFalls staff members are promoted to coordinators
Needing to fill open coordinator positions on his staff, Marble Falls High School head football coach Brian Herman looked at his own current members for those openings.
He elevated offensive line coach Robert Draper to offensive coordinator now that Heath Hohmann is the new athletics director and head football coach at Skidmore-Tynan High School.
Ryan Craven is the Mustangs defensive coordinator, replacing Zane Bode, who announced his retirement.
In making these appointments, Herman noted it keeps consistency and cohesiveness on the staff that’s important for the players.
“I compare it to the quarterback graduating,” he said. “It’s next man up. I had no intention to go hunt and interview people. Let’s keep as much consistency on the staff as we can.”
Herman noted Draper and Craven, who have been on staff the last two years, did much of the work of coordination on both sides of the ball already before they were named to their new positions.
Draper worked with Herman when the two were on Liberty Hill head coach Jerry Vance’s staff for six seasons a decade ago. Back then, Draper called the plays. Then he became a head coach, most recently at Edna High School.
What makes the Marble Falls staff unique are the number of men who were head coaches and specialize in the Slot-T offense, which is the Mustangs’ scheme. Because so many have led their own teams and have served as coordinators, they each bring different positives to game planning, writing scouting reports, and creating productive practices, off-season programs and summer strength and conditioning. That is evident in the way the Mustangs execute each play in the Slot-T offense and how well the players demonstrate their knowledge of the playbook.
“Coach Draper was already doing offensive coordinator before there was a need for it,” Herman said. “He’s called plays at multiple places and was the athletics director and head football coach before. It was a no-brainer.”
Craven also worked closely with defensive coaches in the same capacity as the offensive coaches. As the secondary coach, he helped orchestrate the second stingiest defense in Class 5A Division II in 2021 and oversaw defensive backs that recorded four interceptions in leading the Mustangs to a 35-13 win over Mission Veterans Memorial in the second round of the playoffs.
“It’s hard to argue with the production,” Herman said. “He’s a brilliant young coach who has some coordinator experience already. He’s been a coordinator before; that was a selling point for me. He was instrumental in game planning with Coach Bode. (Craven) was the right choice.”
Craven was a defensive back at Midwestern State University then coached at Tarleton State University, Georgetown East View and North Forney high schools and was the defensive coordinator at Stephenville High School. Herman noted Craven and assistant coach Richard Scales work closely together.
Scales ties the front end of the defense, while Craven ties the back end.
“Coach Scales serves as our strength and conditioning coach that entails nutrition and player performance,” Herman said. “I didn’t want to overburden him (by adding coordinator). Coach Craven will continue to focus on coverages.”
Herman wished Bode a happy retirement and Hohmann all the best and understood the desire to be the head coach and athletics director.
“Opportunity arises and you get to take your shot,” he said. “He had to find out what it’s all about. I wish him great success. And he’ll always be welcome back here.”
