Ten Highland Lakes Sports Insights

Welcome to this weekly column where readers will find a summary of sports across the region and the impressions left on this writer.

1. The big news in south Burnet County is at 2101 Mustang Drive where Marble Falls athletics director and head football coach Brian Herman is replacing offensive coordinator Heath Hohmann and defensive coordinator Zane Bode. Both are leaving on their own. Hohmann accepted the job as athletics director and head football coach at Skidmore-Tynan, a Class 2A school, while Bode, in his words, retired to “become a cowboy.” He and his family own a ranch and he simply loves that work and that type of life. Herman didn’t look far for new coordinators. He promoted offensive line coach Robert Draper to OC and secondary coach Ryan Craven to DC. Herman is the offensive play caller and has several staff members with extensive knowledge and background in the Slot-T offense. But in choosing those two men, Herman showed that continuity and consistency are important for the program’s success. When I interviewed Hohmann for a story, he pointed to continuity of the staff as a big reason for the Mustangs’ success and the buy-in from the players. The last two seasons were very special, and Herman’s appointments illustrate the goal is to keep adding to the success.
2. The Burnet girls soccer team displayed plenty in its 3-0 win against Lampasas March 8. Losing senior sweeper Katelynn Massey in the first half didn’t derail the Lady Dawgs from completing their mission. Burnet is trying to finish second in District 18-4A play but needs to win out to do so, and the players knew that. Credit the seniors for keeping their teammates’ attention on getting the win in a big rivalry game. And tip your hat to the underclassmen who stepped in and kept the intensity at a high level. The regular season ends on the road at Salado at 7 p.m. Monday, March 14. The Lady Dawgs and the Lady Eagles each have identical 10-3 district records.
3. Before going to the field, the Lady Dawgs stopped by the Lampasas softball diamond to cheer on their classmates against the Lady Badgers, also on March 8. The Burnet softball team didn’t disappoint in a 9-0 victory that made the soccer team even more determined to complete the sweep. Senior Savannah Gomez, who recently signed a National Letter of Intent to play softball at Concordia University, says the Lady Dawgs have been building toward this season for awhile. She calls it a joy to step onto the field and notes the athletes are playing for each other. That’s apparent in the way the Lady Dawgs are competing and winning.
4. While I was enjoying the baseball and softball tournaments at Bulldog Diamonds last week, I ran into junior runner Hudson Bennett fresh off his new personal record in the 800 meters at 1 minute 59 seconds. Hudson said he is feeling terrific and that he will be running in some challenging meets in the next few weeks. That’s great news for Burnet, very bad news for everyone else.
5. Trends are holding to illustrate central Texas baseball continues to be a force to be reckoned with. Marble Falls High School head coach Tyler Porter said half the teams in District 25-5A are ranked in most of the Class 5A polls. They are Leander Rouse, Georgetown, Liberty Hill and Cedar Park. But don’t discount the other four members. Anyone is able to win at any time because of the depth on rosters, the commitment to play baseball year around, and the coaching. Porter is optimistic that this year’s Mustangs can compete with schools that have larger enrollments. Fans will soon find out. Marble Falls begins district play at home at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, against Cedar Park then travels to Georgetown the next night for a 7 p.m. first pitch.
6. The Marble Falls High School softball program announced it will field only one team this season, a varsity, because there aren’t enough players for two teams. Like baseball, District 25-5A features some impressive members. Perhaps the most impressive is Leander, last season’s No. 1 ranked team nationally that lost in the Class 5A Region IV finals to district member Georgetown. While some may be discouraged by the lack of numbers in the Lady Mustangs program, it reminds me of a similar circumstance that happened to Marble Falls’ neighbors in the north. Burnet was struggling with keeping athletes in the program back when it was playing in the second largest classification in the state. The vicious cycle was that upperclassmen didn’t want to play on unsuccessful teams. That forced coaches to move up underclassmen to play varsity ball. But when Burnet dropped down a class and students began signing back up to play, those underclassmen became upperclassmen and stayed in the program and new underclassmen played on subvarsity teams and could learn at a pace that was appropriate for them. I’m hoping the same happens with Marble Falls softball.
7. My apologies for missing the following: the Burnet High School swimming and diving team experienced a coaching change before Christmas 2021. That didn’t stop the Bulldogs and Lady Dawgs from being their usual dominant selves in the pool. And one of their own, senior Ryan Behrens, signed a National Letter of Intent to swim for McMurry University. That shows the resiliency of athletes and what coaches preach — having a “next man up” mentality that doesn’t keep teams from accomplishing big goals.
8. The Marble Falls High School soccer teams are scheduled to finish their seasons Friday, March 11. The Mustangs welcome Leander Rouse, the district’s No. 1 team, while the Lady Mustangs travel to play at Rouse. It’ll be a bittersweet night at Mustang Stadium. The program will honor the seniors who were in the eighth grade in 2018 and saw the Mustangs advance to the Class 5A Region IV tournament to make program history. Those players couldn’t wait to write their own names in the program’s record book. And they did by continuing to make the playoffs even if the program has had to endure a two-year hiatus. There’s plenty to be optimistic about as Marble Falls prepares to go to Class 4A.
9. The Faith Academy of Marble Falls baseball and softball teams started their seasons. The Flames are 2-0 behind the stellar pitching of sophomore Kade Shaw, who began the season by throwing a no-hitter in a 15-0 win against Bulverde Living Rock March 4 in a contest that ended in three innings. Shaw followed that by striking out six New Braunfels Christian Academy batters in helping the Flames to a 13-3 victory March 7 in a game that ended in five innings. Pitchers are getting plenty of run support, and the two are feeding off one another. As pitchers throw strikes and the Flames make routine plays, the batters are lighting up the scoreboard. As batters are earning RBIs, the defense and the pitching is shutting down opponents. In short, it’s been great fun watching the Flames.
10. Faith Academy of Marble Falls athletics director Zakk Revelle is the baseball team’s head coach, which is his second head coaching gig on the campus after guiding the Flames basketball team. Revelle said he wanted to do the job because he understands the importance of sharing athletes. Seniors Case Coleman and Dylan Offutt are known for excelling in other sports but decided to put on Faith baseball uniforms. That illustrates their love of the school, the program and Revelle. Like other athletes, the two already have won a state title in track and field, played for a state championship in football, and reached the basketball state tournament along with winning numerous district and regional championships. Their goal is to win the baseball district championship. They’re off to a great start.