Faith Academy athletics adds more milestones to banners
Saying the Faith Academy of Marble Falls athletics department experienced a banner year in 2021-22 doesn’t begin to describe the success.
The Flames were undefeated in district play en route to titles in football, basketball, baseball and track and field. They repeated as the Class 2A state track and field champions. The department earned an individual state title in tennis thanks to the doubles team of Ryan Delmonico and Jaden Turrentine.
The Lady Flames also enjoyed great seasons in district play. They were tied for second in volleyball and basketball, finished third in softball and won a playoff game, and won the track and field championship. Senior Libby Ross was second at the district tournament and finished sixth overall at the state tournament.
“If I had to sum it up in one word,” athletics director Zakk Revelle said, “it would be excellence. A lot of people would be happy for excellence cause that’s what we strive for.”
He believes that drive for excellence began with the alumni and has only trickled down from one graduating class to the next. As one sport makes school history — such as the 2020-21 boys basketball team qualifying for the state tournament for the first time — members of the other sports see that and want to add to it.
As each team experiences success, expectation can set in that may turn into pressure. Revelle said the Faith Academy athletes handle pressure well because of their preparation. Situations are constantly drilled, and practices are tougher than games. As new players learn, their nerves go away so that when they’re older, they can lead the ones behind them with ease.
“Let the pressure be on the other team,” Revelle said. “We try to hold everybody to a high standard. We’ve done the hard stuff by the way we practice and prepare.”
The senior athletes who graduated in 2022 are Michaela Adcox, Malachi Blackington, Kooper Cain, Case Coleman, Aaron Crawford, Matthew Eppler, Kaylee Farmer, Harrison Hanner, Danny Holland, Ben Martin, Justin Mottle, Dylan Offutt, Cody Owens, Dylan Pipkin, Libby Ross and Brenden Thames.
The seniors who played boys basketball never lost a district game in four years.
“We will miss all of them greatly and what they did,” Revelle said. “There’s something special in each one. They’re leaving the school better than they found it.”
Revelle recalled listening to the seniors at their banquet talk about their coaches and the coaches talking about their soon-to-be former players. He noted the close bonds that were formed, adding the results on the playing field are because of these relationships and those formed with parents, administrators, staff members, board members and fans.
“If you could have heard the way the kids talked, you would have thought we’d won national championships,” he said. “Everybody measures success with state titles. We at Faith Academy measure ourselves in the relationships we build. Those are for a lifetime. They cared for each other and their coaches.”
Most of the sports will move up to Class 3A for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years. the exceptions are football, which will stay in the Division 2, and baseball and softball, which will remain in Division 4. Girls basketball, girls track and field, cross country and softball didn’t have a senior on the roster. Revelle wants the same expectation of success for the next two years.
“We’ll see some of our old friends,” he said. “We’ll all be able to have fun. We hope to have pressure next year. We want more pressure because that’s what we train them for.”
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