Visits from head coaches to Marble Falls Middle School pave the way for future success on the pitch, diamond

The recent success of the Marble Falls Middle School boys soccer team and the addition of baseball illustrates what Marble Falls Independent School District athletics director Brian Herman, who also serves as the head football coach, wants for the department.

“We’re all striving to have our head coaches as a presence with the middle school coaches as much as you can,” he said.

The middle school boys soccer team won all six of its matches in the spring and gave fans a glimpse of the players’ abilities before putting on the high school uniform.

And just like Mustangs head coach Rick Hoover was present to watch the matches and was available for practices, so was Lady Mustangs head coach Abigail Blunt for the middle school girls team. Once the high school baseball season wrapped up, head coach Tyler Porter went to the middle school for baseball.

Herman pointed out the timing for the middle school teams and the high school coaches was ideal.

“The benefit soccer has is the middle school season doesn’t stack on the high school season,” he said. “Those kids are getting high-school level coaching and they’re getting high school coaches.”

One reason baseball was introduced to the middle school is because of the number of other middle schools adding the sport to their departments, Herman said.

“Baseball is a newer philosophy that newer schools are taking advantage,” he said.

He added that in other cities, select baseball is very popular, which makes travel easier than for Marble Falls ISD families. By adding baseball at Marble Falls Middle School, that helps local families and helps Porter create rapport with them and their sons before they’re at the high school.

“Coach Porter is finding a way to bridge that gap,” the athletics director said.

He also commended boys head basketball coach Travis Crain for being on the middle school campus, too, to get to know the players and help teach his playbook.

“We need to make sure we take advantage of that by getting the other high school coaches in front of the kids to teach techniques and fundamentals so when they get to the high school, they understand the lingo,” Herman said.

As for whether the players are learning Herman’s slot-T offense, he recalled a recent visit from some third-graders to the field house where he asked a question and a student, who plays for Marble Falls Youth Football and Cheer, answered.

“One boy said ‘swing man,'” he said. “I got the biggest grin. ‘You know our team lingo.’ You can get your kids to learn the system.”

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