Canyon Lake overwhelms Marble Falls football in district opener
CAPTON: Canyon Lake’s Helijah Johnson crashes through the Marble Falls’ defense thanks to some great blocking by the Hawks’ offensive line. The Hawks opened District 13-4A Division I play with a 42-7 win over Marble Falls. The Hawks face the undefeated San Antonio Davenport Wolves on Friday, Oct. 14, while Marble Falls welcomes Burnet. Photo by Daniel Clifton
The Canyon Lake Hawks tough pre-district schedule paid off in the District 13-4A Division 1 opener against Marble Falls with a 42-7 win over the Mustangs.
“We’ve been battle tested, we’ve been in deep water before,” said head coach Charley Drum after the Friday, Oct. 7, home victory at Hawks Stadium. “It came in handy and hopefully it will continue throughout district.”
Senior lineman Sonny Bentley agreed the strong pre-district schedule helped prepare the Hawks for district competition.
“It helped us come together and perform better as a team, be able to play against bigger teams which helps you when you come down to play teams the same size as you,” Bentley said.
As for getting this win, senior quarterback Hunter Anderson said there’s no better way to start district competition.
“If you want to win the district championship, it all starts with the first game,” he pointed out.
The Mustangs (2-4 overall, 0-1 District 13-4A Division I) struck first when junior quarterback Jaime Castillo raced around the right side for a 4-yard touchdown at the 8:49 mark in the second quarter. Neither teams’ offense generated much yardage in the first quarter, with both punting three times each.
“It was a gut check,” Anderson said of the Mustangs touchdown. “We didn’t come out strong, We punted the first three drives. We just came together and it was like, ‘It’s time to go.’”
And go the Hawks did, scoring 42 unanswered points the remainder of the contest.
“We’ve been there before playing 5As and 6As,” Drum said. “The kids responded.”
Canyon Lake’s offense returned the favor in 44 seconds. The Hawks started at their own 48-yard line, but covered the distance in good time. Junior running back Justin Abbott’s 36-yard run ate up a lot of the field. Senior running back Helijah Johnson capped it off with a 7-yard touchdown run with 8:05 left in the second quarter.
The point-after was good, and the Hawks tied it all up at 7 apiece.
One of the highlights of the night for Drum was the Hawks’ special teams play, something he admitted they struggled with earlier in the season, especially with extra points.
“I thought our special teams stood out tonight,” he said. “We made six for six on extra points, which we struggled with in non-district. And our kickoff and kickoff return — I thought our special teams were the best they’ve been all year. That’s one of the things we worked on during the bye week.”
The Hawks defense continued to demonstrate its grit and mettle throughout the night, shutting down the Mustangs offense for the rest of the game.
In return, the Hawks offense struck again and again. Canyon Lake scored 21 points in the second quarter, 14 points in the third quarter, and seven in the fourth.
Marble Falls couldn’t contain running back Johnson who accounted for three rushing touchdowns on the night and a third-quarter touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Chase Anderson. His other earlier third-quarter score came on a 45-yard rumble to the end zone.
It wasn’t just Johnson causing headaches for the Mustangs’ defense but just about everyone wearing a green jersey. The combination of senior quarterback Hunter Anderson to Chase Anderson is always a recipe for big plays, and it was no different against the Mustangs.
One of the Hawks’ second-quarter touchdowns came when Hunter Anderson connected with his brother Chase Anderson on a 40-yard pass with 1:50 left in the first half.
Of course, out front giving Johnson, Hunter Anderson and the rest of the Hawks backfield plenty of support was the line.
It’s an offensive line that’s toughened up from last season and become a stalwart of the Hawks’ play.
“Last year was all of our first year on the (varsity) line, and this year we’re rolling,” Sonny Bentley said. “Our line’s pretty hard to stop.”
The same goes to the defensive line that kept pressure on the Mustangs’ backfield while the linebackers and secondary kept the Marble Falls receivers in check.
Bentley pointed out one of the foundations of this year’s team can be found on the back of each of their helmets where the word “Brotherhood” is written.
“Brotherhood, you know, we’ve been preaching all summer before football started,” the senior lineman said. “We all try to be a brotherhood; encourage each other; let each other know when we’re doing right or wrong. You know — be brothers because that’s what brothers are for.”
Marble Falls welcomes Burnet (3-3, 0-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, at Mustang Stadium, 2101 Mustang Drive. The Bulldogs lost to Lampasas (4-2, 1-0) 24-7 Oct. 7.
The Hawks host San Antonio Davenport at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 14. The Wolves are 6-0 overall and 1-0 in District 13-4A Division I play. They are coming off a 32-29 win over the Taylor Ducks in the district opener.
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