Burnet, Marble Falls football face each other in huge district contest

CAPTION: Marble Falls senior tailback Caleb Vidal and the Mustangs are looking to win two in a row against Burnet when the Bulldogs visit Friday, Oct. 14. Photo by Daniel Clifton

The 108th edition of the Burnet County Super Bowl pitting the Burnet and Marble Falls high school football teams hasn’t been this important in more than a decade.

That’s because the two squads are meeting in District 13-4A Division I play at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, at Mustang Stadium, 2101 Mustang Drive in Marble Falls. They haven’t played in Marble Falls since 2018.

Both are seeking their first district win to jump start the final weeks of the regular season and both head coaches have maintained since fall training camps in August that every game is winnable and every game is losable.

This contest is prime example, they said.

“This game impacts our team greatly,” said Mustangs head coach Brian Herman. “It’s a matter of how we prepare and come out and play.”

“We’re in the same boat,” head Bulldogs head coach Bryan Wood. “They do good stuff and shoot themselves in the foot, just like we do. Both teams are playing hard, but we haven’t been able to put a complete game together.”

Burnet (3-3, 0-1) will line up in its traditional spread offense led by senior quarterback Tanner O’Hair, who has completed 82 of 156 passes for 1,173 yards, 14 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. His top targets are senior receiver Braden Ellett-Clark, who has 22 catches for 394 yards and 6 touchdowns, and junior receiver Grant Jones, who has 20 receptions for 348 yards and 4 scores. Jones also has 18 carries for 118 yards and 3 scores off end-arounds.

But when Ellett-Clark and Jones have drawn the defense’s attention, other receivers have shined. Juniors Trenton Park has 16 catches for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns and Will Johnson has 13 receptions for 98 yards and a score.

“I think they’re very skilled,” Herman said. “They do a lot of things well. They employ a few different techniques and strategies. We’ll have to be on our toes. Kudos to them for being creative.”

Marble Falls will counter with its multiple defense led by its front seven intent on forcing numerous three-and-outs the same way Lampasas did a week earlier in beating the Bulldogs 24-7. But before the Badgers could seize control of the contest, they were limited to three points in the first half and trailed 7-3 for a couple of minutes before scoring 17 unanswered points.

“They have a good scheme,” Herman said. “I think this game will be determined by the people upfront. They have some talented kids, no doubt. But if our kids will do their jobs, we’ll have a good night.”

The Mustangs’ slot-T offense will aim to do what the Badgers accomplished: dominated the time of possession by unleashing a powerful rushing attack. In the end, the Badgers wore down the Bulldogs by earning 182 yards and 2 touchdowns on 35 carries that ate up 30 minutes and 32 seconds.

Wood agreed that controlling the line of scrimmage will be a key to the outcome.

“They need three yards at a time,” he said. “If they hit it and eat clock, it limits you.”

To Herman, the outcome against the Bulldogs comes down to one key factor.

“Momentum is key,” he said. “We were perfectly matched against Canyon Lake and had momentum until we couldn’t get it back.”

Wood said he wants to see his athletes play a complete game in every phase. He noted that during the 49-48 win at Early, the offense shined and the defense didn’t. During the loss to Lampasas, the defense paved the way for victory, while the offense couldn’t find its rhythm.

“From one week to the next, each side flips,” he said. “We’re trying to put two sides of the ball together. What’s on the line is a game against Marble Falls. We can’t look ahead. I feel like there’s a lot of parity throughout the district. I told our kids the only way to control your destiny is to get this one. If you don’t, you’re relying on others to control your destiny for you.”

Marble Falls struggled to get its offense going in a 42-7 loss to Canyon Lake. Penalties put the Mustangs behind the chains, resulting in punts. It also didn’t help that after the Mustangs scored the first touchdown of the game, the Hawks recovered the onside kick and got a short field they used to tie the contest. That led to scoring 42 points.

“We traded punches for a quarter and felt it out and when to attack and all that to find where you can expose things,” Herman said. “They seemed to be susceptible to onside kicks. The game plan was to onside kick after the first score.”

He noted the ball took the right bounce but, to the Hawks’ credit, they fielded it correctly. And by the time the Canyon Lake offense took the field, that unit knew where to attack the Mustangs to get scores.

“I was confident we had what we needed to to claw back,” Herman said. “But they had an answer for us.”

Canyon Lake senior Helijah Johnson accounted for 208 of the Hawks’ 456 yards of total offense. He had 11 carries for 157 yards and 3 touchdowns and completed 1 pass for 51 yards and a score.

“He’s pretty special,” Herman said. “He does it all both ways. They’re a good football team, they’re one of the best teams we’ve played.”

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