Faith Academy football aims for second district victory

CAPTION: Faith Academy senior Will Lewis and the Flames face another district challenger — Round Rock Concordia — which had two weeks to prepare for this contest. Photo by Stennis Shotts

Though the Faith Academy of Marble Falls football team returns to Britton Field victorious thanks to the Flames’ 54-36 win at Waco Live Oak, the task doesn’t get easier this week.

That’s because the Flames (2-3, 1-0) welcome an improved Round Rock Concordia at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, to Britton Field, 3151 RR 1431 East in Marble Falls.

The Cardinals (4-2, 0-0) have had two weeks to prepare for the Flames in their district opener. They rely heavily on sophomore spread back Alexander Jones, who has completed 88 of 158 passes for 1,202 yards, 21 touchdowns and 6 interceptions and has 72 rushes for 582 yards and 3 scores.

“He’s the best athlete on the field,” Flames head coach Stephen Shipley said. “We could tell he’s a good athlete by the way he throws and runs. He can run and throw well. He makes good decisions. He’s a bigger, thicker kid, and he’s going to be handful. We’ll have to account for him on every play.”

But Shipley notes Jones isn’t the only Concordia weapon. The Cardinals also rely on senior running back Jackson Clakely, who has 30 carries for 223 yards and 5 touchdowns, and senior receiver Jacob Johnson who has 42 catches for 566 yards and 9 scores.

“Clakely’s a big kid,” he said. “He runs the ball hard. They have a good wide receiver, who’s a tall kid who can go get it.”

Jones also leads the Cardinals’ defensive attack.

“He gets to the ball quickly and gets to the backfield and tries to mess things up before they can develop,” Shipley said. “It’ll be interesting to see how they play us, if they’ll try to defend the pass or the run. We’re balanced on both.”

Overall, the coach believes it’ll be a good match-up, especially since the Flames unveiled new offensive formations and a new defensive scheme against Live Oak a week earlier.

“They’ve improved and have athletes,” Shipley said. “They seem like they’re building that program up. We have other players and will rely on them. We have kids who definitely can step in.”

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