Faith Academy athletes using summer to get stronger, faster

CAPTION: Faith Academy of Marble Falls coach Cedric Griffin is leading the Flames and Lady Flames through an agility and speed program this summer. File photo

Faith Academy of Marble Falls athletes aren’t resting on their laurels. Instead they are working hard this summer in preparation for the 2022-23 sports year.

Like other programs across the state, players are making their way to the campus four days a week and are taking advantage of a slew of options to get better, according to athletic director Zakk Revelle.

In fact many coaches are personally taking it upon themselves to guide specific parts of the summer strength and conditioning program. Jay Silvers, who serves as an assistant football and track coach, is overseeing the strength portion, Cedric Griffin, an assistant track coach, is supervising the agility and speed portion on the track at the academy’s Britton Field.

“Coach Silvers does an incredible job of being available,” Revelle said. “Their best ability is being available. It’s not by appointment; it’s always open. (Silvers) puts together the workouts. They’re on the white board.”

But they’re not the only two, Revelle added. New head volleyball coach Erin Sawyer, who also coaches the Highland Lakes Aces, is heading up the VertiMax training. The Lady Flames are participating in the June Summer League hosted by Marble Falls each Wednesday.

“(Sawyer) got Vertimax trained. It’s a high dollar machine,” Revelle said. “You don’t have that very often. She was coach-certified on that machine. She’s certified in it.”

Basketball coaches Lance Ewell and Malcolm Canada are coaching the girls and boys summer league teams, respectively.

“Pretty much every sport is covered,” Revelle said. “They’re all doing stuff with our athletes.”

He added the training with Griffin, Sawyer and Silvers isn’t sport-specific; it’s training that helps every athlete be explosive, faster and stronger. That’s the draw for the players, the director noted. They want to be in tip-top shape before the start of fall training camps in late July, especially those who will play football and volleyball and run cross country.

“All these coaches are willing to give up their summer and free time,” he said. “The No. 1 message is you have coaches who care. Your coaches want you to get better. It says a lot. We have coaches who are willing to be around you, they want to know how your summer is going. Our coaches are transformative and not transactional. They care about their athletes so much more than that they are just athletes. They’re willing to take time out of their summer because we have transformative and not transactional coaches. It’s a special time at Faith Academy.”

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