New Faith Academy football coach tells why he joined the staff

CAPTION: New Faith Academy of Marble Falls football head coach John Hallam. File photo

John Hallam knew he would be joining the Faith Academy of Marble Falls staff as a teacher and football coach. But he didn’t know it would be as the head coach until former head coach Stephen Shipley told school officials his business, Shipley Land Co., needed more of his time.

So when Hallam was offered the job, it didn’t take him long to say yes.

“I got to know the athletic director, Zakk Revelle, pretty well,” he said. “I have a high opinion of him.”

Still, it’s a position he is more than qualified to do. He said he spent nine years on the Austin Veritas staff and was the offensive coordinator two years ago when the Flames handed the Defenders their first district loss in almost a decade. He was on staff at Valor Public Schools last year.

“It’s a really good program,” he said of Faith. “I was at Veritas when coach Shipley came in and headed the program up. We had eight consecutive seasons where we won our district without a loss. It was a 45-game winning streak. (The Flames) were doing it the right way.”

The 52-6 outcome, he said, was the result of a defensive scheme that Hallam “didn’t have an answer for.”

“They played very physical, and it worked great,” he said. “It caught us off guard. They were the only team that challenged us.”

The way the Flames compete also was a reason why he accepted the job. Another is how they prepare. Hallam, who has met half of the football team already, he commended the athletes for participating in the school’s summer strength-and-conditioning program.

“That was one of the first things that stood out,” he said. “At Valor, we didn’t have the facilities. Faith is a big and strong team. I’ve coached bulk. I had one kid, my son, five years ago, who weighed 200 pounds and played a lot. Good athletic departments are successful because they’ve built something with intangibles, they built something that works.”

What also has worked for him is being the offensive coordinator and play caller. He will continue to do both for the Flames Jay Silvers remains the defensive coordinator, and Shipley is the football advisor.

Don’t expect to see Hallam’s offensive units line up, look at the defense, then look at the sideline to see the signals from coaches to know which play to run. Hallam wants his players to look at the defense and know what to do with the football.

“I want to empower the players on the field to make as many decisions and good decisions as they can,” he said. “What i want to do is create a system where they get on the line and see what the defense is doing and make the right decision. It’s a system that allows us to make plays, where people are paying attention, and seeing the players are making the decisions themselves.”

In addition to coaching football, Hallam will teach seventh- and eighth-grad history and 10th-grade Bible classes. Like Veritas, Faith is a university-model school with a flex schedule. He earned a degree from the Institute for Christian Studies, which is now the Austin Graduate School of Theology.

“I attended seminary,” he said. “I’ve written Bible curriculum.”

Hallam said he is looking forward to the challenge of continuing what the Flames have built over the years.

“There’s potential for a bunch of guys to get together for a common purpose and be more than they can be on their own,” he said. “When that’s experienced, people want more.”

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