Ten Highland Lakes Sports Insights

We keep discovering more and more about the athletes and teams that make up the Highland Lakes region. We are witnessing the gamers play big and how there’s no quit in them, even when it looks like the odds are stacked against them.

1. In one key way, the Marble Falls Mustangs’ loss to Killeen Chaparral was reminiscent of the loss to Pflugerville Connally. The Cougars scored to go up a touchdown, and a perfect bounce on an onside kick toward Connally’s sideline allowed the Cougars to recover the ball and gain an extra possession. Chaparral did the same thing. The Bobcats scored and then launched a pooch kick toward their sideline where the Mustangs stood and waited for the ball to come to them let the Bobcats run after it and get it for an extra possession. In both instances, the opponents scored after gaining the extra possession to go up two touchdowns. The key difference this time though is that Marble Falls didn’t have the mental lapses against Chaparral that fans witnessed against Connally when 11 fumbles and six personal fouls gave the Cougars ample opportunities — and confidence — to win. Fact: the Mustangs are playing as hard as they possibly can. Fact: there wasn’t a sighting of anyone mentally quitting. In fact, it’s the opposite. At the same time though, teams that want to win can’t wait for the ball to bounce their way. They must create their own luck by being better at the fundamentals than their opponents and not give them hope they can win. My wait when it comes to this Marble Falls squad boils down to seeing them take to heart that one key play per quarter may be the difference between exiting the field with the reward of winning or feeling content for a moral victory. No one is questioning the effort. It’s there for everyone to see. My question is does this team appreciate that it doesn’t have the luxury of making a mistake because it is not good enough yet in the other two phases to overcome them? And it can be as simple as not fumbling the ball on back-to-back drives because there’s no guarantee the defense, which got the ball back on a turnover after the first fumble, can come back and do it again. Or the offense can’t be off schedule because of penalties and missed blocks because it’s not explosive enough right now to consistently overcome them to keep drives alive. And the return unit on kickoffs can not wait for the ball to come to it on pooch kicks. It must go get the ball and stop waiting for good things to happen. For the record, that’s life. Do you wait for good things to come to you? Or do you work every day toward your goals — toward the life you want — and seize the opportunity when it comes your way?
2. Let’s check the drive chart during the Marble Falls and Chaparral contest and focus on three specific drives. The Mustangs trailed 20-14 at the half but won the coin toss at the beginning and deferred. So on the opening drive of the third quarter, the Mustangs covered 62 yards in six plays that ended when senior Jaime Castillo scored on a seven-yard run for a 21-20 advantage. The Marble Falls defense forced the Bobcats to turn the ball over on downs. Everyone dressed in purple knew the Mustangs got the stop it needed and the offense was going to go score. But it didn’t happen. Marble Falls punted and its defense forced Chaparral to punt on its next drive. The Mustangs assembled a drive that reached the Chaparral 21-yard line. Again, it looked like the Mustangs were set to increase their lead. But instead, they lost two yards on first down, got called for holding on second down, ran for six yards on second and 22, and threw an incomplete pass on third and 16. The drive ended on a missed 44-yard field goal. Meanwhile the Bobcats went 73 yards in eight plays to regain the lead 28-21 that led to the pooch kick and the kickoff recovery on the next play. The offensive penalties and turnovers from that point can be attributed to the Mustangs wanting so badly to make a play, though admittedly, it’s discouraging. But Marble Falls displayed a lot of positives from this game where improvement can be seen. Now it’s time to focus on Kerrville Tivy (3-0, District 13-5A Division II) at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15. The Antlers beat Fredericksburg (0-3) 28-12 Sept. 8, San Antonio Davenport (in the same district as Marble Falls) 28-10 Sept. 1, and Medina Valley 21-7 Aug. 25.
3. The Burnet Bulldogs lost to Brownwood 24-10 in a contest that could have gone the Bulldogs’ way. Burnet had the opportunity to score again before halftime, but the Lions punched the ball out of the ball carrier’s arm and recovered the fumble. Here’s what’s not in dispute. Brownwood had to make plays in the second half to win. Again, this contest doesn’t sway my opinion of the Bulldogs. They will be in position to win the district crown.
4. And that’s because it appears there’s more parity in the district. Right now Lampasas (3-0, wins against Elgin 31-23, Austin Northeast 49-0 and Georgetown East View 72-37) is the only undefeated team followed by Taylor (2-1 wins against Waco Robinson 28-24 and Rockdale 39-6 and a loss to Gatesville 34-27), Burnet (1-2), Davenport (1-2, win against Victoria West 60-28 and losses to Tivy and San Antonio Pieper 34-31), and Canyon Lake (1-2, win against Fredericksburg 52-43, losses to Boerne Champion 42-20 and Wimberley 60-6). The good and bad news is that one play or one possession is the difference between putting a slash mark in the win column or not. It’s that close.
5. Congratulations to the Llano Yellow Jackets for their huge win against Austin Crockett. Crockett, whose senior quarterback Cameron Dickey is committed to Texas Tech as a running back, put up a great fight and had a 17-13 advantage with under a minute left in the game. But junior R.J. Coplin, who is described as a gamer, had an answer and gets my game ball this week. Coplin took the kickoff 88 yards to paydirt to ensure the Jackets had an unforgettable homecoming. Next up is a road trip to Coleman (2-1, District 5-2A Division I) at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, before Llano begins defense of its District 13-3A Division I crown.
6. Let’s switch to the hard wood and extend a huge congratulations to the Marble Falls Lady Mustangs volleyball program for a clean sweep of Florence Sept. 8. Notice it’s the program, not one team. That’s because all three squads came away with sweeps in winning all seven sets. Head coach Kait Goertz commended her players for their commitment to winning in three sets, which is one of the toughest things to do. We’ll see what the Lady Mustangs do now as they continue their season.
7. The Burnet Lady Dawgs got a huge gain last week, and it wasn’t simply because they’re back to winning by snapping a two-game losing skid. Senior MaeSyn Gay looks like her old self after she spent months rehabbing her leg. She had 11 kills in the win against Killeen Harker Heights 25-13, 25-10, 25-23. Gay’s presence should help the entire Lady Dawgs as she is another hitter who opponents must account for. And that should help her teammates get opportunities to end rallies, too. Seeing Gay play only helps those of us who love Highland Lakes sports. We all want to see players succeed, and Gay is among the best in the region. So it’s great that she’s back.
8. The Faith Academy of Marble Falls volleyball team lost to Round Rock Christian and Bryan Brazos Christian in the first week of District 3-3A play of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools. Four matches remain in the first round of district play, and the schedule didn’t do the Lady Flames any favors. Both opponents were at the state tournament a year ago, and Round Rock Christian is the defending state champion. Faith travels to play at Temple Central Texas Tuesday, Sept. 12, and at Temple Holy Trinity Thursday, Sept. 14.
9. The cross country season is in full stride. Marble Falls competed in the Class 3A Region III preview meet because it was ran on the same course as the regional meet that will be conducted in a few weeks. But instead of competing in the boys Class 4A race, junior Tyler Hamblin and senior Nick Dahl opted to run in the Class 5A-6A division. Hamblin finished in 15 minutes and 45.67 seconds, good enough for the silver medal and a new personal best, while Dahl was done in 16:10 for eighth. While those two are the top runners, head coach Chris Schrader noted the Mustangs are performing very well and are capable of more.
10. Marble Falls tennis head coach Sam Whitley feels the same about his squad as the Mustangs and Lady Mustangs earned another win in District 19-4A when they beat Salado 13-6 Sept. 7 on the heels of crushing Belton New Tech. That means Marble Falls has qualified for the Class 4A team tennis playoffs for the second year in a row. They won’t know which seed they’ll enter in until the conclusion of the district tournament. Currently, Marble Falls and Burnet are tied for second in the district standings with Lago Vista in first place. Burnet and Marble Falls will meet Sept. 21, which is the last week before the start of the district tournament. The top seed gets the bye, while the second and third seeds play at the home of the second seed. The fourth and fifth seeds play each other and the winner meets the top seed. The district tournament starts Sept. 28.

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