Marble Falls 7-on-7 team shows gains during Burnet State Qualifying Tournament
CAPTION: Parker Phillips makes the catch and speeds away from Troy defenders. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
Though the Marble Falls High School 7-on-7 football team didn’t win a game during the Burnet State Qualifying Tournament June 1, defensive coordinator Ryan Craven pointed out the many positives from the last few weeks of play.
The Mustangs lost to Troy 13-0, to Little River Academy 34-0, and to Burnet 34-0.
“Defensively, we looked good during the first game against Troy,” Craven said. “There were some good moments. We’re still learning, we’re still young. A lot of people are adjusting their defense and playing some things differently. We’re playing our base defense and lining up and executing.”
After throwing an interception on the first play against Troy, the Mustang defense stiffened by forcing a turnover on downs.
From there, Marble Falls was meticulous thanks to quarterbacks Colton Minor and Doak Timmerman. They engineered drives that included putting the ball where their receivers could make catches or not throwing the ball if a receiver wasn’t open. The Mustangs got inside the Troy 10-yard line twice. But the drives stalled.
Craven noted the players aren’t showing their red zone offense. Right now, he added, it’s all about developing rapport and chemistry as the Mustangs are learning the base passing attack that’s part of new head coach Keri Timmerman’s offense.
“We’re focused on the base stuff,” he said. “He’s teaching our quarterbacks the reads. They’re getting better from where they were. We want to see improvement. We want to get out and compete.”
Another important factor? The Mustangs haven’t participated in 7 on 7 in five years, so they’re learning what is allowed such as a lateral.
“This is the first year the kids have done it,” he said. “There’s stuff as coaches you take for granted they know. We came up short and defensively, we gave up a couple of balls. I thought our kids competed. They got after it.”
Watch videos on Highland Lakes sports by going to Fierro’s YouTube channel and searching for The Broad Podcaster. Please like, subscribe and share.
