Faith Academy football using the summer to jump start the season
A driven group of Faith Academy of Marble Falls football players has spent the last month preparing for the 2024 season with the intention of not having a repeat of what happened last year.
In 2023, the Flames missed the playoffs for the first time in several years.
New head coach Jay Silvers is leading the workouts where the Flames spend 30 minutes working on agility, another 30 minutes on sport-specific drills, and the final 30 minutes in the weight room.
Even better, the team is averaging at least 10 Flames in attendance per session led by quarterback Drew Huey. Other attendees are Carter Fromberg, Adam Merlick, Beau Steele and freshman Landon Silvers, the coach’s son. The varsity roster is projecting to have 14 players.
“My son has been here the whole time. He’s getting to learn from Drew, Carter and those guys,” Silvers said. “None of this is mandatory. Some have been out of town, some have been working out of town.”
Still, the coach didn’t hide his enthusiasm for what he is seeing, especially from Huoy, who he believes will be even better in 2025.
“We know Drew was the breakout (player), who was doing well,” he said. “We’ll be able to play him all over the field. We’ll have four different quarterbacks that can throw the ball. We’re going to be able to spread everything out. We’ll have three other guys who can throw the ball and keep the defense off guard. We have other players we can rely on and spread the wealth.”
The sessions have been productive, the coach said, noting one big benefit is in how the players are interacting with one another.
“We’re working on those relationships as a team,” he said. “Leaders are learning how to communicate with one another. they push each other, they’re always trying to make each other better. By the time we start district play at the end of October, we’ll be ready to do what we do best. We’re doing something to make them better, we’re doing something good every day. It’ll build up. They’ll be successful.”
Silvers said he has told the players the objective is to make the playoffs and stay in pursuit of a championship throughout the fall semester.
“I want to play until the first week of December,” he said. “I do not want this season to end before December. And they don’t want to be done early.”
The players who are attending are reaching out to the teammates who aren’t coming, another positive for the coaches, Silvers said.
“We have 80 percent of the team there,” he said. “We’re able to cover stuff. That tells me they are committed to this team, they want to be successful. Last year’s (result) for us, that wasn’t the norm. They want to grind it out.”
The Flames meet on Britton Field on the Faith campus at 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday.
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