Marble Falls football hosts high-powered LaVernia
CAPTION: Pursuing the ball as a herd is a staple of the Marble Falls defense that includes senior defensive back Noah Luckie. Photo by Stennis Shotts
The Marble Falls High School football team welcomes La Vernia at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, to Mustang Stadium.
“They’re a good team,” Marble Falls head coach Keri Timmerman said. “They’re pretty balanced on defense and offense. They do a good job of moving in and out of the spread.”
The Bears’ (3-1) only loss is to Cuero 35-28 in week two with wins against San Antonio Burbank 63-34, San Antonio Highlands 58-0, and Geronimo Navarro 38-21. They are averaging 269 rushing yards and 98 passing yards per contest.
La Vernia is led by senior quarterback Keegan Hajek, who has completed 21 of 48 passes for 359 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions and has 36 carries for 230 yards and a four scores.
Junior running back Sean Garza leads the rushing attack with 68 carries for 554 yards and five touchdowns, while senior Adrian Cortez has 10 rushes for 125 yards and two scores and senior Aidan Kunz has 23 carries for 103 yards and a score. Senior Logan Maytum has 14 receptions for 284 yards and eight touchdowns.
“They are big upfront,” Timmerman said. “Their offensive line is one of the biggest we’ll face. They are 6-2, 6-3 (tall) and 260, 270 (pounds). They are big-framed kids. They do a good job with their interior blocking schemes.”
The La Vernia defense is led by senior middle linebacker Dedric Williams, who has 45 tackles, and junior safety Vincent Capparelli, who has 25 tackles and a sack. Senior safety Aden Hajek has a fumble recovery, while senior safety Kolby Gates has an interception.
“Defensively, they’re very balanced,” Timmerman said. “They look to stay pretty consistent on their alignment. There’s not a lot of shifts. They want to let you move around them. This is a playoff-caliber team. We have to minimize the quick scores and the big runs. They’re a physical team and a balanced team. Putting our kids in the right situations, we have to take advantage of them when they show up.”
Marble Falls will counter with senior quarterback Colton Minor, junior running back Joaquin Aguilar and senior receiver Kole Becker.
Minor has completed 31 of 55 passes for 491 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions and has 21 rushes for 78 yards. Aguilar has 60 rushes for 437 yards and six scores and Becker has 22 catches for 338 yards and four touchdowns.
The Mustangs have won both of their home games by beating San Antonio Brackenridge 49-0 Sept. 20 and Austin Crockett 56-0 Aug. 30. Their losses have been to Llano 20-13 and to Jarrell 21-14, both on the road.
“Obviously playing really good defense is the make-up of a good team in keeping people out of the end zone,” the coach said. “Our offense and defense are playing really well in front of home crowd. Our kids are doing a good job. We had three good days of practice. It’s week five. They’re never going to be as healthy as they were in week one. We’ve been pretty lucky and healthy with our kiddos.”
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