Marble Falls football takes on Devine
CAPTION: Marble Falls junior Brody Graham slows down La Vernia junior running back Sean Garza as he tries to get away in the second quarter. Contributed photos Jennifer Fierro/TexasChalkTalk.com
The Marble Falls High School football team is back on the road Friday, Oct. 4. The Mustangs are at Devine for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
The Warhorses (4-1) are on a four-game winning streak thanks to wins against San Antonio Christian 21-10 Sept. 27, Hondo 46-19 Sept. 20, Natalia 42-0 Sept. 13, and Jourdanton 34-19 Sept. 6. The loss was to San Antonio Randolph 28-21 Aug. 30.
Offensively, Devine leans on its rushing attack that “simulates a flex bone wing-T multiple formation offense,” Mustangs head coach Keri Timmerman said.
“It’s kind of a slot-T look,” he said. “They have several backs, who are inserted. Several people are attacking you in several ways. It’s difficult to prepare for.”
The Warhorses are led by senior running backs Brayden Reyes and Elijah Contreras. Reyes has 76 carries for 559 yards and six touchdowns, while Contreras has 53 carries for 419 yards and four scores. No other Warhouse has close to 70 yards rushing though 10 have carries.
Senior quarterback Jacob Sollock has completed 12 of 21 passes for 214 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Senior receiver Ayden Leal has seven catches for 187 yards and two scores.
“Devine is a good football team for sure,” Timmerman said.
The Mustangs aim to take the momentum it has built throughout the season with them on their longest road trip to date. Timmerman said he “thought we played well against La Vernia for three-and-a-half quarters,” which featured linemen who stood 6 feet and 2 inches and weighed between 280-300 pounds.
A Marble Falls penalty took a touchdown off the board. With the Mustangs trailing 27-14 with 1 minute and 32 seconds left in the third quarter, they attempted an onside kick the Bears handled then covered 54 yards to go up 34-14.
Timmerman noted those plays are examples of opportunities that with a different bounce, the outcome could have been different.
“Our kids understand that you get limited time when you put this stuff in play,” he said.
Timmerman, who is in his first year leading the program, commended his players for their hearts and efforts every week. And he is seeing the improvement during each game. Now the challenge is to take another important step, noting the team had two choices – to either fold or to play for 48 minutes.
“Our kids stood up,” he said. “The mental pieces have to be on point. We weren’t very far behind. Every opportunity counts.”
The other important aspect to note is that Timmerman’s version of the spread offense allows the Mustangs to score points in a hurry. So a deficit isn’t as detrimental as it was for the last several seasons.
“Our offense is built for it,” the coach said.
As for the road trip to Devine, Timmerman sees it as a chance to get the Mustangs prepared for what’s coming in District 4-4A when they go to Brownwood and Stephenville.
The other road games were in Jarrell and Llano, so they didn’t cover much distance.
“Our kids did a good job,” Timmerman said. “We were ready for both games. This will help get us ready for big district games.”
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