The parallels in the Marble Falls, Burnet football programs

CAPTION: Marble Falls senior defensive back Jackson Trudeau (3) and junior defensive back Gregory Lemon (21) break up a pass intended for Burnet senior athlete Marcus Pimentel as junior linebacker Doak Timmerman (7) prepares to assist. Photo by Stennis Shotts

As the Burnet High School football team raced to a 20-0 lead in the first half against the Marble Falls Mustangs Oct. 11, Bulldogs head coach Ben Speer saw some familiarity in the two programs.

This contest featured two new head coaches to their programs: Marble Falls head coach Keri Timmerman and Speer.

Four years ago, Speer joined then head coach Bryan Wood in moving to Burnet where the program had talented players coming through. The year before their arrival, the Bulldogs had finished the 2020 season with a 5-6 overall record, 2-3 in district play and had lost to Boerne High 38-7 in the first round of the playoffs.

At the time of Wood’s hire, Burnet Consolidated Independent School District officials truly believed they had found the head coach who was going to stick with the program for the long haul, someone who was more than a placeholder for the next guy, an individual who could rebuild the program from the ground up and restore it to the glory it had enjoyed at the turn of the century.

But what officials soon discovered is that perhaps Wood’s most trusted assistant also has the same traits – an individual who knows how to motivate players, build up their bodies as well as their minds for competition, and who wants the community to be proud to wear their Kelly green.

That first season in 2021 didn’t play out the way the Bulldogs would have wanted when they finished 3-7 overall and 1-4 in district to miss the postseason. The 2022 season was better as Burnet went 4-8 overall, but the Bulldogs needed to beat Taylor in the final game of the season to advance to the playoffs. The Ducks won 41-40 to nab the final postseason berth and sent the Bulldogs to their offseason with motivation and intensity.

It’s why they went 8-4 last year en route to winning a share of the district title by finishing 4-1 and knocking off Somerset 42-17 for a bi-district crown.

So as the game unfolded Oct. 11, 2024 at Mustang Stadium, where the Bulldogs were ensuring Speer got his first district win as a head coach, he quickly took stock of the players wearing purple and gold.

“I was impressed with coach Timmerman’s guys,” he said. “I think he’s gonna move it in the right direction. I’m encouraging his players to stay the course. It’s hard for those seniors. Those guys are just in a transition and sometimes it doesn’t seem fair for them. But at the same time, they fight and they do a good job. I am just encouraging to trust their coach, trust the process, and it’s going to pay off. He’s a good man and he does a great job with what he has.” 

The two have spoken quite a bit since Timmerman accepted the job in December and started in January. Because Burnet and Marble Falls are in the same district in all sports, the two saw each other at track meets and soccer, baseball and softball games, and Timmerman’s Mustangs participated in Burnet’s 7-on-7 May League. The high number of freshmen playing football in 2024 allowed both men to create two squads. As a result some of those freshmen have played each other more than once this season.

“It’s been good,” Speer said. “Him and I are coming through this thing at the same time, and we’ve been able to help them, and we needed it. We’ll continue that relationship down the road.”

Because Marble Falls and Burnet are in District 4-4A Division I with three other teams where four playoff berths are up for grabs, squads that won Oct. 11 essentially have clinched postseason spots.

For weeks, Speer has been drilling that into his players, who took that message to heart during the days leading up to the trek to Marble Falls. The Burnet staff installed a few wrinkles and purposely saved some plays for district play.

“I was really surprised and we were excited with their attention to detail, and so it wasn’t so much me calling it as I was just calling our checks, and our kids just played with that confidence,” he said. “We did a lot because Timmerman does a good job. We work very hard with those kids recognizing and automatic checks of what we want to do, and they work well. It’s nice when it all comes together. You gotta be ready, it’s gonna take all our effort and can’t be surprised when (they) get on the field.”

Burnet welcomes Lampasas (6-1, 1-0), while Marble Falls travels to Stephenville. Both games kick off at 7:30 p.m.

CAPTION: Marble Falls senior quarterback Colton Minor sees the hole created by the offense line that includes seniors Kelan Aiken (64) and Carson Parmer. Photo by Stennis Shotts