District 4-4A outlook after week one: parity
CAPTION: The Marble Falls Mustangs defense is about fighting through blocks and ensuring very few yards are gained thanks to the efforts of senior linebacker Brandon Guevara (9), junior defensive back Gregory Lemon (21) and senior defensive back Carter Hughes. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography
After one week of District 4-4A Division I play, a couple of truths are apparent.
The district includes Marble Falls, Burnet, Lampasas, Stephenville and Brownwood.
The Mustangs (2-5, 0-1) travel to face Stephenville (5-1), while the Bulldogs (5-2, 1-0) welcome the Badgers (6-1, 1-0). Both games are at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18. Brownwood (3-3, 0-1) has the bye this week and the Yellowjackets had the bye last week.
Going into the season in August, observers of Class 4A Division I football considered District 4-4A among the toughest in the state. So far, with the number of members that have winning records, that is true.
“It’s in the conversation of being in the top two or three in the state,” Mustangs head coach Keri Timmerman said. “When realignment was announced in February, there were some really good teams in the district.”
He noted that at one time Brownwood and Stephenville were ranked in the top 10. Throw in Lampasas, and the district had three teams ranked in the top 15. Add in Burnet, and the district has four members ranked in the top 20.
Lampasas beat Brownwood 30-20 last week. That highlights another truth.
“Parity in the district is really high,” Timmerman said. “Brownwood has played tough competition.”
Though Marble Falls is the district’s only team with a losing record, the Mustangs haven’t been far from wins. Only two losses have been by 20 points or more: Burnet 43-7 last week and La Vernia 34-14 Sept. 27. The other losses to Jarrell, Llano and Devine have been by a combined 15 points.
The coach said as he observes his high school players, he is most interested in their mental growth and how they’re handling both success and setbacks.
Then he is watching their skill development as they continue to learn his version of the spread offense and how well they’re handling the base formations. When that’s down pat, coaches can add more wrinkles.
“There’s a lot of really good positive things that don’t have immediate impact,” the coach said. “
That’s why Timmerman believes that with three district games left and with the fourth place team needing to win one district game to get in the playoffs, it’s still an open race. Factors such as injuries and academics may play a role in depth. One stat that has pleased Timmerman is that just about every Mustang is taking care of business in the classroom and students are joining teams throughout the department. He pointed out participation numbers are rising.
“Those are all things we have to build on,” he said. “The hardest thing for kids is you get one shot at it. You want that for those kids.”
Marble Falls takes its bye Oct. 25 then hosts Lampasas Nov. 1 before going to Brownwood Nov. 8 for the final contest of the regular season. Timmerman said the bye is coming at the right time.
“I don’t think anyone in our district is going to lay down,” he said. “They play each other tough.”
