Marble Falls football welcomes Lampasas
CAPTION: The ability to fight through blocks and get to the ball carrier is mentality illustrated by Marble Falls sophomore linebacker Arnulfo Salazar (23) and senior defensive back Carter Hughes (24). Photos by Stennis Shotts
The Marble Falls High School football team will host Lampasas in the final home game of the regular season.
Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, at Mustang Stadium. At 6:45 p.m., Marble Falls Independent School District will honor seniors who are members of the cheerleading and Starlettes squads, the band and the football team and their families.
The Badgers (7-2, 2-1) are entering the contest after losing to Stephenville 42-31 last week. It was Lampasas’ first loss in District 4-4A Division I play. Marble Falls was on a bye.
The Badgers are led by senior quarterback Reed Jerome, who has completed 100 of 146 passes for 1,046 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions and has 99 rushes for 662 yards and 12 scores.
Senior running back Damian Rivas and junior KJ Reed lead the ground attack. Divas has 588 yards and two touchdowns on 98 carries, while KJ Reed has 73 carries for 496 yards and four scores.
Sophomore receiver Ty Johnson has 39 receptions for 457 yards and six touchdowns and senior running back Haegan Oncken has 26 catches for 372 yards and three touchdowns and 17 carries for 164 yards and a score. Johnson has a 91-yard kickoff return.
“They have a good team,” Marble Falls head coach Keri Timmerman said. “They’re really strong. Lampasas does a good job balancing the run and the pass. I think they have a strong offensive line and are well coached. They’ve been in their scheme for awhile.”
He was equally complimentary of the Badgers’ defense.
“They’re well coached, they’re sound defensively,” he said. “(Senior middle linebacker Levi Guthrie) does a good job. I think they’re balanced. Their secondary makes plays. They’re really strong. Defensively, they fly to the ball.”
What stood out to him is the Badgers commitment to the run. He said they want to establish a strong run game offensively and limit opponents’ ability to do the same.
“That’s the strength of their team,” the coach said. “They balance that really well – running and stopping the run.”
While Stephenville won the game by a couple of scores, it didn’t start that way, Timmerman said. The two teams were tied at 7-7 after the first quarter with the Yellowjackets led 21-14 at the intermission. But Stephenville added two more touchdowns in the third quarter.
The Yellowjackets also had a defensive touchdown to help keep a two-score advantage.
Timmerman noted the Mustangs took full advantage of the bye week by balancing being productive with rest. He noted that taking a bye during week nine is a challenge because it came after 14 weeks of being on the field that dated back to early August.
“We had several good practices,” he said. “The kids’ energy is high.”
CAPTION: Marble Falls junior running back Joaquin Aguilar continues to be the workhorse on the Mustangs’ ground attack the offense needs. Photo by Stennis Shotts
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