Marble Falls football shuts out Brackenridge

The Marble Falls High School football team scorched San Antonio Brackenridge 49-0 Sept. 20 int the Mustangs’ homecoming game to even its record to 2-2.

The loss is the Eagles’ 14th in a row.

“That kids did a great job the second half; we’ve got to connect two halves,” Mustangs head coach Keri Timmerman said. “That’s the thing right now with our kids, just figuring out what we’re going to have to do to be clean in the first half and then finish the second half. They’re making plays we need to, they’re doing a good job on corrections.”

After a scoreless first quarter, the Mustangs struck in the second stanza. Senior quarterback Colton Minor scampered 17 yards to pay dirt and the 7-0 lead.

Marble Falls added to the advantage. This time Minor found senior wide receiver Mason Long on the nine-yard passing touchdown with 7 minutes and 50 seconds left in the half.

Meanwhile the Marble Falls defense didn’t drop the intensity but did make sure the Eagles were dropped for losses as they struggled to get an offensive rhythm. When Brackenridge did get into Mustang territory, it was because of a penalty. Otherwise Marble Falls forced punts and turnovers on downs.

The Mustangs showed their grit in the second half.

Marble Falls marched 51 yards in five plays to paydirt on the opening drive of the third quarter. Minor began the drive by completing 10- and seven-yard passes to senior receiver Kole Becker. Then junior running back Joaquin Aguilar did the rest by running 27 yards and completing the drive with a three-yard run for the 21-0 lead. The drive took 70 seconds to complete.

After the Mustang defense forced a punt, Minor hit Becker for a 20-yard pass and a four-yard reception. The quarterback then hit senior tight end Noah Lyon for a 39-yard reception to set up Aguilar’s two-yard run to the end zone and a 28-0 lead with 8:48 remaining in the third period. The four-play drive took 65 yards and 50 seconds to finish.

The Eagles’ assembled their best drive of the half by marching 57 yards to reach the Marble Falls 21-yard line. A personal foul against the Mustangs aided the drive. But senior defensive back Jackson Trudeau caught an interception that was wiped out by defensive pass interference. Two plays later, Trudeau caught another interception. This time the Mustangs kept possession though they ended up punting the ball.

Marble Falls’ final offensive possession of the third quarter resulted in a big touchdown pass to Becker from Minor that covered 67 yards and a 35-0 advantage. It finished a four-play, 80-yard drive that took 69 seconds to complete.

The Mustangs had two offensive possessions in the final stanza that both resulted in rushing touchdowns.

The first was by Aguilar, who scampered 54 yards to pay dirt. The two-play, 54-yard drive needed 18 seconds to complete for the 42-0 advantage.

The final drive was led by junior quarterback Doak Timmerman, who engineered a seven-play, 56-yard drive. It ended when he called his own number for the six-yard touchdown. The drive was highlighted by Aguilar’s 22- and 29-yard runs.

The coach was pleased with the way the second half played out. Now he wants the Mustangs to put all four quarters together.

“(We) can’t start slow, especially against good teams,” he said. “And Brackenridge did a good job of moving the ball on us and having some stuff early ready. I thought they did a good job of that. I thought we did a good job in the second half and shut them down. When they made some (defensive) adjustments, we went back to some things that balanced them out a little bit and just gave our kids like Joaquin a chance to run. I’m trying to figure out as a coach, how do we help them succeed early.”

Minor completed 14 of 23 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns and had 10 rushes for 44 yards. Aguilar had 21 carries for 187 yards and four touchdowns, and Becker caught eight passes for 135 yards and a score. Lyon finished with three receptions for 69 yards, while Long had two catches for 27 yards and a touchdown.

Offensively, the Mustangs scored in a variety of ways — explosive plays and short-yardage power plays — and being meticulous when they had to be and exploiting their opportunities when they were presented. Timmerman credited the players for having the insight and the knowledge of knowing what to do.

“I think kids did a good job of finding adjustments and finishing them and making the play when it showed up,” he said. “I thought we’d have some guys do some big things. We got all our seniors in; it’s always fun to be out there at homecoming.”

Lyon led the defense with 12 tackles, a sack and three passes defended, while junior lineman Kaleb Bielfeldt had eight tackles, two-and-a-half sacks and a pass defended. Sophomore strong safety Jett Marcum had an interception.

Thanks to the lead, coaches were able to freely substitute, which helps create depth throughout the roster.

“We got a bunch of kids in the second half that need to develop and get some playing time,” Timmerman said. “I was really happy to see that, too. I think our kids did a good job of working and getting twos in and … at some point they’re going to need to play. They’re going to have to be a one at some point. So that’s good to see and get them on film and grade them, and it just makes things a little bit more competitive in practice, and we always need that.” 

Overall, the victory was a solid one in front of an enthusiastic Marble Falls crowd.

“The crowd was great,” the coach said. “Looks like everybody turned out. I was real excited for the kids to have a big homecoming crowd. I think a lot of fans showed up and I think that’s exciting for our kids and our program. I think we’re moving forward and it’s a win and it’s hard to win in Texas, period. No matter what level, it’s hard to win. We’re going to go face a really good La Vernia team next week, so we have to play fast early. That’s the biggest thing – we have to start fast and not let a deficit occur.”   

Marble Falls welcomes La Vernia at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, at Mustang Stadium.

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