Fredericksburg beats Marble Falls football 23-0

CAPTION: Marble Falls head coach Brian Herman talks to the offense during a timeout against Fredericksburg. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Marble Falls High School football team lost to Fredericksburg 23-0 to end pre-district play Sept. 23.

Marble Falls (2-3, District 13-4A Division I) is on a bye Sept. 30 before traveling to face Canyon Lake for the district opener Friday, Oct. 7.

“The kids played hard,” head coach Brian Herman said. “We had to overcome a lot. We had a makeshift team tonight. It all happened today.”

In his post-game comments to the players, he commended their efforts, noting many played in positions they hadn’t practiced.

“I’m proud of you,” he said. “This is not on you.”

Fredericksburg lead 16-0 at the half thanks to senior running back Jesse Leija who had 183 yards and a touchdown in the first half.

But the Mustangs limited him to 58 yards in the second half. The only touchdown came from Leija on a 16-yard scamper with seconds left in the game. He finished with 25 rushes for 241 yards and 2 scores.

The Billies had 311 yards of total offense.

Junior quarterback Jamie Castillo had 15 carries for 73 yards with 46 yards coming on one carry. Senior tailback Caleb Vidal had 15 carries for 67 yards. The Mustangs finished with 161 yards of total offense.

“We made some good adjustments at the half,” Herman said. “The defense played great in the third quarter. On that one last touchdown, we just ran out of bodies. In the second half, we were running out of bodies.”

The Billies conducted their homecoming against the Mustangs.

“They were inspired by homecoming, they beat Tivy (31-28) and Tivy beat us (28-21),” he said. “They had hope, and we came in and didn’t have the bullets to counter.”

Herman noted the preparation was made with others in the line-up who weren’t available.

“How can you expect anyone to perform if they’re not ready?” he said. “We’re trying to figure out what to do to be successful. We have two weeks to teach the kids. We have the pieces. We know their abilities.”

FIRST HALF

The Marble Falls High School football team trails Fredericksburg 16-0 at the half.

The Billies had an answer for almost every slot-T offensive play called. Senior tailback Caleb Vidal had 10 rushes for 54 yards with 48 yards coming on his first carry.

Meanwhile Billies senior running back Jesse Leija led his team with 14 rushes for 183 yards and a touchdown. His longest carry was for 59 yards and a facemask against the Mustangs put the ball at the 18-yard line. But the Billies fumbled the snap three plays later and the ball was recovered by junior Jonah Walker.

Leija scored the game’s first touchdown on the Billies’ second possession on a carry that went 39 yards. It completed a two-play, 59-yard drive.

Fredericksburg senior quarterback Will Degenhardt scored the other touchdown on a quarterback sneak from the one. That completed a six-play, 45-yard drive to give the Billies a 13-0 lead at the end of the opening stanza.

Senior kicker Jovany Alva connected on a 37-yard field goal with 32 seconds remaining in the half for the 16-0 lead.