Three area teams preparing for playoffs
Three area teams will be moving on. One of them, Llano, is a surprise to me because the Yellowjackets have a small high school enrollment. But no one can measure the hearts of their athletes, which was the difference in the 20-14 win against Wimberley Oct. 31. That propelled them to the playoffs.
The Bulldogs had to sweat through the first half of the Llano-Liberty Hill game but when all was said and done, Burnet is making its third straight appearance.
And Faith Academy will be advancing for the second straight season.
Both Burnet and Llano will play Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Bulldogs will meet China Spring at Leo Buckley Stadium in Killeen, while the Jackets will face Glen Rose at Copperas Cove Stadium.
Faith Academy will play Rockwall Heritage, the No. 1 team in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Class 2A, Saturday at 2 p.m. in Rockwall.
How close were we to having four teams in the playoffs? Two overtimes away. But give Mustangs head coach Cord Woerner credit in the playcalling in the loss to Lake Travis, 54-14, Nov. 7.
Coaches made the decision to try an onside kick with 55 seconds left in the first quarter after Marble Falls cut the deficit, 14-7.
The Mustangs recovered the kick but were called for being offsides.
“We’re in a situation where we have to make things happen,” Woerner said.
Of course it took Lake Travis only nine seconds to score for a 19-7 lead going into the second quarter. Marble Falls never got any closer.
At the beginning of the season, Woerner said Marble Falls would be fielding a team with a lot of youth. The players would have to learn the speed and strength of the varsity level quickly.
With a 3-1 record going into their first District 25-4A game against Dripping Springs, Marble Falls was in great shape. The Mustangs had momentum and a belief they could win.
With the game tied, Marble Falls had the ball with 6:30 left. Quarterback Thor Woerner ran for 14 yards on third and 15 and 2 yards on fourth and one. But the drive stalled when Marble Falls was unable to make a first down.
The Mustangs would later lose in overtime, 27-26.
Against Killeen, Marble Falls took a 28-14 lead at halftime. The Mustangs scored only one more time in the second half and overtime. Meanwhile, the Kangaroos won, 41-35 in overtime.
The only explanation for the loss to Hutto was the old adage: Don’t let one loss beat you twice.
It’s a shame the Mustangs did not play as well against Hutto as they had against Lake Travis. Had they played with the kind of focus they showed against the Cavaliers in those three setbacks (with passion and controlled intensity), there’s no question Marble Falls would be in the playoffs.
People who do not watch the Mustangs as closely as those of us who travel with them mistakenly say there’s no talent. That’s not true. But it’s hard to argue that point when all people see are the records.
Here’s what fans should be hoping for as the Mustangs begin offseason workouts.
First, let’s hope they look back on their season and are motivated because they believe they’re better than their record.
Second, these underclassmen know how to win because they have been successful on the subvarsity levels.
Finally, a new stadium will give them more to look forward to when it opens next season.
And make sure people understand this: The competition in district play will be tougher and better next season. Expect Lake Travis to reload, Pflugerville Hendrickson and Hutto to build upon their seasons, and Dripping Springs to show how much it has grown again.
Still, with three area teams competing in the postseason, it’s hard to say it was not a fun and successful journey.
It just would have been nice to have had all four teams playing this week.