Marble Falls linemen finish fourth at Arlington meet
ARLINGTON — The Marble Falls High School football team linemen finished fourth out of 18 squads in the Class 4A division of the Arlington Colts Lineman Challenge.
The Mustangs were 16th overall out of 56 squads of mostly Class 5A teams, according to coaches Cristian Ribera and Bob Deitchler.
“We gave everything we had,” Ribera said. “I’m proud of each of them.”
Marble Falls had wanted to attend the meet for four years because it follows the rules and equipment found at the state meet, coaches said.
The meet had events such as the truck push, tire flip, tug of war, bench press, dumb-bell stack, hand-over-hand sled pull and medicine-ball toss. The team was fourth in the farmer’s walk, which requires athletes to carry 275 pounds for 25 yards.
“These young men gave 110 percent effort at each and every event,” Deitchler said. “We averaged a little over 13 reps per person in bench.”
No player was given a score in the events, they said, which means athletes understood they had to rely on one another to help the overall score.
“The big thing to me is the kids are working together,” Ribera said. “This event we went to, there are no individual times at all. The kids are working together at all times.”
Most of the other teams had players who were 6 feet 3 inches or taller and weighed almost 300 pounds, he said.
“The schools that beat us had guys bigger than (former Marble Falls standout lineman) Cyril (Lemon),” Ribera said.
“To say we were a small team in size is an understatement. But these young men were giants when it came to heart,” Deitchler said. “They just keep getting better as we go. I know there is not one of these young men that have any give up or quit in them.”
Marble Falls qualified for the state meet July 20 in Duncanville, but coaches aren’t sure the Mustangs will attend because of cost.
They are looking for sponsors. For more, contact Deitchler at (830) 220-3455 or bob@titantrans.com, or Ribera at (830) 265-0322 or cristian.ribera@yahoo.com.