Big dates set for Marble Falls football, including spring practices and game
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
MARBLE FALLS — With about two months left in the school year, preparations have begun for spring football at Marble Falls High School.
Athletic director and head football coach Todd Dodge has scheduled some important dates, beginning with Mustang Football Family Night at 7 p.m. April 8 in the cafeteria at the high school, 2101 Mustang Drive.
That’s when Dodge will outline the football team’s goals for the next several months, the progress since last year, what is expected of players and how parents and fans can help.
He said fans can contribute in a very simple way.
“The best way is just encourage (the players),” he said.
Spring football practice begins May 1 at 4:10 p.m. at Mustang Stadium, 2101 Mustang Drive. The Mustangs will practice three days a week for four weeks and play in a scrimmage at the end of each week. Spring football ends with the Spring Game at 8 p.m. May 23.
Dodge said it’s crucial the Mustangs productively use every second of the spring season.
Marble Falls will lose its starting offensive linemen and quarterback Mike Richardson to graduation this year.
“We’re taking a group of young, inexperienced players and starting to groom them,” he said. “There’s a lot of learning that’s going on right now.”
There’s plenty of evaluation, he added, and even more teaching.
The coach concluded his quarterback school for the Mustangs at the end of February. The quarterbacks in attendance were freshmen Brennan Wooten, Ethan Leach, Ethan Reed and Wyatt Cayce and sophomore Jacob Smith.
“That was the hand we were dealt when we got here,” Dodge said. “There wasn’t a lot of quarterback depth, and that’s fine. We’ll build it.”
Phase 1 of the Mustangs’ spring-semester plan, which started in January and ended in February, had players running 200 meters and lifting weights three times a week.
Phase 2 ended before Spring Break. That was when players went from lifting weights three times a week to four times a week and added an agility program. Players used ladders and ropes and concentrated on plyometrics, or jump training.
Phase 3 started March 18 with players lifting weights three days a week — with greater intensity and better results than in Phase 1. This phase is more like boot camp, Dodge said, with intense strength-and-conditioning exercises. In all, coaches are working with 70 juniors and sophomores.
Also, most of the athletes are participating in track and field with the aim of getting faster. And players are starting to work on football-related drill work, Dodge said.
“We’re training both sides of the ball, trying to build depth,” he said. “We’re teaching our base offense and defense to our entire team.”
Dodge told his athletes to keep an open mind and understand they might be needed to play other positions than what they played a year ago.
“There’s a lot of evaluation and open discussion that goes into it,” he said about preparing for next season. “Our players are unselfish. They understand what’s best for the them is the best place to start and train.”
New defensive coordinator Tony Salazar has changed the defense to a 3-3-5 alignment, which uses three linemen, three linebackers and five defensive backs. Dodge said the Mustangs will have multiple options out of it.
And though Marble Falls will field some inexperienced players on the varsity level, the coach said he believes in the athletes, the coaches and the system and looks forward to the coming weeks.
“It’s going to be great,” Dodge said.
jfierro@thepicayune.com
[tabs style=”default”] [tab title=”MUSTANG FOOTBALL FAMILY NIGHT”]
April 8 at 7 p.m. in the cafeteria at Marble Falls High School, 2101 Mustang Drive in Marble Falls. Players, parents and fans are invited.
[/tab] [tab title=”SPRING FOOTBALL”]
Starts May 1 at 4:10 p.m. at Mustang Stadium, 2101 Mustang Drive in Marble Falls. The Mustangs practice three days a week and scrimmage on the fourth day. The first scrimmage is 9:30-11:30 a.m. May 4. Spring football is four weeks long.
[/tab] [tab title=”SPRING GAME”]
May 23 at 8 p.m. at Mustang Stadium, 2101 Mustang Drive in Marble Falls.
[/tab] [tab title=”TODD DODGE QUARTERBACK AND RECEIVERS CAMP”]
June 17-20 at Mustang Stadium, 2101 Mustang Drive in Marble Falls. Cost is $180. For more, go to www.todddodgefootballcamp.com.
[/tab] [tab title=”BOOSTER CLUB GOLF AND TENNIS TOURNAMENTS”]
June 23 at Lakecliff Country Club, 1700 Kahala Sunset Drive in Spicewood.
[/tab] [/tabs]