Dodge impressed with offseason work from Marble Falls football team
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
MARBLE FALLS — Even though the Marble Falls High School football team won’t start spring practice for about five weeks, it doesn’t mean the Mustangs haven’t been working hard in the offseason.
Ever since the 2013 season ended, sophomore quarterback Brennen Wooten has gathered some teammates for weekly throwing and route-running sessions.
In addition, many Mustangs have started their day early or stayed after school to get in extra weightlifting and are still looking for ways to get better.
And, most important to head coach Todd Dodge, the players are inviting teammates to join them.
“I’m excited about our kids’ work in the offseason,” he said.
Though the incoming senior class will be the smallest yet with 14 and the juniors only number 17, the sophomores total 56 for 106 athletes participating in spring football, starting May 1.
In 2012, 96 Mustangs suited up for spring football.
Part of the credit for the higher turnout goes to Marble Falls Middle School coordinator David Norwood, Dodge said.
“He’s keeping them in the program,” he said. “You can see the changes in philosophy in the numbers.”
The offense will be led by Wooten. And, of equal importance, three of the five starting offensive linemen will return. They are center Sam Kohutek, right guard Drake Harkins and right tackle Ryan Becker. They have 30 starts between them.
“Anytime you have quite a few starts built into your offensive line, that’s a huge plus,” Dodge said. “This time last year we had (no returning starters.)”
The program has other linemen, including transfers Hanner Shipley and Jarrett Shields, and Dylon Jackson, who suffered a broken arm that sidelined him during the season. Jackson and Shipley are training at left tackle, while Shields is working at left guard. In all, the average height of the linemen is about 6 feet 2 inches.
“We have a collection of big guys here right now,” Dodge said.
He complimented offensive line coach Brandon Murdock, who is completing his first year at Marble Falls, for the way the players are developing, their approach to each training session and their chemistry.
“What a hire,” Dodge said. “He was my starting center the first year I was at Southlake Carroll (High School) and spent three years as the assistant offensive line coach there. He’s doing a great job. They’re getting stronger; they’re getting bigger.”
As an added motivation, coaches have developed 1,000-, 1,200- and 1,500-pound clubs. Players who lift those amounts of weight receive T-shirts after each milestone.
The strongest player in the program is Kohutek, while Wooten is in the top 12.
Dodge conducted his annual quarterback school in February that included Wooten, Cade Cool and Kylen Skonning, who also is still working as a receiver.
While Wooten is a scholar of the sport and is known for taking tapes home with him and reviewing them, one area he has grown in is working at the white board.
Several weeks ago, a handful coaches from the Corpus Christi area stopped by Dodge’s office to talk about his offense. So he called for Wooten after the final schoolbell rang and invited the quarterback to join them.
Wooten was asked to go to the whiteboard and explain the Mustangs’ offense, what he looks for, when he calls for specific coverages, etc.
After he finished, Dodge introduced his quarterback to Corpus Christi Calallen head coach Phil Danaher, who is No. 2 on the list of Texas high school wins at 400, and his staff.
Wooten immediately knew who the visitors were.
“That was a big deal to him,” Dodge said with grin. “I was really proud of him. He’s a lot of fun to coach.
“At some point, I want him comfortable being at the board, breaking it down,” he added. “I told him, ‘Don’t ever stop being a student of the game.’ There are some freshman quarterbacks in college who absolutely don’t have a clue about the game. They’ve done everything on natural ability. What I want for Brennen is that when he gets to that level, there’s a huge comfort zone for him. It makes him an obviously better quarterback.”
jfierro@thepicayune.com
MARBLE FALLS SPRING FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Practice schedule: 4-6 p.m. May 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 12, 13, 15, 19, 20; 6:30-8:30 a.m. May 7, 14 and 21. Spring game is 7 p.m. May 22.
MARBLE FALLS 2014 VARSITY SCHEDULE
(All games are 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted; * denotes District 25-5A games)
Aug. 22 — Kerrville Tivy scrimmage, TBA
Aug. 29 — Burnet
Sept. 5 — at San Antonio Jay
Sept. 12 — Boerne
Sept. 19 — at Cedar Park Vista Ridge*
Sept. 26 — Dripping Springs*
Oct. 3 — Open
Oct. 10 — at Georgetown*
Oct. 17 — Cedar Park* (homecoming)
Oct. 24 — at Leander*
Oct. 31 — at Leander Vandegrift*
Nov. 7 — Georgetown East View*