Marble Falls football dominates Dripping Springs in victory
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
MARBLE FALLS — The Marble Falls High School football team performed with a sense of urgency in defeating Dripping Springs 35-14 in a District 25-5A match Sept. 26.
“Yes, a must win,” Mustangs head coach Matt Green said. “Now we’re back in the playoff race. At 0-2, that’s tough. It was the most complete game we’ve played.”
The first half was near perfection for the Mustangs (3-2 overall, 1-1 district). After both teams exchanged punts, Marble Falls finished a 10-play, 99-yard drive when senior running back Royale Brown caught a 25-yard pass from junior quarterback Brennen Wooten for a 7-0 lead. David Salinas added the extra point.
On the next possession for Dripping Springs (2-3, 1-1), the Marble Falls defense blocked the punt, and the ball was scooped up by sophomore defensive back Sam Harkins.
Wooten finished the four-play, 28-yard drive with a six-yard scamper into the end zone for a 14-0 lead.
The next Mustangs drive took even fewer plays. Wooten hit junior receiver Jacob Metcalf on an 80-yard pass for a touchdown that capped an 84-yard drive and a 21-0 lead.
But that’s all the Mustangs would get in the first half. On another Mustangs’ possession, the Tigers intercepted a pass in the end zone with eight seconds left.
Dripping Springs began the second half with a three-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Hunter Prewit from junior quarterback Shep Shepard. The key play in the nine-play, 77-yard drive was a 62-yard pass to junior receiver Nick Bever on third-and-24.
The Mustangs answered with a four-yard Wooten touchdown run for a 28-7 lead. The drive took three plays and went 57 yards.
Later, Marble Falls sophomore running back Daven Manning added a six-yard touchdown for a 35-7 lead with 4:51 left in the game. That score capped a seven-play, 89-yard drive.
Dripping Springs freshman quarterback Brady McBride scored a meaningless three-yard touchdown to make it 35-14.
The Mustangs had more than 600 yards of total offense with Wooten throwing for more than 330.
Meanwhile, the Tigers, who had been averaging 215 rushing yards a game, were limited to 55 yards on the ground, all unofficial. During a 23-0 win against Cedar Park last week, Dripping Springs ran up the middle with much success. Green praised the defense and the coaches for shutting down the Dripping Springs run game.
“That was not going to happen,” he said. “Our defense made physical plays. We hit and tackled hard. We challenged our kids. It’s no secret what they’re going to come in here and do. We have to be ready.”
Marble Falls has a bye next week. The Mustangs face Georgetown at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10 in a district matchup at the Georgetown Athletic Complex and Birkelbach Field, 2275 N. Austin Ave in Georgetown.
jfierro@thepicayune.com
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Dripping Springs: 0-0-7-0 – 14
Marble Falls: 7-14-7-7 – 35
FIRST QUARTER
MF – Royale Brown 25-yard pass from Brennen Wooten (David Salinas kick), :21
SECOND QUARTER
MF – Wooten 6-yard run (Salinas kick), 10:15
MF – Jacob Metcalf 80-yard pass from Wooten (Salinas kick), 7:02
THIRD QUARTER
DS – Hunter Prewit 16-yard pass from Shep Shepard (Will Wittenburg kick), 8:45
MF – Wooten 4-yard run (Salinas kick), 2:24
FOURTH QUARTER
MF – Daven Manning 6-yard run (Salinas kick), 4:51
DS – Brady McBride 3-yard run (Braden Shields kick), 2:58
TEAM STATS
(DRIPPING SPRINGS) First downs: 13 — Total net yards: 281 — Rushes-yards: 19-54 — Passing: 257 — Comp-att-int: 20-36-0 — Fumbles-lost: 1-0 — Penalties-yards: 3-30
(MARBLE FALLS) First downs: 20 — Total net yards: 561 — Rushes-yards: 31-238 — Passing: 398 — Comp-att-int: 15-26-1 — Penalties-yards: 7-75
INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING – (Dripping Springs) Shep Shepard 5-(-14), Brady McBride 4-40-1 touchdown, Joe Fex 10-28. (Marble Falls) Brennen Wooten 5-9, Jacob Metcalf 1-6, Royale Brown 6-59, Daven Manning 15-132-1 touchdown, Tyler Ryan 4-32
PASSING – (Dripping Springs) Shep Shepard 17-32-230-1 touchdown, Brady McBride 3-4-27. (Marble Falls) Brennen Wooten 15-26-398-2 touchdowns-1 interception
RECEIVING – (Dripping Springs) Hays Thompson 2-14, Hunter Prewit 1-42-1 touchdown, Brady McBride 2-15, Joe Fex 1-3, Will Wittenburg 5-49, Nick Bever 5-113, Tanner Beaty 1-11. (Marble Falls) Peyton Emery 1-8, Metcalf 5-187-1 touchdown, Eric Cauble 3-83, Brown 2-39-1 touchdown, Manning 3-49, Ryan 1-32
MIDDLE SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Marble Falls 7th purple 32, Wimberley 0 on Sept. 30
ON OFFENSE: Brendon Sapp touchdown pass from Josh Whitecotten; Brylen Mills touchdown pass from Hunter Jackson; Mauro Palacio 10-yard touchdown run; Josiah Rojas with two extra points.
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE GAME: Logan Potter and Tyler Wooten
ON DEFENSE: Interceptions – Alonso Soto 1, Denver Horn 2 with one returned for a touchdown; other standouts — Chavez McHenry and Bryan Arreguin, Ponies had two goal-line stands
ON SPECIAL TEAMS: Gabriel Barker touchdown on a kick return
RECORDS: Marble Falls is 2-2
UP NEXT: 6:30 p.m. Oct. 6, Marble Falls vs. Hill Country at Pony Stadium, 1511 Pony Circle Drive in Marble Falls
Marble Falls 7th B and C teams face each other in scrimmage
MARBLE FALLS — Coaches divided members of the seventh-grade B and C teams into purple and gold squads to play each other Sept. 30. Purple on 20-8.
ON OFFENSE: Touchdowns – Isaiah Beltran and Jose Garcia; extra points – Dakato Taylor and Fermin Cortez
DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS: Cody Sauer and Sammy Ortiz
UP NEXT: 4:15 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. Oct. 6, Marble Falls vs. Hill Country at Pony Stadium, 1511 Pony Circle Drive in Marble Falls