Faith Academy football hosting strong-running Sacred Heart
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
MARBLE FALLS — The Faith Academy football team welcomes Halletsville Sacred Heart, the squad many picked to win the District 3 Division III crown, on Oct. 17.
The game is at Pony Stadium, 1511 Pony Circle Drive in Marble Falls, starting at 7:30 p.m.
Flames head coach Russ Roberts said the Indians’ 2-4 record is misleading.
“They’ve played good people,” he said.
The Indians arrive in Marble Falls on a two-game winning streak with district victories against Schertz John Paul II (39-0) and Temple Central Texas Christian (42-28) and losses to Kenedy (19-6), Nixon-Smiley (32-6), Flatonia (38-6) and Snook (29-6).
Sacred Heart utilizes a power-run game led by fullback Dylan Jahn. Roberts said containing that attack will be critical.
“If we could somehow get them to pass, that would help us,” he said. “Their passing game is vastly different from their running game.”
The strength of the Sacred Heart team, however, is the defense led by linebackers Braden Jansky, a three-year starter, and Nick Hadash, defensive tackle Kyle Jahn and defensive end Cullen Wick.
The Flames will try to rebound from a 26-16 loss to San Antonio St. Gerard on Oct. 10. Faith led 16-0 midway through the second quarter.
“We could have won it,” Roberts said. “We had a great plan that I thought would allow us to be successful.”
The Royals scored a touchdown in the final 76 seconds of the first half on a half-back option to trim the deficit to 16-6. They also seized momentum.
“They were able to keep it,” Roberts said. “We were battling; we couldn’t get it back.”
St. Gerard called power-sweep runs in the final two quarters that wore down the Flames. Faith’s Rawley Jackson had seven tackles for a loss and finished with a total of 10 tackles. Tristian Wilson had five tackles for a loss, while Jonathan Bryer and Clay Cozby had three apiece. Bryer had a total of 12 tackles.
Both teams entered the contest with 14 players suited up. In the second half, when the Royals needed to keep the chains moving and turned to their run game, the Flames did not have the substitutes.
“We couldn’t get any help,” the coach said.
jfierro@thepicayune.com