Marble Falls can play spoiler in game against East View
Marble Falls High School sophomore running back Daven Manning is tackled by Leander Vandegrift junior linebacker Edward Tate in the Mustangs’ 47-42 loss Oct. 31. Photo by Virgil Belk/Hill Country Sports Images
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
MARBLE FALLS — The Marble Falls High School football team will end its season in a District 25-5A home game against Georgetown East View on Nov. 7.
But the contest, set for 7:30 p.m. at Mustang Stadium, 2101 Mustang Drive, will not be meaningless.
For starters, the Patriots (7-2 overall, 4-2 district) need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. And a win for the Mustangs (4-5, 2-4) would even their season record.
East View enters the contest after losing 48-31 to Cedar Park on Oct. 31. As a result, the Patriots, Timberwolves, Leander Vandegrift and Georgetown High are all tied for second in the district standings. East View does not have to beat Marble Falls to advance, but a loss means relying on outcomes of other games for a playoff berth.
The Patriots made national news after beating Vandegrift 42-41 thanks to senior receiver Apollos Hester. He was interviewed after East View overcame a 28-14 deficit for the victory. His positive outlook struck sports fans across the nation.
East View’s district wins are against Vandegrift, Dripping Springs (41-21), Georgetown (45-42) and Leander (45-41). Its losses were to Cedar Park and Cedar Park Vista Ridge (35-32).
The Patriots are led by quarterback Josh Covey, who has completed 100 passes for 1,740 yards with 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. Running back Cornelio Garcia leads in rushing with 988 yards and 12 touchdowns on 161 carries, and Hester is the leading receiver with 45 catches for 887 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Like East View, the Mustangs enter this contest with a loss, a 47-42 setback to Vandegrift on Oct. 31.
Marble Falls led 42-41 with three minutes 23 seconds remaining in the game. The Vipers marched 66 yards in 11 plays for a 16-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Paxton Segina from sophomore quarterback Alex Fernandes. The drive took 2:23 to complete.
With three timeouts and a minute remaining, the Mustangs took over on their own 27-yard line. The first play was a throw to a receiver who threw back to a lineman. The pass originally was called a fumble on a lateral pass, but officials changed the call to incomplete and penalized Marble Falls 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct.
After Marble Falls picked up a first down, the Mustangs went backward. The game ended on an incomplete pass.
“I think you have to look at it and say there were times our defense got stops and forced them into punts and vice versa,” Marble Falls head coach Matt Green said. “Unfortunately, they go right back down and score on our defense.”
Vandegrift scored on eight of 12 of its offensive drives. In the second half, the Vipers punted once and turned the ball over when they missed a 40-yard field goal.
Green said he didn’t want to call a timeout when the Vipers had the ball in the final minutes because he thought that would help them more than it benefitted his own team.
“I didn’t want to give them an opportunity to get composed,” he said.
Marble Falls scored six touchdowns on 13 drives, punted four times and had one fumble. The other two drives ended because of halftime and the end of the contest.
jfierro@thepicayune.com