Marble Falls football players work on game knowledge with 7-on-7
Marble Falls High School receiver Eric Cauble gets a first down during a 7-on-7 game against Burnet on May 11. Photo by Diana Cox
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
MARBLE FALLS — A 1-2 record at the Lake Travis state-qualifying tournament May 23 revealed some things the Marble Falls High School 7-on-7 football team needs to work on.
Top of the list is the Mustangs’ need to log more minutes on the playing field. That’s why they’re welcoming Burnet at 5 p.m. May 28 to Mustang Stadium, 2101 Mustang Drive. The format is two 25-minute halves with a running clock and a short halftime. The varsities will play on one end of the field, while the junior varsities will compete at the other end.
Marble Falls 7-on-7 coordinator Robbie Coplin said the varsity didn’t play poorly; simply, drives stalled because players are still adjusting to each other and need more game-time experience to make better decisions.
He used the 42-20 loss to Austin High on May 23 as an example of simply not playing enough.
Marble Falls trailed 21-20 at the half. But dropped balls and attempting long passes on third-and-5 illustrated that the Mustangs are limited in their game knowledge.
“They were self-inflicted wounds in the second half. As coaches, we can’t call plays for the kids,” Coplin said, noting University Interscholastic League rules. “It’s important for our quarterbacks to be thrown in those situations to make calls. (Players are) not understanding the situation of what needs to be done. We can help them mature faster as far as understanding different situations of the game.”
Marble Falls defeated Kyle Lehman 25-19 after battling back from a 13-7 halftime deficit but lost to Austin Westlake 38-6 after trailing 16-6 at halftime.
“We didn’t play really great in the first game we won,” Coplin said. “Our defense played really well in that game. It was one of those deals where we had a lot of kids out there for the first time (in two weeks). There’s a lot of rust that needs to be shaken off. Westlake had already sewn up the pool, even if we had beaten them.”
The Mustangs had been playing in Burnet’s May 7-on-7 League each Monday. But the final two weeks were cancelled because of rain or wet fields.
The contest against Burnet will serve as a practice game ahead of the Mustangs competing in the Round Rock Westwood state-qualifying tournament May 30. Marble Falls is in pool A with Westwood, San Antonio Lee and Austin High. Games begin at 9 a.m. at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex, 10211 W. Parmer Lane in Austin.
Marble Falls also finalized a three-week league that includes varsity, junior varsity and incoming freshmen that begins June 1 at 5:30 p.m. against Lago Vista, Lampasas and Llano. Marble Falls will host all games June 1 at Mustang Stadium. Week 2 will be played in Lago Vista, and the final week will be in Lampasas. Coplin said Lampasas will only play in the varsity division, so JV and freshmen will divide into two squads to have four teams in the subvarsity divisions.
jfierro@thepicayune.com