Faith at home one last time vs. Texas School for the Deaf
JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER
MARBLE FALLS — The Faith Academy of Marble Falls football team will play its final home game of the season Oct. 21.
The Flames (2-4 overall, 0-2 Division III District 4 of Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools) welcome the Texas School for the Deaf to Pony Stadium, 1511 Pony Circle Drive. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.
TSD (3-4, 1-1) is led by running backs Gareth Ashton, a junior with 24 carries for 153 yards and a touchdown, and Stone Leiker, a senior with 31 carries for 94 yards and a score. The quarterback is senior Dylan Sicolli, and the top receiver is Austin Silva-Wynne.
The Rangers’ offense revolves around an active offensive line on which several linemen pull to block to open seams for the running backs.
“They always have size and speed,” Faith head coach Stephen Shipley said. “They run the ball at you. They want to try to bulldoze you out of the way.”
Shipley said the Flames will counter by trying to control time of possession with their own offense to limit TSD’s offense.
Defensively, the Rangers typically use two down linemen and bring pressure from the linebackers, who, at times, number as many as six on one play. That means the secondary is usually playing man-to-man defense.
The last time Faith beat the Texas School for the Deaf was in 2013 in a 50-6 victory.
The Flames have plenty to play for, Shipley said. If they can win two of their final three games, they will qualify for the playoffs.
“We control our own destiny,” he said. “This week is really a must-win.”
The Flames are coming off a 55-7 loss to Waco’s Reicher Catholic High School on Oct. 21. Reicher was able to turn three Faith turnovers in the first quarter into touchdowns. By halftime, Faith faced a 48-0 deficit.
Shipley said the Flames understood the task they faced last.
“We knew we had to play a perfect game, and we couldn’t let it get out of hand,” he said.
jfierro@thepicayune.com