Victory for Faith Flames puts them in TAPPS playoffs
JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER
MARBLE FALLS — The task is pretty simple for the Faith Academy of Marble Falls football team.
Beat Temple Central Texas Christian, and the Flames qualify for the Class 3A playoffs of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools.
But Flames head coach Stephen Shipley noted Faith (3-5 overall, 2-2 Division III District 4) must get past a motivated Lions (0-9, 0-4) squad that simply has nothing to play for but pride. The two play at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 4 on the CTC campus, 4141 FM 93 West in Temple.
“That’s scary because they have nothing to gain,” Shipley said about the Lions. “If we lose, we go home; if we win, we go to the playoffs. They have nothing to lose, so they can play more relaxed, they can have more fun. That’s scary as a coach.”
CTC is led by athlete Marc Wood and receiver and defensive back Nolan Applegate.
“They have a lot of speed on offense and defense,” Shipley said. “These guys are coming to play, and we need to be ready. We’re not taking anything for granted. And seeing them on film, they don’t look like a team that’s lost every game.”
The Lions use a single-wing offense that emphasizes misdirection led by the offensive line. The Lions want to form a wall that leads straight to the end zone, Shipley said.
“They’ll try to nickel and dime down the field,” he said.
The Flames must tackle well, he added.
Defensively, CTC uses its speed to get through gaps to pressure the quarterback. The defensive linemen often stand instead of putting a hand in the dirt.
“That’s how they disguise blitzes,” Shipley said. “They’ll have two, three, four guys at a time try to get you off balance. We have to be disciplined.”
The Flames enter this contest after a 56-14 loss to Brazos Christian on Oct. 28.
“We knew they were going to be a tough opponent,” Shipley said. “They were as good or better than we were expecting. They really have great athletes.”
The coach said Faith didn’t help itself either, noting the Flames committed seven turnovers with four returned for touchdowns by the Eagles.
“They’ll go deep in the playoffs,” he said. “Next to Waco Reicher, they’re the best team we’ve played.”
jfierro@thepicayune.com