Marble Falls coach pleased with offense and defense during intersquad scrimmage
Marble Falls High School junior running back Cooper Wilson breaks through a hole for a 47-yard run on the second play of the Mustangs’ intersquad scrimmage Aug. 19 at Mustang Stadium. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
STAFF WRITER JENNIFER FIERRO
MARBLE FALLS — It took three plays for Marble Falls High School football fans to rise to their feet in celebration during the team’s intersquad scrimmage Aug. 19 at Mustang Stadium.
The Mustang offense hit pay dirt when receiver Michael Wilcox caught a slant pass from quarterback Andrew Stripling for an 8-yard score.
The play capped a three-play, 60-yard drive during which running back Cooper Wilson carried the ball for 42 yards in two plays.
Then, some of the offensive players went to defense and didn’t allow a score.
Interim head coach Mike Birdwell was pleased with what he saw from both sides.
“I thought the intensity on both sides of the ball was really good,” he said.
He noted those players switching between offense and defense made both units; however, he wanted to see more rhythm from the offensive unit.
“We have to step up,” he said. “If we’d gone one more series (with the original offensive unit), we’d have gone tempo and been more methodical.”
The scrimmage capped the first week of fall training camp. Birdwell said most of the Mustangs showed up in shape, and that has allowed the coaches to spend more time in position drills emphasizing proper footwork, hand placement and movement, and running angles.
Players should continue to expect a heavy commitment to fundamentals, he added, which is one area coaches are spending a lot time reiterating. That includes tackling, blocking, and ball security.
“We’re trying to be 1-0 and be the best we can be,” he said. “To be 1-0, you have to be the best you can be for that day. You have to have an unbelievable focus and go win your position, go win your rep.”
The Mustangs will have two public appearances this week. The first is at the annual Meet the Mustangs at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 23, at Mustang Stadium, 2101 Mustang Drive. All fall sports teams as well as the band, drill team, and cheerleaders will be introduced to fans.
The second is when Marble Falls welcomes Georgetown East View for a scrimmage at 7:15 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25, at Mustang Stadium. The scrimmage is free to fans, and both teams will be participating in the “Our Day to Shine,” a program conducted by the Texas High School Coaches Association in which fans can donate money to the association’s benevolence fund to assist athletes and coaches with special needs or hardships.
Birdwell said Marble Falls will run its base offensive and defensive schemes against East View.
“We’re going to see fundamentals and how fundamentally sound we’ve come in two weeks,” he said.