Faith Academy looking for second win at Cherokee
STAFF WRITER JENNIFER FIERRO
MARBLE FALLS — The Faith Academy of Marble Falls football team is set on getting its second win of the season when the Flames face Cherokee on Sept. 21.
The six-man football game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Cherokee at 305 S. Indian Ave. The Flames are 1-2 in 3 Division I of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, while Cherokee is 0-3 in District 16-1A.
Faith Academy head coach Jeremy Wentrcek noted that Indians head coach Zach White likes tight unbalanced formations with the goal of running the football most of the time.
“Cherokee is an aggressive team,” Wentrcek said. “They hop into a spread, but that’s not what they prefer.”
The Flames defense must keep an eye on running back Blaize Lopez, who Wentrcek said is “solid. He’s a good runner.”
And, quarterback Kagen Hernandez “throws well,” he added.
“I feel like we can compete with them if we don’t let their pressure overwhelm us,” Wentrcek said. “It’s a team we can compete with.”
The Flames are preparing for a lot of defensive pressure from the Indians.
“They’re very concerned about the run,” Wentrcek said of Cherokee. “They’ll bring five kids at you. You have to dump it over them or get past the first-level rush. They have enough athleticism to be successful at it.”
The Flames have lost two games in a row, but Wentrcek said his team is learning its offensive and defensive identities.
The average age of his players is 15 years old, and the Flames faced two experienced opponents in Cedar Park Summit Christian and Austin Royals. Summit Christian won 54-6, and Austin Royals won 26-8. Faith won its season-opener against The Christian School of Castle Hills, 51-33.
Wentrcek said he wants to see more drives result in points.
“Our effort was good,” he said of the first two games. “We played with heart and passion. We have mental errors that happen that we need to overcome. We made a lot of progress from week two to week three.”