State power Austin Veritas blanks Faith Academy 46-0
Faith Academy’s Ben Martin tried to outrun Austin Veritas’s Luke Hayes during the Flames-Defenders game Friday, Oct. 12, at Faith Academy Britton Track and Field. The Defenders won the game 46-0. Faith hosts Round Rock Concordia on Friday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m. for homecoming. Staff photo by Daniel Clifton
EDITOR DANIEL CLIFTON
Age and experience had the advantage over youth Oct. 12 during Austin Veritas’s 46-0 win against the Faith Academy of Marble Falls Flames.
“Veritas is a very senior-ladened team, and we’re a very young team,” said Faith head coach Jeremy Wentrcek. “They’re experience exposed some of the things we still need to work on.”
The loss puts the Flames at 0-1 in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools’ Division 1, District 2 six-man football, and 1-5 overall. Despite the district-opening loss, Wentrcek said the team’s goal remains the same: fight for a spot in the playoffs.
“‘We still feel we have an opportunity to make the playoffs,” he said. “We have four games left, and we can get one of those spots.”
The Defenders took an early lead as Ben Hallman rambled in for a 55-yard touchdown on the team’s first possession. Hallman proved to be one of Faith’s biggest headaches of the night. Wentrcek pointed out the Flames had trouble tackling the 200-pounder.
“We have to learn to adjust the way we tackle, especially with a strong runner like we saw tonight,” the coach said. “We have to get fundamentally sound.”
The Defenders’ Briggs Ellyson added Veritas’ second touchdown on a 35-yard run with eight seconds left in the first quarter.
Faith struggled offensively, partly because of Veritas’ quick defense. Wentrcek added that the Faith offense needs to execute more quickly, especially when facing such a fast and experienced defense.
Veritas added two more touchdowns in the first half to go up 32-0 then closed things out in the third quarter with two more touchdowns for the final, 46-0.
The win elevated Veritas to 1-0 in district and 4-2 overall.
Though it would be easy to see the loss as a setback, Wentrcek pointed out that, along with being such an experienced team, Veritas is a regular at the state championship games.
“They’ve been to the state finals the last three years, and they have a great program over there with a lot of experience,” he said. “We have a team full of young, talented players who are only going to get better. I’m excited about our future.”
The Flames host Round Rock Concordia on Friday, Oct. 19, at Faith Academy Britton Track and Field at 7:30 p.m. It’s Faith’s homecoming as well as the dedication of the new field.