Marble Falls on the road against winless Pflugerville Weiss
A herd of Mustangs, including junior defensive back Evan Kroese, tackled Leander Glenn ball carrier Jonny Nguyen in Marble Falls's 20-7 win Oct. 26. The Mustangs travel to Pflugerville Weiss on Nov. 2. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography
STAFF WRITER JENNIFER FIERRO
The Marble Falls High School football team has an opportunity to win two games in a row for the first time since weeks two and three when the Mustangs defeated Burnet and Geronimo Navarro.
Marble Falls travels to Pflugerville Weiss on Friday, Nov. 2. Kickoff for the District 13-5A Division II contest is 7:30 p.m. at The Pfield, 1301 W. Pecan St. in Pflugerville.
Listen to the game on KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune or at KBEYFM.com beginning with the Highland Lakes Coaches Roundup at 6:30 p.m.
Mustangs head coach Mike Birdwell noted the Wolves (0-8 overall, 0-5 district) are better than their record indicates.
“In 19 years of coaching, Weiss is one of the best winless teams I’ve ever seen,” he said.
He noted the defense has played well and the offense has youth and is improving each week.
“You don’t see a sloppy team,” he said.
The Weiss spread offense is led by junior quarterback Jackson Sandlin, who has completed 41 of 122 passes for 398 yards, one touchdown, and seven interceptions and carried the ball 68 times for 142 yards. Junior running back Jaden Askew has 49 carries for 189 yards and a score.
The defense is led by junior strong safety Dylan Kaufman and junior middle linebacker Zach Lenz. Look for the Wolves to be in a 3-4 defensive front and use multiple coverages in the secondary. Junior Jaden Askew is considered the fastest offensive player and returner on those units.
“The defensive front is as good as any,” Birdwell said. “They’ve done some good things this year. They want you to throw the ball short, and they rally to it.”
The Mustangs (3-5, 1-4) will counter with senior quarterback Andrew Stripling, who has completed 91 of 165 passes for 1,322 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions and carried the ball 53 times for 215 yards and six scores. Senior receiver Brock Linder has 29 receptions for 511 yards and two touchdowns.
Marble Falls enters this contest a week after handing Leander Glenn its first loss in district, ensuring no team will go unscathed. After watching film, Birdwell was even more convinced that his athletes played their most complete contest of the season.
“We were being the more physical team,” he said. “Our coaches did a great job of inspiring our players. It was a great game to be a part of. I thought our kids executed the game plan.”