Turnovers hurt Flames in 58-42 los to Concordia
STAFF WRITER JENNIFER FIERRO
The Faith Academy of Marble Falls football team’s 58-42 loss to Round Rock Concordia on October 18 can be traced back to one statistic: turnovers.
Flames head coach Stephen Shipley noted his team had three turnovers in the first quarter that contributed to a 30-6 deficit and four before halftime that put Faith so far behind it couldn’t recover.
“We got behind real quick,” he said. “From there, it was playing catchup. It was 30-12 at the half.”
The loss drops Faith to 4-3 overall and 0-2 in six-man Division 1, District 2 of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools.
Because of the lopsided score at the half, Faith relied on its passing game to try to get back in it.
Once the Flames were able to get touchdowns, another vicious cycle began: The Flames would get a quick score and the Cardinals (5-2, 2-0) would answer with a score of their own on long drives.
“We have to get more stops on defense,” Shipley said. “I felt like our offense was clicking. Once you play catchup in six-man, it’s hard to do what you want when you can’t stop them.”
This is the second game in a row the Flames have committed multiple turnovers. In the past two games, Shipley believes Faith committed 11 turnovers that have resulted in losses.
Some were unfortunate dumb luck such as pass tips that became interceptions or onside kicks the kicking team recovered.
It also doesn’t help that the Flames are relying on several inexperienced underclassmen. That means Shipley is moving players to different positions in order to find the right fit.
“Going 0-2 in district is disheartening,” Shipley said.
After the game, he reminded his players they have three games left and can still qualify as the third-place team if the Flames can run the table. He believes earning at least two wins will get the Flames into the playoffs.
Faith travels to Waco Vanguard on October 25 for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff at Paul Tyson Stadium, 1901 Lake Air Drive in Waco. This is the Flames’ final road trip of the regular season.