Marble Falls hosts Weiss, which is undefeated in district
Marble Falls senior running back Kaleb Alexander has been one of the most versatile Mustangs on the roster, making plays on offense and defense. Photo by Stennis Shotts
STAFF WRITER JENNIFER FIERRO
A lot can happen in 12 months.
Last year, the Marble Falls High School football team boarded a bus to take on a Pflugerville Weiss team that hadn’t won a game and would finish 2018 without a victory. The Mustangs captured their second consecutive District 13-5A Division II win.
Weiss isn’t the same squad this year.
Weiss (7-1 overall, 5-0 district) arrives at Mustang Stadium on Friday, November 1, seeking to keep its perfect district record intact as Marble Falls (1-7, 1-4) looks for one more home win.
“Having our first senior class helps, having those thirty-three guys back,” Wolves head coach Tommy Aultman said. “There’s been buy-in from the senior class.”
Marble Falls head coach Brian Herman noted the Wolves return all 22 starters.
“They have lots of experience,” Herman said. “They stuck with it. They didn’t lose sight of what they could do.”
The Wolves are led by junior running back Devin Cross, who has 85 carries for 590 yards and nine touchdowns, and senior running back Jaden Askew with 68 carries for 381 yards and four touchdowns.
Receiver Jeremiah Robinson has nine catches for 273 yards and two touchdowns, and junior receiver C.J. Meeks has seven receptions for 153 yards and four touchdowns.
Freshman quarterback Tavian Cord has 26 of 71 completions for 497 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions. He’s carried the ball 68 times for 204 yards and four touchdowns.
Weiss averages 30 points a district game.
“They’re very efficient,” Herman said. “They spread you out to get their athletes in space. Their quarterbacks do a good job of the zone read.”
Defensively, the Wolves are led by senior lineman Marcus Lyons, who has 25 tackles and two sacks, senior outside linebacker Saroa-Dwayne Sasa, who has 18 tackles and two interceptions, and senior middle linebacker Anthony Apodaca with 17 tackles.
The unit gives up an average of 11 points a contest, the best in the district.
Herman summed up the Weiss defense in one word: speed.
“They’re everywhere,” he said. “It feels like there are twelve or thirteen on the field. The secondary doesn’t get back deep. They keep everybody in front of them.”
Marble Falls will counter with its slot-T offense, a scheme that relies on misdirection and confusion to surprise the defense.
Senior fullback Gabriel Barker has 108 carries for 421 yards and three touchdowns, while senior tailback Hayden Wells has 53 carries for 251 yards and a touchdown and 10 catches for 131 yards and a score. Sophomore quarterback Jake Becker has 71 carries for 262 yards and two touchdowns and has completed 35 of 78 passes for 680 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions. Senior receiver Warren Cuplin has nine catches for 261 yards and two touchdowns.
Kickoff is 7 p.m. Friday at Mustang Stadium, 2101 Mustang Drive. If you can’t make it to the game, catch it on KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune or at KBEYFM.com starting at 6 p.m. with “Highland Lakes Coaches Roundup.”
