Marble Falls cross-country coach adds track-and-field duties
Marble Falls High School head cross country coach Chris Schrader will also lead the Mustangs and Lady Mustangs track and field program. Courtesy photo
Marble Falls High School head cross-country coach Chris Schrader added to his coaching duties this year, taking over as head coach for the Mustangs and Lady Mustangs track-and-field teams, Marble Falls Independent School District officials announced July 31. He will remain the head cross-country coach, a position he has held for three years.
During his interview with MFISD Athletics Director Rick Hoover, Schrader pointed to an abundance of talent on campus, outlining a vision of how to make both the boys and girls track programs successful. He credited former head track coach Rick Powers for enlisting a high number of athletes to compete on the track team. Powers resigned earlier this year to take over as head coach for the Llano High School boys basketball team.
“Now, I have to try to retain those kids,” Schrader said. “I want to make sure we go to the next level.”
One of Schrader’s goals for track and field is to beef up the relay squads, which boost standings at meets. A team earns points when individuals and relay squads finish in the top three of their events. At the end of the meet, the team with the most points wins.
“There’s a ton of kids at the school with raw, unadulterated ability,” Schrader said. “And I’m not afraid of the work. I plan to be heavily involved in the relays because they’re worth 20 points. We have to develop the team concept. The goal is to develop the whole team with a heavy emphasis on the relays.”
Schrader’s record on team concept was apparent in guiding the boys cross-country team to a 13th-place finish at the Class 5A state meet in November. It was the first time the boys had advanced to state as a team.
In addition, he guided senior runner Bailey Goggans to state championships in 2019 in the 400- and 800-meter events. Goggans’ winning time of 2 minutes 7.39 seconds in the 800 is a Class 5A record. She also won the 800-meter state title in 2018.
The 2020 state track-and-field meet was canceled because of COVID-19.
During Schrader’s career as a coach, his athletes earned 82 gold medals from the University Interscholastic League, the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, the Texas Christian Athletic League, and the Victorian All Schools.