Mustangs playing for pride in last game against Davenport
In Marble Falls' 42-20 loss to Lampasas on Oct. 28, Mustang tailback Jaime Castillo barreled through the line of scrimmage as a Badgers defender attempted to bring him down by his undershirt. The Mustangs finish their 2022 season Nov. 4 on the road against Davenport. Photo by Stennis Shotts
The Marble Falls Mustangs (2-7, 0-4 district) hope to close out their adversity-filled season with an upset win on the road against the Davenport Wolves (8-1, 3-1 district). The District 13-4A Division I football game kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, at Davenport High School Stadium, 23255 FM 3009 in San Antonio.
You can listen to it live on KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune, at KBEYFM.com, or via the free KBEY app starting with a 6:30 p.m. pregame show.
In an interview with KBEY’s Ben Shields, Marble Falls head coach Brian Herman talked about the season and the team’s upcoming game against the Wolves.
“It’s been a challenging year,” Herman told KBEY. “It’s never fun to know this is your last week.”
The matchup against Davenport comes after a 42-20 loss on Senior Night to the Lampasas Badgers (7-3, 4-1 district). It was closer than the final score indicates; the game was tied 14-14 at the half.
“We walked in at halftime and I was watching very closely the body language of Lampasas, and I thought their heads were down and (we) had them where we wanted them,” Herman said. “We were even with them through the first two quarters and did some cool things and had some good results out of it.”
Against the Wolves, the Mustangs will need to stifle the incredible running game of senior back Shastin Golden. A workhorse throughout the season, Golden has 1,758 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns, the most of any player in the district.
Considering the Mustangs are mathematically out of postseason contention, Herman said his boys will be playing for the love of the sport.
“There was nothing on paper to play for other than their own pride at this point, other than another ‘W’,” Herman said. “There’s no postseason awaiting us. It’s really just a matter of finishing strong and finishing with some sort of belief. That’s been a struggle this year, the belief part.”
The team has made the most of the final week of preparation.
“We brought the music out,” Herman said. “Typically, we don’t do that until playoffs. But since we don’t have that opportunity, we decided to make this as an enjoyable a finish as we possibly can.”
Reflecting on this year’s campaign, Herman identified a lack of continuity for the team’s lack of success.
“We’ve got multiple kids, specifically on the defensive side, that have played three and four positions,” he said. “It’s really hard to get good at one thing when they’re constantly having to be moved to one spot or another.”
Despite the difficult season, Herman believes the athletes who have battled through adversity learned valuable life lessons.
“(They’ve learned) that nothing comes easy,” he said. “It takes a whole lot of preparation to be successful. The biggest thing is just never give up.”