Mustangs drop district opener to Hawks
Marble Falls senior running back Jaime Castillo dashes through the Canyon Lake defense during a 52-13 loss to the Hawks on Oct. 6. Photo by Mark Stracke
The Marble Falls Mustangs (1-5, 0-1 district) fell 52-13 against the Canyon Lake Hawks (2-5, 1-0 district) to open District 13-4A play on Friday, Oct. 6, at Mustang Stadium.
The Mustangs were plagued by turnovers and porous pass coverage.
“(The Hawks) were what we should have been tonight,” Mustangs head coach Brian Herman said. “They came out blazing, they came out on fire, they came out with the right juice and right energy, and we never matched it. I thought we would at home, but we never did.”
Canyon Lake methodically drove down the field on the opening drive with a heavy dose of inside runs and slant routes. The 75-yard drive was capped off with a touchdown pass from senior quarterback Steven Crowder to junior wide receiver Harris Gilliam for the first score of the game, 7-0.
An early fumble on the Mustangs’ first possession gave the Hawks a short field for their second drive of the contest. Crowder bombed the ball downfield to Gilliam for a 29-yard touchdown pass on the following play to expand the lead to 14-0.
Marble Falls manufactured its first defensive stop of the game with four minutes left in the first quarter. Starting from the 49-yard line, the Mustangs fed their stable of running backs with inside runs as they marched down the field on 3- and 4-yard gains.
Senior running back Jaime Castillo showcased his power around the goal line, dragging multiple defenders into the end zone for a 9-yard rushing touchdown to cap off the drive. The score cut the Canyon Lake lead to 14-7.
The Hawks continued to move the ball through the air on the following possession. Crowder ended the drive with a bullet pass to Gilliam for the pair’s third touchdown of the game, making it 21-7.
A failed fourth-down conversion by Marble Falls gave Canyon Lake the ball on the Mustangs’ 32-yard-line midway through the second quarter. But Williams fumbled the ball on the 1-yard-line and it rolled into the back of the end zone, giving the Mustangs the ball on the 20-yard line.
However, the Hawks forced a three-and-out and added to their lead with a 3-yard touchdown run by senior running back Caden Rodriguez. Another stagnant possession by the Mustangs and dominant offense by the Hawks led to a 1-yard touchdown run by Crowder, and Canyon Lake was up 35-7 heading into the half.
The Mustangs caught the Hawks off guard to start the second half with a 33-yard halfback pass by sophomore running back Joaquin Aguilar to junior wide receiver Parker Phillips. But junior quarterback Colton Minor fumbled several plays later to give the Hawks possession.
Canyon Lake capitalized on the errant fumble with a touchdown by senior fullback Justin Abbott to improve its lead to 42-7.
After a few short gains, the Mustangs found magic behind the legs of Castillo as the senior running back rushed 67 yards to the 2-yard line. A touchdown followed, cutting the lead to 42-13.
Marble Falls gained a little more momentum with a successful onside kick by senior Isaac “Larry” Larranaga.
Castillo continued to put his stamp on the game with another huge gain, this one for 50 yards to inside the 10-yard-line. But junior quarterback Noah Luckie failed to field a snap, leading to another Marble Falls turnover.
Canyon Lake responded with a long drive that ended with a short rushing touchdown by junior running back Kaiden Lewis, making it 49-13.
The Hawks later marched down the field for its final score. The drive stagnated near the goal line, leading to a field goal by senior kicker Jayden VanAusdall to make it 52-13.
“We were physically handled in every phase and every way,” Herman said.
Marble Falls travels to Burnet (3-3, 0-1) on Oct. 13 for the Battle of Burnet County. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium, 1401 N. Main St.