Flames dominate Summit in 74-26 win
And storm back they did with a 74-26 win, and six minutes still left in the fourth quarter. Under Texas Association of Private and Parochial School rules, once a six-man football team gets 45 points or more ahead of an opponent in the second half, the game is ended.
“We started off slow. It seemed like they scored two touchdowns before we even looked up,” Faith coach David Denney said. “We didn’t have any contact in practice this week because we were kind of banged up. It might have just taken us a while to get back in the groove.”
Though the Flames entered the game 0-2 in district, the Friday win propels Faith into the playoffs.
Making the playoffs was one of the goals Denney and the players talked about earlier in the season. The veteran public school coach, who led the Marble Falls Mustangs in several post-season runs during the 1990s, told his seniors earlier that how long they stay in the running depends on them.
“It could go on for a long time if you’re willing to work hard and take care of business,” Denney said earlier in the season.
Against the Eagles, Faith found themselves trailing early in the game. But instead of lying down and surrendering, the Flames rebounded and took control of the game.
Running back Will Diamond struck with two touchdowns in the first to put the Flames up 16-12.
Then it was full speed ahead.
Even in the last two losses against Temple Central Texas Christian and Austin Hill Country, the Flames were well within striking distance to beat either team. Against Temple, a Flame even got a hand on a last second extra-point attempt but the ball still made it through the uprights to get Central Texas Christian a 64-62 win.
At Austin Hill Country, the two teams never seemed to relent. Though the Flames slipped behind as much as two touchdowns or more earlier in the game, Faith leaders such as Ian Shirley, Ryan Roberts, Diamond and Kyle Bridges found a way to step it up and stay keep their squad in the game.
Denney said against Summit he thought it was the seniors’ experience that made the difference for Faith.
Faith gets Friday off, but Denney said he’ll take this coming week to add a few things to the Flames’ arsenal.
Denney said he will likely travel Friday to watch the Rockwall Heritage (7-1) vs. Greenville Christian (7-0) game. Faith will play the loser of that game in the first round of the TAPPS playoffs the following week.
“So we’re going to have to play either the No. 1 (Rockwall) or No. 2 (Greenville) team in the state,” he said.
But the coach isn’t worried about his team and its future.
“This game (against Cedar Park Summit) was a playoff game for us. If we lost, we didn’t make the playoffs,” Denney said. “The whole deal now is if you lose, you go home. Are we satisfied with making the playoffs or do we want to advance? That’s the question. And I believe this team wants to advance and I believe we will.”
daniel@thepicayune.com