Marble Falls football travels to Vandegrift
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
MARBLE FALLS — Two games remain in the regular season, and the playoff picture for District 25-5A remains as clear as mud.
But some questions will be answered Oct. 31 when the Marble Falls High School football team travels to play at Leander Vandegrift, 9700 McNeil Drive in Austin. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune and at KBEYFM.com starting with a 6:30 p.m. pre-game show.
The Vipers (6-2 overall, 3-2 district) remain in a three-way tie for third with Georgetown and Cedar Park. Cedar Park Vista Ridge (7-1, 4-1) and Georgetown East View (7-1, 4-1) are tied for first place.
The Mustangs (4-4, 2-3) are in sixth place after their 60-14 loss to Cedar Park on Oct. 24, while Vandegrift beat Dripping Springs 48-29.
Marble Falls head coach Matt Green said the Mustangs will have their hands full with the Vipers.
Quarterback Jamie Hudson leads Vandegrift. He’s completed 101 passes for 1,928 yards with 20 touchdowns and an interception. He also has 100 rushes for 591 yards and two touchdowns.
Running back Travis Brannan handles the rushing duties. He has 151 carries for 1,273 yards and 18 touchdowns. Bear Christensen leads in receiving yards with 636 and four touchdowns on 39 receptions. Receiver Paxton Segina has 29 catches for 614 yards and eight touchdowns.
Defensively, the Vipers are led by defensive linemen Sammy Zugg, who has 71 solo tackles and 121 total with eight sacks on the year, and John O’Grady, who posted 114 total tackles with 53 solo and six sacks.
“They’re an excellent team,” Green said. “They can run the ball and throw it. They’ll be as big of a challenge as any team we’ve faced.”
The loss to Cedar Park came down to rhythm.
The Timberwolves were immediately in offensive rhythm thanks to scoring on all seven of their first-half possessions for six touchdowns and a field goal for a 47-7 advantage.
Meanwhile, the Mustangs struggled to find rhythm. Green said credit goes to the Timberwolves defense. So he called for a fake punt that resulted in an incomplete pass and an unsuccessful onside kick to extend drives. Senior tight end Hanner Shipley provided the only score when he rumbled in for a 37-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Brennen Wooten. Shipley dragged about three Timberwolves into the end zone with him. The other touchdown came on an 86-yard run by senior Royale Brown.
Out of 11 offensive possessions, Marble Falls punted five times. Cedar Park shortened the second half by running the football to control the clock, and reserves took over in the fourth quarter.
“We played very hard,” Green said. “We got physically beat. I mean that in a positive way. Our kids played hard, they played aggressive. We’re just not that strong, not that fast and not physical of a team yet.”
jfierro@thepicayune.com