Marble Falls defensive line a brick wall for opposing rushers

JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER

MARBLE FALLS — For many football lovers, the measure of an effective defense is how well those players stop the run.

For the Marble Falls defensive linemen, stopping the run is a source of pride, said senior defensive end Alex Roman.

When the Mustangs record a sack or a tackle behind the line, Roman said that pumps up the entire team.

“It’s like the best feeling,” he said with a giant smile. “We can put up a fight with every team if we can stop the run.”

And it illustrates a basic truth about football.

“I have to trust my brothers,” he said.

Head coach Matt Green called the defensive line the heart and soul of the defense, noting the difficulty opponents have in running the football.

“The reason for that is because our defensive line is so dominant,” he said. “Alex Roman spearheads it. He has been the guy who has gotten the other guys focused and playing hard.”

Those other guys are seniors Anthony Hallmark and Kaleb Burden, junior Dawson Atwood and sophomore Daniel Sparks.

During non-district play, the Mustangs held opponents to 47 total yards rushing on 38 carries in the first half and 165 yards on 78 carries in three games.

In lopsided losses to Cedar Park Vista Ridge (48-14) and Dripping Springs (38-10), the two teams had a combined total of 87 carries for 672 yards. But in the 45-7 loss to Georgetown and the 42-28 setback to Leander, the two teams had a combined total of 56 carries for 138 yards.

“Those guys have done a tremendous job of playing physical football up front,” Green said. “Leander  could not run the ball on us, and they’ve run the ball on everyone they’ve played with the exception of maybe Cedar Park. Nobody has lit us up in the run game this year. And it’s a tribute to our defensive line and our linebackers. Our defense just has some really good players. They are doing a fantastic job this season.”

Roman believes a second year in the scheme has made all the difference.

“We got a lot of our returners who know what to do,” he said. “We’re always watching film and playing hard and know our assignments.”

Strength, getting under a defensive lineman’s pads and the ability to quickly move from side to side are ingredients of an effective offensive lineman. Defensive linemen must be able to quickly get away from the offensive lineman to make a play. They can’t be too low because they won’t get any separation and being too high allows the offensive lineman to place their hands on the defensive player’s chest and move him.

“As a defensive lineman, you have to have strength to separate from that offensive lineman and be able to tackle,” Green said. “Our kids are strong in the lower body and upper body, they’re physical, they’re aggressive, and that’s why they’ve had success this year.”

Roman said the defense doesn’t dwell on turnovers, short fields or something in a game over which they have no control. Instead, the defense takes the field with the intent of setting a tone and getting their own offense and special teams pumped up with a big play.

“We have to fight, we have to get the other team’s offense,” he said. “It’s like, ‘Offense, show us how bad you want it.’”

jfierro@thepicayune.com