Marble Falls Mustangs beat Killeen Chaparral for second win
CAPTION: Marble Falls junior halfback Jamie Castillo runs behind offensive guard Gavin Hernandez for a positive gain against Killeen Chaparral Sept. 2. Photo by Juan Gonzales/Visual Concept Sports Photography
When it mattered most, the Marble Falls High School football team made the key plays down the stretch to earn a 22-15 win against Killeen Chaparral Sept. 9.
“Chaparral played their best game of the year,” Mustangs head coach Brian Herman said. “They’ve been playing against Killeen teams, and they had a lot of motivation. They thought they could roll over Hill Country kids. We’re still learning and we’re still trying to figure things out. (Chaparral head coach Alan) Haire is a good coach. He learned (the slot-T offense) from us. They were inspired. They thought they had a chance to win. They played hard.”
The Mustangs (2-1, District 13-4A Division I) led 7-0 midway through the third quarter when the Bobcats (0-3, District 11-5A Division II) engineered a seven-play, 68-yard drive that ended when senior fullback Javier Smith scored on a one-yard plunge. The extra point was no good so the Mustangs led 7-6.
The Bobcats kickoff team recovered a short kick when the Mustangs didn’t call for a fair catch, which made it a live ball.
Four plays later, the drive ended on an 18-yard pass to junior receiver Jordan Brazil from sophomore quarterback Joel Secrist that allowed the Bobcats to lead 12-7 with 4:10 left in the quarter.
Marble Falls responded immediately on the ensuing drive with a heavy dose of junior halfback Jamie Castillo. He carried the ball four times for 52 yards. The drive ended on a two-yard run by senior tailback Caleb Vidal. Senior fullback Jasuel Ruiz scored the two-point run for a 15-12 advantage after three quarters.
The Marble Falls defense forced Chaparral to punt on its next possession, but the Mustang offense lost a fumble.
The Bobcats drove 26 yards to the Mustang 15 and kicked a field goal to tie the contest at 15-15 with 4:56 left in the game.
A strong run back on the kickoff gave the Mustangs a first down on the Chaparral 40-yard line. Marble Falls overcame three false starts to score the game-winning touchdown during the drive thank to Ruiz’s 12-yard run on fourth-and-2.
The Marble Falls defense did the rest by forcing the Bobcats to throw two incomplete passes, commit a false start, and give up a sack on the game’s last play.
Marble Falls had 269 yards of total offense and limited Chaparral to 147 yards.
“They scored three touchdowns all season and two came against us,” Herman said. “It came down to missed assignments, poor tackling and not doing what they’re coached to do.”
Castillo finished with 11 carries for 77 yards, while Ruiz had 14 carries for 68 yards and two touchdowns, and Vidal had 10 carries for 88 yards and a score.
“We have great faith in all our backs,” Herman said. “It comes down to the front line. If the front line does a good job, we’ll be fine. Jamie’s a tough kid, he’s accomplished. He wants to win. None of our backs can do anything without our offensive line.”
Marble Falls welcomes Kerrville Tivy at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, to Mustang Stadium. The Antlers (1-2, District 13-5A Division II) lost to Fredericksburg 31-28 Sept. 9 and to Comal Davenport 31-28 Sept 2 after beating Medina Valley 28-6.
FIRST HALF
The Marble Falls High School football team leads Killeen Chaparral 7-0 at the half.
The only score of the game came from a four-yard run by senior fullback Jasael Ruiz with 10 minutes and 52 seconds left in the second quarter. That play capped a three-play, 42-yard drive. Senior tailback Caleb Vidal ran for 37 yards on first down. Ruiz did the rest
That score was set up by a miscue on a Chaparral punt where the Bobcats were called for intentional grounding. Marble Falls junior Xavier Lopez picked up the ball and ran it to paydirt but officials called the play dead and took the touchdown off the board.
With 6:58 left in the half, the Mustangs were driving. They reached the Chaparral four-yard line and were called for a fumble with 50 seconds remaining to end a 12-play drive that covered 74 yards.
The Bobcats went backward on their final three-play drive thanks to a stingy Mustang defense.
The Mustangs earned 154 yards of total offense, all on the ground, and limited the Bobcats to 68 yards of total offense.
