Ten Highland Lakes Sports Insights

Photo by Daniel Clifton

Oct. 6 was a tough night for Highland Lakes football teams, which finished the evening 0-4. And worse, each team was playing in a district ball game. But not all is lost because for three of those teams, it was the district opener. And the other team simply slipped into a tie for second place in its district. So let’s take a look at each game.

1. We’re going to start with what I thought was the football game in the region: Burnet at Lampasas. The Badgers won 35-14, but the game was much closer. For two-and-a-half quarters, the contest was tied at 7-7. Lampasas broke the tie with a touchdown pass midway through the third period then recovered a Burnet fumble it turned into another touchdown for a 21-7 lead. The Bulldogs scored with a minute left in the third stanza to trim the deficit to 21-14. But the Badgers were called for a personal foul, which allowed Burnet to kick off from the Lampasas 40-yard line. That’s when Burnet called for an onside kick but didn’t get it. Lampasas scored early in the fourth quarter to get the points back. Calling for the onside kick is football 101 because of where the ball was kicked. Credit to the Badgers for expecting it and fielding it correctly. Going into the contest, Burnet head coach Bryan Wood said he and his coaches were going to be aggressive in playcalling, and that onside kick was an example. But this game lived up to what I thought. I believed Burnet and Lampasas were evenly matched and that the bounce of the ball may determine the outcome. This game was closer than the score indicates. And if the ball bounces correctly again, there may be rematch in the near future.
2. Fischer Canyon Lake played like the defending District 13-4A Division I champions in beating the Marble Falls Mustangs 52-13 Oct. 6. The Hawks (2-4, 1-0) scored on five of their seven drives in the first half. Two weeks ago Marble Falls head coach Brian Herman told me Canyon Lake was better than I thought. And they were much better, particularly on the offensive line and in pass protection where they scored three touchdowns by throwing to the middle of the field. In fact, they didn’t score a rushing touchdown until their fourth drive.
3. But all resets this week with the Burnet County Showdown looming large. Marble Falls will travel to Bulldog Field to take on Burnet. And it will be very interesting to see the line-ups. The belief is that facing Slot-T offenses one week physically beats the defense and it takes more than a week to recover. Canyon Lake is a Slot-T offense.
4. The Llano Yellow Jackets suffered their first loss in District 13-3A Division I play when Universal City Randolph won 24-7. That ended Llano’s 18-game winning streak in district play. The Ro-Hawks did just what it needed to do to win. They committed to keeping the Yellow Jackets rushing attack in check. Llano averaged 2.2 yards a carry, finishing with 41 rushes for 92. Llano called for as many running plays as in other games but in wins, they have run for more than 250 yards. It’s the first time all season the Jackets haven’t rushed for triple-digit yards in a game. Next up is a road trip to Marion, which is still seeking its first district win of the season.
5. The Faith Academy of Marble Falls Flames lost to Waco Live Oak 66-40 in a game where the Flames had much to overcome. Head coach John Hallam missed the contest because of personal reasons, so interim head coach Jay Silvers, who is the defensive coordinator, and athletic director Zakk Revelle contacted football adviser and former Flames head coach Stephen Shipley Oct. 5 to call the offensive plays. Shipley gave the Flames a refresher hours before kickoff. Give credit to the Flames for playing through some unexpected challenges in a contest that most believe was for the Division II, District 3 championship of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools. The Flames travel to Round Rock Concordia, which was on a bye last week.
6. Let’s switch to the hardwood and talk a little volleyball. Congratulations to the Marble Falls Lady Mustangs for beating Lampasas 25-23, 25-14, 25-23 Oct. 6 for their first win in District 24-4A to end the first round of district play. In fact, it snapped a 62-match losing streak in district play dating back to the 2018 season when these seniors were in the seventh grade. Much of those losses were in District 25-5A. It’s been a tough road for the program, and it’s probably extremely gratifying for the Lady Mustangs to win two sets by two points each on the road. Last week, we mentioned that they’ve played in matches where the last set has been decided by two points and the opponent has won. The win also indicates the Lady Mustangs haven’t quit on the season, and that was a question after they lost to Lago Vista 17-25, 13-25, 19-25. Next up is a road match at Jarrell (3-2, third in district). Marble Falls has a chance at the playoffs but must begin to string wins together.
7. The Burnet Lady Dawgs took care of business against Jarrell with a 25-10, 25-14, 25-19 victory Oct. 6 after losing to Georgetown Gateway 26-24, 21-25, 20-25, 13-25 Oct. 3. The Lady Dawgs end the first round of district play in second place with a 4-1 record. Currently Gateway is in first place but still must come to The Doghouse in the second round. But first, Burnet will travel to face Lago Vista (2-3, fourth place) at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10.
8. The Llano Lady Jackets won back-to-back five setters last week, none bigger than the 21-25, 23-25, 30-28, 25-23, 15-11 victory against Comfort Oct. 3. The Doe are among the favorites to win the District 5-3A championship. The Lady Jackets followed that win with a 25-13, 21-25, 21-25, 25-20, 15-11 victory against Harper in a non-district match Oct. 6. It’s another big week for Llano as it travels to Ingram Tom Moore Tuesday, Oct. 10, and to Comfort Friday, Oct. 13.
9. Monday, Oct. 9, is huge for the Marble Falls team tennis squad, which is battling Taylor for a bi-district championship at 9 a.m. at the tennis courts at Georgetown High School. That’s because Lago Vista edged the Mustangs in the District 19-4A tournament final 10-9. Marble Falls finishes as the district runner-up.
10. Many districts are conducting their cross country championship meets Monday, Oct. 9, including District 24-4A at Marble Falls High School. The girls varsity race starts at 8 a.m. followed by the boys varsity 30 minutes later. The girls junior varsity is next then the boys junior varsity, the girls middle school and the boys middle school at 10:30 a.m. Look for Burnet to hoist at least three district titles. The boys varsity race is the most intriguing with the Mustangs looking to repeat as the champions. But Burnet looks incredibly strong again. The Llano Lady Jackets should win their third consecutive district title. Llano travels to Comfort Monday, and the girls varsity race starts at 9 a.m.

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