Ten Highland Lakes Sports Insights

CAPTION: This gold volleyball symbolizes a playoff win. The Burnet athletic department has every reason to believe the winter sports will add to an impressive haul won by the fall sports program. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

It’s been a few days since Thanksgiving and hopefully you’ve eaten through your leftovers by now. To ensure the region’s basketball teams got in some valuable work before breaking for turkey, coaches scheduled some key games. Let’s review what happened.

1. The Burnet High School girls basketball team played two teams ranked in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches’ polls and both are expected to contend for their district championships. The first was a 60-45 loss at Goldthwaite Nov. 20. The other was a 63-47 loss to Fredericksburg Nov. 21. Burnet head coach Rick Gates scheduled opponents that will give his Lady Dawgs some big challenges before they begin District 24-4A play in January. And few coaches do that unless they believe their players can handle it. His schedule says plenty about this year’s team.
2. Believe it or not, I’m not one to make many predictions. But this one is a sure bet. Burnet junior forward Sierra Schaefer will lead District 24-4A in made 3-pointers. Schaefer lines up in different spots around the arc and isn’t afraid to let one fly. “She shoots the ball extremely well,” Gates said. “She works at it consistently. We work on it as a team at every practice and she comes to our open gym on Sundays. She gets to practice early or stays late after practice to shoot. I’d like to think she’ll get opportunities because our inside game will be tough.”
3. The Burnet Bulldogs went on the road and earned a big 60-57 victory against Fischer Canyon Lake Nov. 21 that came after beating Austin Crockett 54-34 Nov. 18. As we’ve talked about already, the Bulldogs are the preseason favorite to win the District 24-4A crown this season and have improved to 3-3 on the season.
4. Though the Marble Falls Lady Mustangs are on a five-game losing streak, they came very close to beating Leander Rouse Nov. 20 in a game where senior center Lexie Edwards played a significant role in the offense by scoring 16 points. What puts Edwards in a category by herself is the amount of attention she draws because of her size. Simply, she is a match-up nightmare because most teams must double-team her to stop her. And some are sending three defenders. That type of attention takes a toll on the body. So how does the program help her? “She drinks a lot of water, a lot of fluids,” head coach John Berkman said. “She gets a lot of rest when she’s not practicing. She’s committed to being in the weight room, she puts time in the training room. Our training staff is excellent. (Athletic trainer Dr. Stephanie Thompson) is certified in that stuff. She works specifically with Lexie before school on the bumps and bruises. Teams focus on her and it’s tough on her.”
5. The Marble Falls Mustangs also were close to winning their home opener against Austin McCallum Nov. 21. A whistle blew while junior point guard Tidus Willie was making a shot. The Mustangs thought he was going to the free throw line to complete a 3-point play and cut the deficit to two. Instead, Willie was called for charging, and the Knights took possession and never looked back. Marble Falls will travel to Lake Belton Tuesday, Nov. 28, with subvarsities playing at 6:15 p.m. and the varsity to follow. Then the Mustangs will have an extended weekend at home when they host their annual Subway Classic tournament Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 30-Dec. 2.
6. The Faith Academy of Marble Falls Lady Flames have lost two in a row with the latest to Austin Hill Country 35-26 on Nov. 21. Hill Country had started the season 4-1 and the win against the Lady Flames ended a two-game losing skid. Still, FA head coach Kat Canada is approaching the results of the last two games as discovering what her players need to work on in order to have the success they want. And that’s a great thing.
7. Meanwhile, the Faith Academy boys basketball team has won two in a row that includes the 72-55 win at Austin Hill Country Nov. 21 after being San Marcos Academy 71-34 Nov. 17. The lopsided win against Hill Country was even more impressive considering the Flames trailed 29-22 in the second period and 38-33 early in the third quarter. But once Faith tied the game at 38-38 midway through the third stanza, it was all Flames. Faith had 36 rebounds, 17 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks to Hill Country’s 22 rebounds, 11 assists, 10 steals and a block. The most impressive stat? Faith had a 60 percent field goal percentage. The schedule doesn’t lighten up for head coach Zakk Revelle’s team. Faith travels to Bryan Allen Academy Tuesday, Nov. 28, then goes to Lorena for its weekend tournament where the Flames will play Jarrell, China Spring, Whitney and San Antonio Alamo Heights in pool play. Revelle knows he’ll learn a lot about his team this week and us unafraid to schedule according to what he believes his players can handle. “Can we fail with purpose?” he said. “This group is buying into that.”
8. With after-school practice starting Monday, Nov. 27, it’s not too early to talk high school soccer. Let’s start with the Burnet Lady Dawgs, who ranked No. 5 in the Class 4A poll of the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches. The Lady Dawgs are the defending District 25-4A champions en route to posting a perfect 12-0 record and finishing the season with a 25-3-1 overall record in 2023. There’s every reason to believe Burnet can do it again.
9. By the end of the school year, another Goggans in Marble Falls will be signing a National Letter of Intent for a collegiate athletic scholarship. But it won’t be in track and field. Senior Garrett Goggans, who stands 6 feet and 2 inches, will play college soccer unlike older sister Bailey, who is a middle-distance runner at Texas A&M. “Garrett has been talking to several places,” Marble Falls head coach Rick Hoover said.
10. If Goggans chooses not to pursue an athletic scholarship, he along with four of his senior teammates should receive several academic offers. They are ranked in top 10 in their class. “Not the top 10 percent,” Hoover emphasized. “The top 10. They can go to any college they want.” The others are Charlie Brantley, Kash Bussaraporn, Diego Mata and Seth Parker.

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