Faith Academy football braces for Bulverde Bracken
CAPTION: Sophomore Landon Silvers is ready for the Flames’ next challenge – a Halloween date with Bulverde Bracken. Photo by Stennis Shotts
The Faith Academy of Marble Falls football team will welcome Bulverde Bracken in another Division II, District 4 matchup of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools.
The game kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31.
The Chargers (3-5, 1-0) aim to give the Flames (7-1, 1-0) the Friday night frights on Halloween night and return the favor of losing in the final minutes of last year’s duel. Faith came back for the 68-62 victory on the same holiday in a shortened week.
“We want to make a push,” Flames head coach Jay Silvers said. “So for us, let’s lock down everything and get after them. We’re not going to let off the gas. We haven’t done that this year yet. So we’re going to treat every team like they’re the top team, and we’re going to knock them down.”
Bracken lost plenty since the last time the two met. Silvers said the Chargers are “a pretty young team.”
“But they still have a couple there who are pretty good athletes,” he said. “We’re going to game plan for them and get our boys ready to get after them.”
The Bracken offense begins with sophomore quarterback Jack Burggraaf, a two-year letterman, who has completed 109 of 205 passes for 1,445 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions and has 31 carries for 275 yards and three scores.
Sophomore Carson Echt leads the Chargers’ rushing attack with 49 carries for 424 yards and six touchdowns and 10 receptions for 160 yards and two scores. Junior Kevin Hyder has 45 rushes for 300 yards and five touchdowns and 16 catches for 150 yards and four scores. Sophomore Atlas Gentry has 35 receptions for 681 yards and nine touchdowns and nine carries for 51 yards.
“They do have a couple wide receivers out there,” Silvers said. “They can catch a ball. And they run some pretty good routes. We’re not going to be able just to kind of overlook them. We’re going to have to lock in and just take it one week at a time, which is what our boys have been doing a great job with. Let’s focus on the team.”
The Flames will counter with junior Price Rosamond, senior Andrew Houy and sophomores Egan Barnes and Ronin Burns.
“They’re kind of a by committee over there,” the coach said . “They kind of have a couple receivers that seem like they can catch the ball if they’re open, and so we’re just going to apply the pressure. If we have to make adjustments during the game, we know we can.”
The Bracken defense is led by sophomore Luke Leslie, a two-year letterman, leads the Chargers with 63 tackles, six interceptions, five pass deflections and a fumble recovery. Hyder has 46 tackles and two interceptions.
Faith will counter with Houy, sophomore Landon Silvers, and junior Wade Dillard.
“I’m just going to hit them with everything we’ve got,” the coach said.
CAPTION: Junior Wade Dillard is becoming the complete offensive player the Flames need. He was already known as a tremendous blocker. He also is working on his passing accuracy. Photo by Stennis Shotts
