Marble Falls football loses to Lampasas

The Marble Falls High School football team lost to Lamapasas 23-16 in a game that was moved to Nov. 1 because of stadium light issues at Badger Field Oct. 31.

The Mustangs (3-6 0-3) fought back from a 16-0 deficit with just under four minutes left in the third quarter thanks to an outstanding defense that made the Badgers (8-2, 2-2) earn the victory.

Lampasas had connected on a 25-yard field goal by senior kicker Zimri Vergara for the 16-0 advantage.

Marble Falls responded with a seven-play, 65-yard drive that ended when sophomore quarterback Crawford Maddox bullied his way into the end zone from a yard out. The key play was a 32-yard pass from senior fullback Doak Timmerman to Maddox and back to Timmerman where the Mustangs used the Badgers relentless pursuit against them. Maddox found Timmerman on the two-point pass to trim the deficit to 16-8 on the drive that took 2:54 to complete.

But Lampasas responded almost immediately when senior running back Wesley Stephens took the handoff and ran right up the middle and untouched after he went past the line of scrimmage for a 74-yard touchdown run. The two-play drive covered 80 yards and took 18 seconds to finish for the 23-8 lead.

The Mustangs, however, were unfazed. They went 67 yards in eight plays on a drive that ended when Mattox scored again from the one-yard line. The key play was a 46-yard pass to senior running back Quavyon Alexander. Maddox found sophomore tight end Olen Dalton on the two-point throw to trim the deficit to 23-16 with 9:07 remaining in the game.

Though the Mustang didn’t recover the onside kick, the defense dug deep in forcing the Badgers to turn the ball over on downs for the second time in the contest at the Marble Falls 26-yard line.

The Mustangs went backward. So with about six minutes left in the game, they went for it on fourth and 14 and the pass fell incomplete.

Lampasas looked to put the game away when it took over at the Marble Falls 22-yard line. It took them two plays to get to the 10-yard line for first and goal. But on fourth and goal from the one-yard line, Roberts was stopped.

So with 3:08 left, the Mustangs went to its air attack. Maddox hit senior receiver Atreyu Machacek for nine yards, Dalton for six, and the key play — a 27-yard completion to senior receiver Kaden Langbein on fourth and 9 — moved the ball to the their own 43. Maddox completed one more pass — to Dalton — for seven yards on second and 10 but was sacked for a three-yard loss on third down and threw incomplete on fourth and six when he threw to senior running back Joaquin Aguilar at about the Lampasas 15-yard line with 22 seconds left in the game.

“We’re not going to concede,” head coach Keri Timmerman said. “And our kids had a chance to win the game. We just said we’re going to throw and we have to make plays. And we’re getting better and better at that. Our line did a great job. We just told them we’ve got to be able to execute on offense.”

The contest began with an 81-yard run by senior running back K.J. Reed on the first offensive play of the game, who was caught on the Marble Falls four-yard one. He got the ball on the second play and scored. The extra point was missed, but Lampasas led 6-0 58 seconds into the matchup.

Marble Falls turned the ball over on downs on its first offensive possession, but the Mustangs returned the favor by forcing Lampasas to turn the ball over on downs on the Marble Falls three-yard line. That drive ended with a punt.

The Badgers added their second touchdown thanks to taking over at the Marble Falls 40-yard line. Reed had a run of six and 23 yards to reach the Mustangs 11-yard line. Roberts found junior receiver Tripp Stinnett for the 11-yard touchdown pass. After the extra point, Lampasas led 13-0 with 7:39 remaining in the half.

The Mustangs began their next drive on their own 35-yard line. Maddox found Dalton on an 11-yard pass on third and 15, but the Badgers were whistled for a face mask penalty to give the Mustangs a first down on the Lampasas 28-yard line. Marble Falls called for a halfback option where the pass was under thrown and intercepted on the Lampasas 13-yard line with 7:39 left in the second quarter.

On first and 10 on the Mustangs’ 32-yard line, senior cornerback Alexander knocked the pass away, After a three-yard run, the ball was snapped but never reached Roberts, who had to fall forward from the shotgun to retain possession on the fumble. On fourth and nine, the pass fell incomplete when it was overthrown with 10 seconds left in the half.

All of that set up a thrilling second half between the two long-time foes.

Lampasas finished with 443 yards of total offense with 248 in the first half. They had 381 rushing yards on 40 carries led by Reed’s 176 yards and touchdown on 12 rushes. Stephens had 12 carries for 132 yards and a score. Reed completed nine of 14 passes for 62 yards and a touchdown and had 13 carries for 58 yards. Senior receiver Shawn Roberts had five receptions for 36 yards and Stinnett had two catches for 25 yards and a score. All Lampasas stats are unofficial.

Marble Falls had 223 yards of total offense with 171 coming in the second half. Maddox completed 11 of 21 passes for 183 yards and had 17 rushes for minus 1 yard and two touchdowns. Alexander had a 46-yard reception, while Timmerman had a 32-yard catch, Machacek had four receptions for 27 yards and Dalton had three receptions for 25 yards.

Diego Aguilar had five carries for 32 yards.

“Everything is a process,” Keri Timmeramn said. “That’s the hardest part of things when you’re at the beginning of the process. We’d like to fast forward to be further along. But it’s where we’re at. Our kids fought.”

He noted the Mustangs were able to move the ball offensively and completed drives, pointing out that they had cut it to a one-score game twice and that the unit answered back when the Badgers took a two-touchdown lead.

Defensively, he commended his players for stiffening up and not letting the Badgers score when they got inside the Marble Falls five-yard line twice and shut them out in the fourth quarter.

“We’ll make plays and have really good things,” the coach said. “And big plays hurt or a fall-off tackle for a first down. That’s football. They might say some of the same things happened to them. You have to eliminate those big plays, and I think that’s what we’re starting to do.”

Marble Falls now turns its attention to its regular-season finale against Brownwood at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7 at Mustang Stadium. The Lions (5-4, 2-1) lost to Stephenville 49-0 Oct. 31.

“That’s a good football team,” Timmerman said of the Badgers. “Really proud of our coaches. Our kids did everything I could ask. You got to execute, you got to play close, you got to find the win. Nobody likes losing. We play hard every time. I think our kids are figuring out what it’s going to take to win.”