Faith Academy football has more players for new season

CAPTION: Adam Merlick leaps high in the air to make this catch from Wade Dillard. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Faith Academy of Marble Falls football team impressed its coaches throughout the first week of practice Aug. 4-8.

Twenty-seven players, four more than head coach Jay Silvers was projecting two weeks ago, are in the program and some are new to the sport and campus. A couple of those players are from 11-man programs. Faith plays six-man football.

“That’s the most I’ve been apart of,” Silvers said, adding that in 2021, the team had 23 with former head coach Stephen Shipley and former assistant coach Sonny Wilson on staff.

“That was the year we made our run to state,” Silvers said. “We had a solid varsity team. I’m seeing a lot of the young players take instruction.”

Silvers, who is entering his second year in the position, noted the veterans are doing all they can to help lessen the learning curve, which has pleased him.

“Their willingness to work together,” he said. “That’s been the big thing. Our seniors, juniors and returning players are helping the young guys know the system. Their ability to work together and help each other impresses me.”

The quarterbacks continue to set the pace for the squad. Senior Drew Houy , junior Wade Dillard and sophomore Landon Silvers are forming an electric trio because of their abilities to make plays with either their legs or arms by getting the ball to the open Flame.

The coach is encouraging the quarterbacks to tuck and run if there’s an open lane and they’re showing they can be patient to allow their teammates time to get open.

“I rotate all the guys through,” Silvers said. “They do a good job. If you see a gap, go. They’re all reading it well. They’re letting those routes develop and find the crease.”

In six man, every offensive player is an eligible receiver. The coach said he’s happy with what he’s seeing in the passing game.

“The guys we have working there all have good hands,” he said. “Our receivers have done well. They’re running the routes clean and doing a good job of catching the ball and running routes.”

That also means the Flames are looking for more from their center than only the ability to snap the ball and block. Silvers is examining three different players for this spot.

“I’m rotating them around,” he said. “Some are quicker, some are bigger. We use them as a last ditch thing. A lot of them are a good help with our wide receivers.”

He was equally happy about the defense under the direction of second-year coordinator Cole Garrett.

That many players allows Silvers to schedule more junior varsity games. Currently it has three opponents. The rules of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools has a cap on the number of minutes an athlete can play in a week. So it’s possible for athletes to play in the junior varsity contest and suit up for varsity on Friday nights.

“I’m trying to get a couple more (JV games),” the coach said. “They’re learning and picking it up quickly. They’re looking really good and getting together going through plays. It’s been really good to see that.”

The other added bonus is that there’s a possibility of having one-way starters as opposed to using the same players on both sides of the ball.

“We’re trying to limit the playing time for Drew, Landon Adam (Merlick) and Wade,” Silvers said. “They could be starters every day on both sides of the ball. We want to keep them fresh on offense. We’re able to find some guys who are solid who are coming from 11-man.”

CAPTION: After tossing Landon Silvers (right) the ball, Wade Dillard gets in front of him to provide blocking. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro