Marble Falls football has big plays against Lago Vista

CAPTION: Marble Falls senior running back Joaquin Aguilar escapes the Lago Vista defense’s grasp to gallop more than 50 yards toward pay dirt. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Marble Falls High School football team performed well during its Aug. 14 scrimmage against Lago Vista, the Mustangs’ first of the 2025 season.

That’s according to head coach Keri Timmerman.

“We got a lot of things we got to fix, but I think that there’s improvement,” he said. “We’re further along than we were last year, and we got young players in some spots. The biggest thing is we were playing people to get a look, so we weren’t full board just because we want to make sure we get reps and get people in. So that’s the biggest thing.”  

During the controlled portion of the scrimmage, sophomore quarterback Crawford Mattox trotted out for the first offensive series along with senior running back Joaquin Aguilar. On the scrimmage’s second play, Aguilar took a handoff and shook off tacklers in what looked to be a loss. Instead he ran more than 50 yards toward the end zone.

Senior fullback Doak Timmerman also had a solid showing running the football. Timmerman, who has gotten stronger and has become harder to tackle, hit the holes quickly and refused to go down on first contact.

Senior Atreyu Machacek caught a ball in the flat and turned to run for a first down.

The Mustangs moved the ball against the Vikings and earned a couple of scores.

Defensively, Marble Falls looked to shut down the Vikings’ zone read offense. Doak Timmerman went to linebacker to help anchor the front seven, while senior defensive back Gregory Lemon helped lead the secondary.

The Mustangs recovered a fumble and caught an interception.

The final 15 minutes of the scrimmage, which lasted about two hours, was devoted to a live quarter designed to simulate a real game.

Marble Falls’ opening series stalled and the Vikings, who took advantage of three penalties, scored on a 22-yard run.

But the Mustangs answered on their next series when Mattox found Machacek on a skinny post up the middle of the field where only the receiver could catch the ball. Machacek split the two defensive backs in half and ran 67 yards for the touchdown. Aguilar added the point after.

The scrimmage ended on a sack by junior defensive lineman Arnulfo Salazar.

The Mustangs showed solid pursuit of the football and fought through blockers intent on keeping the chains moving for the Vikings.

The coach pointed out some traits that were encouraging.

“I think our energy’s way better,” he said. “As far as our kids on the sideline and on the field, I think we’re communicating better on the field for the most part. I think we’ve got some young talent that’s coming up.  It’s hard to play with sophomores, and we knew it, but we have spots that we have sophomores.”

He also noted coaches are “a little more comfortable about where we’re all gonna be. I think I think there’s a lot of positives.”

Timmerman added that scrimmages are designed to give players opportunities and allow coaches to see athletes in specific positions, see their understanding of the plays and scheme, and use it as a measuring stick for where they are in their preparation for the season.

The Mustangs will travel to Gatesville Thursday, Aug. 21, for their final scrimmage of the season. The subvarsities play at 5 p.m. with the varsity to follow at 6:30 p.m.

The season opener is against Austin Crockett Thursday, Aug. 28, at the Toney Burger Center in Austin.

CAPTION: The Mustangs, led by Leroy Roach (88) and Gregory Lemon, stop the Viking running back for a minimal gain. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro