Faith Academy football hosts 6-on-6 nights
CAPTION: Senior Wade Dillard performed this job as good as any Highland Lakes football player – serving as the lead blocker after tossing the ball to a teammate. In this play, that teammate is junior Landon Silvers. The two could be the featured backs in the Flames’ offensive scheme this season. Staff photos by Jennifer Fierro
The Faith Academy of Marble Falls football team is hosting the first of three Tuesday evenings of 6-on-6 play from 6-8 p.m. June 2.
The action is at Britton Field on the Faith campus. Round Rock Christian and perhaps Austin Royals will participate.
“There’s no pads or anything like that,” Flames head coach Jay Silvers said.
Because these teams play six-man football, coaches have created their own version of 7-on-7 with the same goals. For the offenses it’s about passing and catching while showing some of the passing concepts in their schemes. For defenses, it’s all about coverages and stops.
Junior Landon Silvers has been a steady skill player for the Flames for the last two years. His speed has been obvious as both a running back and a returner, who is able to turn momentum with one play.
And because the team had Andrew Houy and Adam Merlick, the team was able to get the ball to those three playmakers to each shoulder the load.
But Houy and Merlick graduated, so it’s up to a new group of Flames.
Several returners who are penciled in to play bigger roles in 2026 will have the chance to show what they can do in the passing attack in June.
One of those players is senior Wade Dillard.
Dillard has done plenty for the Flames over the years. Because of his strength and height, he has served as the lead blocker on running plays who has sprung many lanes to the end zone open for his teammates. He also has thrown some and caught some.
Jay Silvers believes Dillard will show his skills even more in 2026.
“He’s going to be a bigger kind of like that thunder to the lightning of what Landon’s got,” he said. “And then we have (junior) Graham (McGraw) over there with that speed. We’ll be moving around to different spots, trying to get him the ball a little more. We are looking for a couple people to step up, but I feel like we have the guys that will plug in, and we won’t miss a beat.”
The program will be led by seniors Cooper Hansard, Grayson Jaynes, Price Rosamond Dillard.
But the juniors may make up the bulk of the roster – Egan Barnes, Ronin Burns, Madden Kinnee, Quinton Merlick and Nick Zarob played significant minutes last year to go with McGraw and Landon Silvers.
Their contributions on both sides of the ball as underclassmen are why the coach doesn’t believe the program will be in rebuild in 2026.
The series against Round Rock Christian may foreshadow what’s to come in the fall. The Flames will host the Crusaders Oct. 30. Faith has played the Austin Royals, a homeschool program, in various sports throughout the years.
The Tuesday night events are on June 9 and 20.
CAPTION: Defensive coordinator Garrett Cole talks to junior Ronin Burns during a two-a-day practice in August 2025. Burns is expected to play a bigger role for the Flames this season.
