Marble Falls football has plenty of positives in Gatesville scrimmage

CAPTION: Marble Falls junior running back Hudson Salyers (left) takes the handoff and follows the blocking of linemen Madden Hernandez, a senior (right), and Jaxson Bales, a junior. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Marble Falls High School football team gave fans a glimpse of what the Mustangs can do as they welcomed Gatesville Aug. 13 for the first scrimmage of the 2026 season.

Though the Hornets scored twice in the controlled portion of the scrimmage— on a quarterback draw and about a 30-yard touchdown throw where the receiver outleapt the defensive back and turned to run the final few yards for the score — that’s all the Mustangs allowed.

And once the Marble Falls offense got off the field after its first possession and settled down, the Mustangs gave glimpses of what they can do.

The first was using the Hornets’ defensive aggression against them. Gatesville’s front seven looked to overwhelm Marble Falls at the line of scrimmage. The Mustangs’ response was to move the pocket and create more space to set up one-on-one opportunities with short passes or mid-range ones.

The short passes were designed screens to different receivers and running backs. Once the intended target caught the pass, he usually had one defender to beat and was able to do so.

The big positive is the Mustangs were able to connect on passes and move the lines of scrimmage to extend drives. About six different players caught passes that were thrown to different spots on the field.

Once the passing game began generating some yards, the Mustangs looked to do the same with the rushing attack. That came toward the middle and end of the controlled portion and during the live portion of the scrimmage on the second possession. Junior running back Hudson Salyers ran for eight yards then rounded the corner on third down for the necessary three yards for the first. But a holding call by the receiver wiped out the run, resulting in an incomplete pass on third-and-eight. The scrimmage ended three plays.

Head coach Keri Timmerman noted the Mustangs have “to clean up execution,” and emphasized he saw plenty from which his team can build.

“The big thing is understanding we are further ahead than we were,” he said. “We have to be a lot of cleaner, but I think as we started going in the second and third series with our ones, we saw some execution and what we can do. Part of it is the way we practice and the way we play. When we huddle, it just changes things. It just changes the tempo, it changes how we call. It’s not something we’re comfortable with, so I think we are always going to see that in a controlled portion of the scrimmage. But I was really proud of our kids.”

He was equally pleased with the Mustangs’ defense. When Gatesville’s starting offense came on the field for the first time, the Hornets moved the ball and got inside the Marble Falls red zone. But the Mustangs’ stiffened, forcing a turnover on downs when the Hornets couldn’t get the necessary yards after at least three running plays. The first score came later. The second score came from the reserves

The coach noted the Mustangs and new defensive coordinator Taylor Wolfe continue to fine-tune this side of the ball. The defense contained the Hornets on first and second downs, but Gatesville connected on about three explosive passes on third down.

Timmerman also added that reserves made the most of their time on the field and showed what they can do, too. He pointed out that coaches aren’t creating game plans for scrimmages. Rather, they have specific plays with specific players in specific positions they want to see.

“We saw a lot of energy, a lot of things that were really good, a lot of good effort, but execution’s going to be the theme,” he said. “And I expected it in our first scrimmage – we load everything like I said before and install heavy. And now we’re execution heavy.”

CAPTION: This photo illustrates plenty about the Marble Falls-Gatesville scrimmage. The Mustangs penetrated through the line of scrimmage and found the ball carrier the Hornets did everything they could to stop them.