Marble Falls football win illustrates plenty about chemistry
CAPTION: Marble Falls junior quarterback Crawford Mattox (5) and the Mustangs never stopped believing, even when they trailed. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
Just when the Marble Falls High School football team had to have it, they got it.
That includes the turnover over on downs with 3 minutes and 21 seconds left in the game, the 10-play drive for the 34-yard field goal by senior kicker Jett Marcum, and the kickoff team tackling the Little River Academy returner to preserve the 39-36 victory Sept. 4.
Even when the Bumblebees looked like they had regained control of the outcome by forcing the Mustangs to punt, taking a 29-28 lead early in the fourth quarter, recovering the onside kick and scoring a touchdown for a 36-28 advantage, the Marble Falls sideline never wavered in believing.
“We’ve got to respond,” junior quarterback Crawford Mattox recalled telling the offense. “I just felt like the (offensive) line was doing great work the whole time, the whole game. They’re making holes for us to run through and get good yardage, and I had no doubt that we were going to win that game.”
That was evident when the offense finally got to touch the ball for an extended drive in the final stanza. Marble Falls, which punted the ball around the time the fourth quarter began, took over with 8:14 remaining in the contest.
Mattox guided the unit on an eight-play, 61-yard drive that ended when he scored on second and goal from two yards out on a drive that ate 3:07. Then Mattox hit junior tight end Anderson Liscum on the two-point pass to tie the game at 36-36 with 5:11 remaining in teh contest.
The Mustang sideline’s energy level rose another level as the players encouraged the defense to get another stop, something Little River Academy hadn’t had happen since the first drive of the second half.
“We just gotta keep encouraging the defense and make sure they’re doing good out there and then just be there for each other,” sophomore running back Diego Aguilar said.
The Bumblebees faced fourth-and-five on the Marble Falls 40-yard line, and the Mustangs made sure the pass went incomplete thanks to heavy pressure.
And when the turnover on downs happened, the Marble Falls offense already knew what had to come next.
“There was no doubt,” Aguilar said. “Everyone on that field knew what we’re going to do – at least get some points up on that board and win.”
On second and 10, Mattox called his own number and ran 16 yards. Some of those yards came as he moved a colony of Bumblebees because he refused to go down and some offensive linemen got behind him to move the pile forward.
“It just shows that we can get anything moving,” he said. “In general, it’s just a game changer. You have three backs who can move the ball with big yards.”
When the drive ended with Marcum leaving no doubt with his strong leg, the scoreboard showed a Marble Falls win. But it illustrated so much more beyond the Mustangs’ work in the weight room, in the film room and on the practice field.
Coaches talk about staying in the moment, but preparing for that moment doesn’t happen the week leading to a game. Rather, it’s done during the offseason when players arrive on campus around sunrise to get in a lift or extra running or film work. It happens in the heat of May and June in 7 on 7 when a new group of receivers and linebackers and defensive backs are emerging as they get to know each other’s tendencies and learn a new system. And it continues during Forge ’26, the program’s summer strength and conditioning program when players participate in mat drills, weight lifting and agility sessions then the Mustangs participate in sport-specific drills.
It also helps to have a kicker like Marcum, whose strong leg can be witnessed on the soccer pitch, too, as the Mustangs’ goalie.
“Very versatile,” Mattox said. “Beginning of the year, he came in and just was going to be a kicker and special teams, but he stepped up and played a great role at safety. And he made a big play at safety, and that’s not even counting the game-winning field goal that he had.”
The quarterback, who knows a thing or two about mental toughness, commended the kicker for not allowing Academy’s timeout to “ice” him.
“He was ready,” he said. “And he knows how to drill it, no matter what.”
Mattox said the victory symbolized the team’s theme during the week leading up to the game – stay the course.
“We really pounded that all week long and made sure everybody knew that coming in this game — and we knew that on the sideline — no matter what happened, it was next play mentality,” he said.
Aguilar smiled when asked what it’s like to play with junior running back Salyers Hudson, who can run, pass and catch the ball, and Mattox.
“It’s great,” he said. “Two amazing upperclassmen. They encourage me and everyone on the team. They’re great.”
Marble Falls plays at Fredericksburg at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11.
