Sports

By Nathan Hendrix

Sports Editor

Fans in attendance who were looking for a defensive, one-nil soccer game were disappointed on Tuesday night as the Marble Falls Mustangs opened the flood gates on district opponent Glenn in a 9-1 victory.

The Mustangs scored five goals in the first half and four goals in the second half in their highest scoring game of the season. Senior forward Isek Munoz registered a hat trick in the first 16 minutes of gameplay. Mustangs' head coach Rick Hoover said Munoz was in a groove from the opening kick-off.

“When you get [a player] that gets hot like that, they're hard to stop,” he said. “Their confidence goes through the roof, and it's amazing how much easier things can become when you have that momentum.”

By Nathan Hendrix
Sports Editor

In their first year of official competition, two Marble Falls swimmers placed in the top-10 in the state finals in Austin on Saturday, Feb. 16.

Sophomore Landry Stewart and freshman Taylor Ashbaugh competed with the best Texas offers in three events – Stewart in the 200-yard individual medley and the 500-yard freestyle, and Ashbaugh in the 100-yard breaststroke. In all three events, the Mustangs swimmers finished in the top-10.

“We're extremely proud of these girls,” head coach John Berkman said. “It takes a lot of individual commitment and dedication to the sport.”

Stewart finished in ninth-place in the 200 IM on Saturday with a time of two minutes, 11.47 seconds. The Saturday time was an improvement over her 13^th place qualifying time on Friday of 2:13.18. She said she wanted to improve her turns on Saturday.

By Nathan Hendrix

Sports Editor

The Marble Falls swim team had two swimmers qualify for the state swimming and diving meet to be held in Austin on Friday, Feb. 15 and Saturday, Feb. 16.

Sophomore Landry Stewart and freshman Taylor Ashbaugh will represent the Mustangs at the highest state level later this month after personal-best performances at the regional meet at Texas A&M University on Friday and Saturday.

Ashbaugh finished with personal best and school record times in the 100-yard fly and 100-yard breaststroke events; Stewart set personal best and school record times in the 200-yard individual medley and 500-yard freestyle.

By Nathan Hendrix

Sports Editor

The Marble Falls boys' basketball team couldn't remove the lid from the basket in a 57-49 loss to the Glenn Grizzlies at home on Friday.

The Mustangs went one-for-16 from three-point range in the game with their sole basket coming with 37 seconds remaining in the game.

“Our Achilles heel all year has been we don't hit enough shots,” Mustangs head coach Matt Bailey said. “We had some tough looks, and we had some good looks.”

The Marble Falls offense came out rolling and got some easy baskets at the rim after beating the press. The teams flashed different styles as the Mustangs worked the ball inside, and the Grizzlies attempted three-point shots on several consecutive possessions to open the game. Halfway through the first quarter, Glenn had only two makes, and the Mustangs led 12-6.

By Nathan Hendrix
Sports Editor

The Marble Falls basketball teams slipped further down the district rankings with losses against the Rouse Raiders on Tuesday night.

Lady Mustangs

The Lady Mustangs (8-17, 2-6 in district) slipped to fifth place in the district after their 53-45 loss on the road. Raiders offensive rebounds prevented Marble Falls from keeping the game within reach in the fourth quarter.

Head coach John Berkman said the rebounding woes were persistent through the game, but the fourth quarter is where the Mustangs really felt the effects.

“If we had been better rebounding the whole game, we could've limited their scoring opportunities and had a favorable margin going into the fourth,” he said. “If you don't take care of those things early, they tend to hang around and get you in the end.”

By Nathan Hendrix
Sports Editor

The Marble Falls boys' soccer team was able to control possession to secure a 4-2 victory over the East View Patriots on a windy Tuesday night.

The Mustangs (9-0-4) continued their difficult non-district schedule against the number four ranked team in 5A just a week away from the beginning of district play. Head coach Rick Hoover said the challenging schedule was planned to prepare the players for a tough district.

“We tried to schedule our pre-district games as strong as we could make it,” Hoover said. “You don't know how the [players] will respond.”

The Mustangs seem to have responded well. Despite playing several 6A schools and high-ranking 5A schools, the Mustangs are one game away from completing an undefeated non-district schedule.

Compiled by Richard Zowie
Sports Editor

Many Marble Falls High School Varsity Football athletes received both athletic and academic honors for their prowess on the football field and in the classroom.

District 13-5A, 2018 All-District

First Team

By Richard Zowie

Highlander Sports Editor

Now that the Marble Falls Independent School District bond has passed, school officials will be looking to replace the Mustang Stadium artificial grass surface and the track that surrounds it.

By Richard Zowie

Highlander Sports Editor

Faith Academy Football's season will continue at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17 as they travel on the road to play Amarillo San Jacinto Christian Academy in the first round of the six-man football playoffs.

By Savanna Gregg

The Highlander