Sports

Marble Falls Mustangs Softball Program had three players participate in the very first Fellowship of Christian Athletes All-Star Softball game held this past Monday night at San Marcos High School. 

Jaden Deleon, Elicia Gonzales and Summer Riley, all three Seniors, where chosen and selected by over 33 schools in the FCA's Central Zone Area.

The three seniors, along with 33 other softball players, took part in festivities that included a youth softball camp, a banquet dinner highlighted by special guest speaker, former Philadelphia Eagles player Rich Garza, fellowship with current SEC Tennessee Lady Volunteer player from Thrall, Texas, Chelsea Seggern, and several current and former Texas State softball players.

“I was lucky enough to be the Head Coach of the Gold Team which included the three Mustang Players,” Coach Tim Richter said. “All three played extremely well and I am very proud of all of them.”

With the departure of Anthony Torns, Rich Powers will take over at Marble Falls High School as the head track coach.

MFHS Athletic Director Rick Hoover named Rich Powers to the position after Power had served as assistant track and assistant basketball coach for the 2017-2018 school year. “Coach Powers will bring 16 years of track experience to MFHS and has had extensive success with all his track programs,” Hoover said.

“It’s about the kids. I will continue to work and progress on the foundation Coach Torns has built,” said Powers.

The new track coach has local roots, as he’s married to to MFHS Head Volleyball Coach Tanya Powers. They have four children. Payton, Owen and Zayden all attend MFISD schools while their oldest son, Richie, is serving in the U.S. Army.

By Richard Zowie

Highlander Sports Editor

Cody Owens’ earned a position on the Texas National Junior High Rodeo Team, and his next venture will take him to close to the other side of the country.

An eighth grade student at Faith Academy, Owens has qualified to compete at the world’s largest junior high rodeo.

He and his team will travel to Huron, South Dakota, June 24-30 to compete in the 14th annual National Junior High Finals Rodeo in the Tie Down Roping competition.

Owens and his team will compete with around 1,000 contestants from 43 states and five Canadian provinces, Australia and Mexico.

To qualify on the Texas team, Owens was in the top four for his event.

Faith Academy filled two positions with one man, as they recently announced the hiring of Jeremy Wentrcek as the school’s new athletic director and head football coach.

The coach’s surname is pronounced “winter check.”

On June 7, the Faith Academy Executive Leadership Team, consisting of Amy Cozby, Donna Wilcox, Kim Hansard, and Rusty Freeman, invited Wentrcek to accept the two jobs.

He will take over the jobs previously held by Randy Denton (athletic director) and Pete Rhoades (head football coach).

Wentrcek is a veteran private school athletic director, football coach, and hurdling specialist. Throughout his 18-year career, Coach Wentrcek has led football teams to the state semi finals three times and the state final twice. He has also established himself as a hurdle specialist, coaching athletes to 28 medaling performances at the TAPPS state meet in hurdling events.

During a work break, Coach Russell Reichenbach gets a visit from his two biggest fans: his twin daughters Ryan (center) and Reagan (right). The facilities were among the highlights of the June 6 MFHS Athletics Department Open House. The tour also included the new weight room, various athletic offices and the Max Copeland Gym (including a few interesting facts about the facility). The refurbished weight room includes new equipment, such as a sky jump machine, leg press machine, eight new multi-use weight racks, neck machine, and a cable-pulley machine.

By Richard Zowie

Highlander Sports Editor

Mya McMillian, the cornerstone of the Marble Falls Girls Basketball Team for the past several seasons, will compete in the Faith 7 Basketball Bowl Saturday, June 9 in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

McMillian will compete on the Texas Girls' Team against one from Oklahoma.

McMillian, one of 10 athletes who will compete for the Texas Girls All Stars, will wear jersey number 45. She is the tallest girl in the team at 6'3”. The tallest girl in the game will be her Oklahoma Girls All-Stars opponent, 6'4” Aspen Willisten out of Broken Bow.

Each year, ten of the best high school graduate basketball players from Oklahoma face off against ten of the best players from Texas in Oklahoma Baptist University’s Nobel Complex. The Faith 7 Bowl will honor these basketball players, many of whom are signing with Division I schools.

By Richard Zowie

The Highlander

After 10 seasons coaching at Marble Falls High School, Coach Anthony Torns has decided to take on a new challenge.

Torns will soon coach at G 10 Academy in Austin's Westlake area.

“Our focus will be building the complete athlete, as sub entiites to G 10 Academy, we have Road Runner Run Club which I will be the head coach and our own soccer academy G 10 FC,” he said. “It was time to challenge myself to a greater degree and to have the flexibility with my family I desired and the freedom to focus my days on my passion of learning more about training the athlete and actually doing it full time.”

Torns describes himself as having “so many memories” as he has coached since 2008 with track and field and since 2010 with cross country.

By Richard Zowie

The Highlander

HORSESHOE BAY — San Antonio native Patrick Reed is relatively easy to spot: when he donned the iconic green jacket in April after winning the 2018 Master’s Golf Tournament, he did so while wearing black pants, and a pink shirt and black cap that both had the Nike logo on them.

He wore the same outfit May 22, when he helped celebrate the official reopening of Ram Rock by hitting the ceremonial first drive.

Ram Rock, one of the Resort's three Robert Trent Jones, Sr.-designed golf courses, has been restored to its original glory as intended by the designer through his own son’s legacy company, the Robert Trent Jones, II team.

Horseshoe Bay Resort is bringing in 2018 Masters Champion and San Antonio native Patrick Reed for the ceremonial first drive to reopen the Ram Rock Golf Course on Tuesday, May 22.

Ram Rock is one of the bay’s three golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones Senior, and officials say it’s been restored to its original glory through Robert Trent Jones II’s team.

After introductions on May 22, Reed will do the ceremonial first drive at 10 a.m. He will then be available for questions.

At 10:30 a.m., Ram Rock will open for play.

In April, Reed won his first-ever Master’s by one stroke over fellow American Rickie Fowler. Reed finished the event 15 strokes under par.

Ram Rock is at 1306 Hi Stirrup in Horseshoe Bay.

TheDallas Morning Newsranked it as among the top 100 golf courses across Texas in 2017. Golf Digestranked it 26th among the best in the state in 20150-2016.

File photo/The Highlander

For Marble Falls Varsity Softball, Elicia Gonzales made the District 26-5A All-District First Team. Summer Riley and Jesse Stephenson made All-District Second Team while Trista Coffey was named as Honorable Mention. Lady Mustangs who made District 26-5A Academic All-District included Jesse Stephenson (98.70), TJ Blum (93.44), Brooklyn Chavez (92.94), Jaden Deleon (91.73) and Annie Johnson (91.43)