Mustangs' Patterson swinging bat with confidence

By Mark Goodson

Highlander Sports Editor

Domenic Patterson said swinging the bat is coming naturally right now.

The junior played with a lot of confidence Saturday in Marble Falls’ third game against the Rouse Raiders.

Patterson, who has batted cleanup all season for the Mustangs, responded with three hits Saturday in an 8-3 win over Rouse. Two of the hits were smashes that went for doubles. All there were good contact and came with Patterson seeing the ball well.

"I’m playing with confidence and I’ve got a groove going,’’ said Patterson. "We worked hard all week and it showed.’’

The Mustangs win gave Marble Falls the sweep against a Rouse team that has competed well in district, but hasn’t had luck in close games.

On Friday on the road, the Mustangs snuck out a 5-4 win in 10 innings.

For the three game set, the Mustangs rolled up wins of 3-1, 5-4 and 8-3 behind strong pitching performances and timely hitting.

The Mustangs are 13-3 overall and 5-1 in district. Rouse dips to 7-12-1 and 1-8.

Cody Goodman threw a complete game Saturday, yielding four hits, three walks and fanned one Rouse batter.

The lefty used his off-speed pitches well and worked around scoring situations often.

In the second inning Rouse had two hits and an error lead to two runs. Robert Martinez drove in one of the runs on a sacrifice fly.

However, Marble Falls never trailed in the game, scoring two in the first and five in the second inning.

Patterson had a strong double to right to drive in the game’s second run and give the Mustangs a 2-0 cushion.

After the game was tied in the top of the second, Marble Falls unloaded wit five runs on three hits.

Patterson delivered with a blast to left field this time for two runs, scoring both Carson Bowen and Cole Ridgely.

Jay Watson had a single and Joey Blackledge reached on an error to open the frame.

 Bowen doubled to score a run and Stacy Heinatz got on by an error to set the stage for Patterson.

Rouse’s Robert Martinez hit his first homer of the year off Goodman with one out in the fourth inning. The one-out shot cut the lead to 7-3.

Marble Falls added another run in the seventh off the third pitcher of the day for the Raiders.

Mike Richardson drove in Heinatz, who was hit by a pitch to get on base. A Patterson ground ball on his fourth at-bat, still advanced the runner. Heinatz got to third on a passed ball before Richardson hit a ball to the shortstop to get Heinatz across the plate.

"You never know what you are going to get on Saturday,’’ Marble Falls coach J.T. Blaire said. "I knew if you pitched well and played defense we’d have a chance.’’

Marble Falls had four doubles in the game.

On Friday night, the Mustangs pulled off a 5-4 win behind a solid start from Garrett Winslett and relief duty from Heinatz and Ridgely. The trio allowed seven hits.

Winslett went 4 2/3 innings, allowing two hits, four walks and striking out two. Ridgely picked up the win in relief.

Marble Falls will play Vandgrift in three games this week. Tuesday’s outing is a 7 p.m. start at Vandegrift.

The team’s play a doubleheader Thursday, starting at 6 p.m. at Marble Falls.

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Eighth graders take first at Wimberley

Lauren Loader celebrated her birthday March 22 by winning five gold medals in the Wimberley Middle School Relays.

The Marble Falls eighth grader won the 100 meters in 13:20 and took all three jumping events as well as anchoring the 4x100 relay.

The team scored 197.5 points to win the meet. Burnet was second with 155 points in the nine-team meet.

Loader teamed with Taylor Dixon, Skyler Noack and Aspen Woerner on the relay, clocking a 54.69 time.

Her winning leaping efforts were 15-1 ½  in the long jump, 31-0 in the triple jump ad 5-0 in the high jump.

Sophie McCannon won both the 1,600 meters (5:45.08) and the 3,200 meters (12:56.02).

Dixon captured first in the 200 meters in 28.6 and Sydney Gibson won the 400 meters in 1:05.65.

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Rouse team wins state fishing tournament

By Mark Goodson

Highlander Sports Editor

Colton Mitchell and Dallin Bishop of Leander Rouse High School won the Texas High School State Fishing Championship on Lake LBJ Saturday catching three fish weighing in at 15-pounds, 13-ounces.

They also had the big bass at seven-pounds, 11-ounces.

The anglers edged out the Westlake fishing club by two ounces. Westlake’s Knox Kronenberg and Richie Pusateri caught the limit of five fish over the minimum length of 14 inches to take second with a total of 15-pounds, 11-ounces.

The defending champion Corrigan-Camden team of Wyatt Frankens and Clay Nash also caught five fish weighing in at 15-pounds, 11-ounces.

The tie was broken by the third tiebreaker of the first team to weigh in.

Frankens and Nash edged out Kronenberg and Pusateri by an ounce on the big bass with a catch of seven-pounds, seven ounces.

The tournament was the biggest in the three years of the event. The two previous tournaments had been held on Lake Lavon near Allen in North Texas.

Marble Falls High School had 28 anglers in the field matched in two-person teams.

The best finishers for the Marble Falls team were Cole Van Brocklin and Tyler Rutherford, who are both students at Burnet High School. The duo logged five fish at 15-pounds, three-ounces.

In all there were 68 teams (136 anglers) entered in the one-day tournament that started at first light and ended near 5 p.m. with the conclusion of weigh-ins.

In all 22 teams caught their limit and 52 of the 68 teams caught fish.

Marble Falls had four teams in the top 20.

The top Marble Falls teams were (fourth) Van Brocklin-Rutherford, (13^th) Jordan Breaux-Jordan Wright, (14^th) Shilo Nelson-Ben Stripling and (19^th) Lyle Schmidt-Lane Amidon.

"We caught all our fish at the second place we stopped,’’ Wright said after he and Breaux had to come in an half hour before weigh-in because they were running low on gasoline. "We hit that one spot and got them all.’’

The 14-inch minimum was killer on some of the anglers.

"We had 13 at 13-inches and never had a keeper,’’ said Matthew Manley who teamed with Marble Falls angler Wes Thornton.

There is a captains tournament scheduled for Sunday on Lake LBJ at the LBJ Yacht Club and Marina in Cottonwood Shores.

Marble Falls will host the tournament again next year.

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Fishing championship comes to Marble Falls

By Mark Goodson

Highlander Sports Editor

More than 150 anglers are expected to compete in Saturday’s Texas High School Fishing Championship on Lake LBJ. Marble Falls bass club parent Bryan Ellis said organizers are hoping to have 80 teams entered in the event.

Marble Falls will be well represented in the event that will start at daybreak and run into the afternoon. Weigh-in will be at either 2 or 3 p.m. at the LBJ Yacht Club.

Among the local anglers competing will be Shilo Nelson, Ben Stripling, Austin Ellis, Hunter McNeese, Nick O’Connor, Travis Sparks, Lyle Schmidt, Lane Amidon, Colt Anderson, Connor Metzler, Roy Dunavant,  Jordan Childress, Chris Mata, Hunter Delz, Cody Box, Ty Wynn, Jordan Breaux,  Jordan Wright, Wes Thornton, Matt Manley, Drake Harkins, Josh Robles, Tyler Rutherford, Tanner Worley, Isaac Salas, Austin Free and Dillon Caldwell.

Registration for the state championship will be Friday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the River City Grille.

Teams entered will have two anglers each with an adult boating captain.

On Sunday a captains’ tournament will be held with part of the proceeds going to a scholarship fund for future college and trade school students.

Marble Falls will hold the tournament for the next two years. It has been held at Lake Lavon near Allen, Texas in Collin County for the past two years.

Lake LBJ has a surface area of 6,449 acres with a maximum depth of 90 feet.

The anglers will be fishing for bass.

The tournament will attract high school anglers from throughout the state.

Each fishing team can catch as many as five bass. The fish must be within the regulation slot limit.

The record largemouth bass caught on Lake LBJ is a 13-pounder.

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Mustangs return home to face Cedar Park

Marble Falls returns home Wednesday night for the second game of the team’s 3-game set with Cedar Park in District 25-4A baseball.

Marble Falls dropped its opener in district play Tuesday night on the road at Cedar Park. Timberwolves’ senior Anthony Farmer had a two-run double in the sixth inning to solidify a 4-1 victory for the Timberwolves over the Mustangs.

Marble Falls drops to 8-3 on the season.

Cedar Park’s Ryan Johnson threw a 2-hitter on Tuesday and fanned 10 Mustangs. Cedar Park had eight hits and committed one error.

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Mustangs roll, then hang on for victory

By Mark Goodson

Highlander Sports Editor

Marble Falls’ pitchers Cole Ridgely and Stacy Heinatz combined to strike out 14 Friday night in a 4-2 non-district win over rival Burnet at Burnet.

The win was Marble Falls first in varsity baseball over Burnet in at least four years, said Heinatz who came on in relief to face five batters in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Marble Falls had a 4-0 lead when Ridgely was lifted for Heinatz, the team’s hard-throwing shortstop and No 3 hitter in the lineup.

Heinatz inherited a one-out, two runners on situation. He came in throwing hard and yielded an infield hit and double to wake up Burnet.

The Bulldogs pulled to within two runs with the tying runs on base and one out.

But Heinatz struck out Joshua Thompson and Blaine Shilling to end the game. The final out came after Marble Falls intentionally walked Zac Evans to load the bases.

What about the pressure?

"It made you want to throw up,’’ Heinatz said. "It gave me a lot of confidence to come in there after the way Cole pitched. If he could do it, I could, too.’’

Ridgely had his best game on the mound with a solid fastball with a lot of pop.

Ridgely gave up just three hits and was in a grove midway through the outing when he struck out seven straight, starting with the last out of the third inning.

Marble Falls bats were solid, too.

Domenic Patterson started the scoring with a solo blast with one out in the in the fourth for the game’s first run on a cool Central Texas evening. It was Patterson’s second home of the season, both coming in road games.

In the fifth inning, the Mustangs pushed the lead to 3-0 on key hits from No. 9 hitter Jimmy Damico to score Cody Goodman, who had reached on an infield single; and a two-out double from Heinatz to drive in Carson Bowen, who had reached on an error. Heinatz clutch hit to right center came on a 3-2 pitch.

Marble Falls added an unearned run in the seventh inning when Burnet’s first baseman failed to scoop a relay and the Mustangs took advantage of three walks.

Marble Falls (8-2) will open District 25-4A play Tuesday on the road at Cedar Park.

The play the Timberwolves in a 7 p.m. start Wednesday at Marble Falls and then return to Cedar Park Thursday for the third game of the district series.

Burnet fell to 8-5 on the season.

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Marble Falls prepares for Cedar Park

By Mark Goodson

Highlander Sports Editor

Marble Falls (7-2) will play rival Burnet Friday and then open up District 25-4A action next week.

Head coach J.T. Blair got a chance to scout the upcoming district opponent on Tuesday when the Timberwolves took on Leander in Cedar Park’s district opener.

Cedar Park and Leander resume their 3-game set this week.

"They are good,’’ Blair said of Cedar Park.

The Mustangs are trying to establish some respect heading into the district. The Mustangs have been efficient on the mound and the defense is steadily improving. The Mustangs did not commit an error in the final three wins over the Kerrville Tivy Tournament.

Marble Falls pitching has been solid. Cole Ridgely, Cody Goodman, Garrett Winslett and Stacy Heinatz are the candidates for the starting roles in the team’s upcoming 3-game set.

The Cedar Park series opens Tuesday at Cedar Park, returns to Marble Falls Wednesday for Game 2 and then concludes with a Thursday date at Cedar Park.

The first two games are 7 p.m. starts. Game 3 is an afternoon game.

Friday’s clash with Burnet should be interesting between the two rivals.

The Mustangs probable lineup is Carson Bowen, Joey Blackledge, Stacy Heinatz, Domenic Patterson, Cole Ridgely, Saul Guzman, Mike Richardson, Cody Goodman and Jimmy Damico.

Cedar Park’s roster includes 1. Amir Alzer, 2. Nathan Harwell, 3. Anthony Farmer, 5. Nick Gutierrez, 7. Michael Dayanandan, 8. Blake Bouffard, 9. Nolan Foster, 10. Jake Pokorney, 11. Alex Fraser, 12. Lane Waller, 15. Eric Chappell, 18. Tanner Dickerson, 20. Trenton Davis, 21. Ryan Johnson, 22. Zach Garrison, 27. Paul Beaman, 29. Chris Paddack, 30. Aaron English, 31. Mac Gilpin, 33. Jackson Paine and 37. Shawn Taylor.

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Rivara makes first team basketball squad

From Staff Reports

Post Danny Rivara earned first-team all-district for the Marble Falls boys basketball team as selected by the district coaches.

Senior shooting guard Joey Blackledge was a second-team pick for the Mustangs.

Point guard Collin Edwards and forward Frederic Filsoff were honorable mention choices for the Mustangs.

Cedar Park’s Jamie Sia took the district most valuable player honor.

Playoff teams from District 25-4A were Leander, Rouse, Cedar Park and Vista Ridge.

Vista Ridge lost to LBJ in the bi-district round and Leander, Rouse and Cedar Park all lost in the area round.

Leander beat McCallum, 58-51, then lost to San Antonio Lanier, 70-56; Rouse defeated Austin Travis, 56-48; and lost to Alamo Heights; Cedar Park defeated Crockett, 63-40; and bowed out to San Antonio Brennan, 76-55.

Marble Falls finished 15-23 and were 2-10 in district play. The 15 wins was an improvement of seven games over the previous season.

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Track team heads to Lampasas

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Faith Academy loses, 46-43

Faith Academy couldn’t make free throws and failed to deliver in crunch time Friday in the TAPPS Division II state semifinals at Mansfield’s Lake Ridge High School.

Sherman Texoma Christian knocked off the Lady Flames, 46-43, despite neither team scoring in the final 1:24 of the wide-open game.

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