Oct. 20, 2008
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By Mikel R. Virdell…recording the history of the Fighting Llano Yellowjackets since 1973.
Llano 72 (New School Record) Ingram 0
The victory over the Ingram Warriors was certainly a confidence builder. And Llano’s 5-2 record is the same after 7 games this season as it was after 7 games last season. For Llano to be able to make the state playoffs in 2008, Llano must win 2 of the next 3 games. Not an impossible task and not an easy one. The Jackets must not take the 1-6 Canyon Lake Hawks for granted. The Jackets need to play flawless football on both sides of the pigskin. And while the Hawks may not be the toughest game the Jackets face, the Hawks are much better than Ingram, and they save their season with an upset Friday night. Llano’s road game to Canyon Lake may tell what this Jacket team is made of. Do they coast into the Halloween Game with Wimberley, or do they prepare more diligently to have a shot at the defending District Champions ?
As many of you know, Canyon Lake is playing its first season at the varsity level. They are presently over 900 hundred in enrollment, and they are in an area that is very strong in sports. Canyon Lake will have athletes. They just may be young. Llano has a wonderful opportunity to continue to fine tune its offense. It needs to continue to wrap up on defense. And one more week should help the injury situation at Llano. Hope is that Andrew Ratliff can be near 100% with another week of rest on his bad ankle, and continued progress from senior Taylor Maddox with more playing time. Senior Jordan Ashabranner still plays hurt, but says he will worry about that after the season. His extra tough running with 8 carries and 77 yards against Ingram showed no let up in effort. Senior Quarterback Trey Brooks started his 20th game as a varsity quarterback for the Jackets against Ingram, and his toughness and grit showed through last week. The fact of the matter is these seniors experienced last year what fun it was to go deep into the playoffs, and they want badly to get back to that level.
The Jackets were really ignored in any preseason polls, ranking around 5th in the district. Yet Llano has already beaten three very good football teams this season in Taylor, Fredericksburg, and Bandera. In fact, it looks like Bandera will win their district. The Jackets need this week for further tweekness! Maybe tweekness is not a good word, but the Jackets must continue to improve in order to win the games in Weeks 9 & 10. This Yellowjacket team is better than many think, and the only way to prove it is on the field. Improving on defense will be the key. And while it would feel special not to allow the Hawks on the scoreboard this week, there is another goal that would be more beneficial. And that is for every player on defense to “never let go”. In the history of Llano football, and of all the great offensive teams, and of all the great running backs in our history, Llano has been defined always as a team that would hit you, and hit you often. A team that gang tackled and no one was seen standing around after a play. The great teams took so much pride in the defense side of the ball….because for many, including myself, offense was fun. Defense was hard work, and defense was serious. The Llano Yellowjackets can play lights out defense. And have in spots. But the intensity level must rise, starting here in Week 8. The level of play must now go to every series, and then, go to every play. When the Jackets realize that they are very capable of playing at a 100% effort level every play, few teams can stay with them. That realization comes from the neck up, and is learned in perfect practices, and creating perfect games. Sort of like “perfect storms”!
Players like senior Royce Haines and sophomore Travis Lawrence have gotten better every game. Their continued improvement is a must. Senior Marcus Perez has made up his mind to get serious, and it shows on the field. Todd Tribble has taken a few games to get started, as also with Logan Davis. Both seniors are getting better. Russell Weihs and Walker Woolman are impact players, and will make big plays. Watch both players over the next three weeks. And again, Corey Wunderlich can play at a very high level. With only assurances of three games left in their lives, the seniors must leave every ounce on the field each week. They have to only prove it to themselves. Often the journey can be as much fun as the destination. The next three weeks could be a lot of fun for the 2008 Jackets.