Nov. 2, 2009

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Play To Win

By Mikel R. Virdell…recording the history of the Fighting Llano Yellowjackets since 1973.

   There is no more of a disappointment than what the Yellowjackets face this past Friday night, and that is the realization that your team will not be going to the state playoffs.  Under the most successful Llano Yellowjacket Coach in school history, the Jackets in 2009 will not make the State playoffs.  Under Head Coach  David Yeager, Llano has played in  9 games in the playoffs, won 5, and beat ALL ODDS WHEN IT COMES TO BEATING THE ODDS.  The Jackets had some great moments, and may very well still have one more great game in them.  But the disappointment was very hurtful.
   The Yellowjackets are the only team in this decade to go to the playoffs from our district four years in a row, with the exception of Liberty Hill.  Three State Champions from this district have emerged and won State Championships, including Liberty Hill, Wimberley, and Bandera.  No district in the State boost such strength, and Llano has weathered this storm of 10 years with five trips to the playoffs and five victories in the playoffs.  Few  understand  the deflated feeling that Llano feels today.  Few  understands today how proud this program should feel.  Few  understands how proud everyone in Llano should feel.   The people that do not understand this are ignorant and  uninformed.  Their ignorance is unexcusable.  The Jackets have the smallest enrollment in 8 3AAA.
   Llano played Wimberley toe to toe for the first half.  3-0 at Halftime with Llano up.  The Jackets only thought they had a chance.  But reality seat in.  The Jackets with an offensive  line that was make shift at best could not run the football.  Llano’s pass offense was not effective as junior quarterback Preston Rabb was sacked four times and had little time on the 8 passes that he did complete.  The Jacket defense played as well as could have been expected.  Senior linebacker Kayden Gass did all he knew to do.  His leadership was just not enough.  Yet Kayden and Josh Gammill, and Cody Allen played their hearts out, as did seniors Charlie Durham and Seth Graham.  This game was to be everything.  Everything was not to be.  The Jackets played better defense than last year, but it was not enough.  The heartbreak will take a lifetime to overcome and you will never forget.
   40 years from today, Kayden Gass, Clayton Maples, Estevan Aviles, Russell Weihs, Clayton Tumlinson,  Seth Graham,  Charlie Durham, Josh Gammill, Joe Hernandez, Kyle Mitchell,  Jase Ball, Cody Allen, Forrest Hoerster, and Will Cohen will come together, and they will see this season differently than what what we see today.  They will be proud of their effort.  They will understand better what they did was great, and wonderful, and so, so special.  I cannot express my appreciation of what these seniors meant to me, but without doubt, they go down as one of the  top Yellwoujacket  teams of my writing observation of Yellowjacket football of 37 years.   After Llano beats Liberty Hill next week, and has a -5 -4 record, few teams have had such a run of success as these seniors.  Someday…I pray they understand how special they were to all of us that really cared.
   Llano is 4-4.  I told many close friends at the beginning of this season, that Llano could be a very good football team at 5-5, and no one would ever know it.  Llano can still beat Liberty Hill.  Liberty Hill is the most successful football  team in Central Texas for the decade of the 2000-2009.  Few ever have experienced such success.  Llano has always played the Panthers tough, yet this decade these guys have been very good.  Could Llano pull off such a game as beat the Panthers in the last game of this decade?  I beat for yes!   Sure we can …. Llano can do anything when it comes to accomplishing the  impossible.  This game should be the most important game in the history of the Llano seniors.  No game could ever be of more importance.  Finishing at 5-4 is big.  Finishing with a win at Jacket Stadium is the biggest.   These seniors have had such wonderful success.  Winning their last game against Liberty Hill would be their greatest victory of all time for these seniors.  How could they not give the best effort of their lives one more time for the Orange and Black?

Llano 28   Liberty Hill 13