September 21, 2009
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Play To Win
By Mikel R. Virdell…recording the history of the Fighting Llano Yellowjackets since 1973.
A senior told me that the team knew they would win the game against Taylor during halftime. I don’t know how he knew, but did he consider that the Ducks had taken the first kick off of the game and scored in 7 plays? What about Llano getting the ball back and then fumbling? And those penalties… did he figure that in? And the next series Llano punted? Llano was 1 for 4 passing. And did he forget that Llano was 0-2 for the season, and was not picked to win this game? Not against a team that was 3-0 and averaging about 40 points per game. How did he know?
He knew because he is a Llano Yellowjacket, and Llano never quits. Never. Taylor had the speed and the talent to have run the Jackets out of the stadium by half-time. But after two and a quarter games, something started to happen. Llano held the Ducks on fourth down at the 28 yard line. Then a 9 play drive that ended with Llano kicking a field goal. And as the confidence slowly grew, in the middle of the second quarter, senior Clayton Maples broke it right over the middle and went the 61 yards, nearly untouched. The offensive line had turned the corner. Maples was looking downfield for the opening, and it happened, because of faith that it just would.
For a team to be successful, it has to believe in what it does. This team changed defenses over the spring and summer. No one knew if it would be better than last year’s. But last year the Jackets had little pass rush from playing a 3 man defensive line front most of the time. It put tremendous pressure on the secondary. The new four man front had not jelled this year yet. In fact, a lesser crew and a lesser coaching staff may have ditched it after giving up 42 points in first game against Rockdale, and 22 against a very good Bandera team. But this team still believed in the system and this team believed in the most important thing there is in football. Llano believed in itself. The leadership that I knocked last week rose up and began to feel how important this football season is to them. They realized they could change anything they wanted to, but they had to trust in each other. Aviles, Maples, Severance, Tumlinson , and Cavness have to believe when they get the handoff, there will be daylight if they are running hard enough. Seniors, Jase Ball, Forrest Hoerster, and Kayden Gass , with juniors Davis Hill and Matthew Ratliff have to believe those backs are going to score on the very next play. Junior, Preston Rabb has got to know he will be protected when he drops back to pass, and he knows when he has time, Charlie Durham, Sterling Jameson, Estevan and Seth Graham will catch the football. And as this season marches forward, that air of confidence will grow with every successful play. Llano is ready for 8 3AAA District play to begin. Just remember this small fact that every other player in 8 3AAA already knows: No one ever wants to play Llano. Never have in the past. Never will in the future.
The Jackets played their best three quarters of defense since Coach David Yeager came to Llano. I had the Ducks with less than 50 yards of offense in the final three quarters. We were not playing Ingram. Taylor was a game I picked at the beginning of the year that Llano could easily lose. Speedster Mark Jackson may be the fastest player Llano will see all year. Llano was not intimidated. His speed was compromised because 5….7…9 players were in on the tackle. Llano had plenty of missed tackles, but more was seen in a Yellowjacket “getting there” first and holding on, because he knew help was on the way. Old time gang tackling returned to the Jacket defense. It was strong, it was intimidating to Taylor, and it was hard nose football at its best. Should Llano play the next 6 weeks like they did against Taylor, Llano will be looking at a district crown rather than just making the playoffs. This defense could be that good. And 11 years is a long time between crowns.
Senior Josh Gammill played his best game as a Jacket. The secondary played the best I have seen a secondary play in 9 years. You have to start with Jameson just because he got the touchdown on the interception, but man alive….junior Michael Rusche, and Raven Herron are tremendous cornerbacks. Tumlinson, Travis Maddox and Russell Weihs at linebacker had great games. And still those two seniors of Aviles and Maples when in the secondary, no one is better. I’m not one to compare too much, but Maples reminds me of George Scott, one of Llano best ever defensive players of many years ago. And Estevan could be another Billy Bickett, an unmatched safety of a dozen years ago.
Seth Graham and junior, Travis Lawrence had their best games. When these two decide they want to be the best two pass rushers in our district, Llano will be dangerous. Both played 100% every play that I watched. Same can be said of Cody Allen. You do not run at him, and he is a great compliment to keeping blockers off the linebackers. Easily his best game as a Jacket.
The 30-14 victory was everything Llano needed. That feeling that the senior had in the dressing room at halftime…..I have that feeling now about this 2009 team. Next week we will look at the district. Llano is off this week. It can heal. It can meditate. It can think about what it takes to be ready to start the greatest 6 weeks a senior football player will ever have in his lifetime. It is that big.