2024-26 UIL Official Football District 13- 3AAA-Div.1

Llano

Florence

Ingram Moore

Marion

Lulling

University City Randolph

Llano Yellowjacket Schedule to Be Announced Soon

2023 Yellowjackets All District Players

First Team All District:

Frank Macuga- Defense Senior Tate Morgan- Defense- Junior

Fitz Kennedy- defense- Senior Cooper McWilliams- Punter- Senior

Charlie White- Defense- Senior Dylan Kennedy- Offense- Senior

RJ Coplin- Offense- Junior Konrad Zwicke- Offense- Sophomore

Second Team All District

Trey Mote- Offense- Junior Alex Kachura- Offense- Senior

Parker Parrish- Offense- Senior JJ Vaughn- Offense- Senior

Hunter Brown- Defense- Senior Dusty Miller- Defense- Senior

Logan Van Pelt- defense- Junior Carter Bickett- Defense- Jumior

Trey Mote- Defense- Junior RJ Coplin- Offense- Junior

HONORABLE MENTION:

Colton Bailey Brayton Shaw JD Friday Billy Everhart

Aiden Detwiler Thomas Calderon Will Landers

Numbers and names Added to Record Book

To catch up….Blanco is the only team remaining in the State Playoffs from 13-3A. The Panthers blanked Goliad 34-0 this past weekend. This week 2022, the Jackets too blanked Goliad. And into the fourth week of the playoffs, Blanco plays Edna this week. The Jackets too played Edna in the fourth game deep into the playoffs, last year.

I’ve entered about 25 new entries into the LHS Record Book. I’m sure I have missed some. Please send me your corrections. With your help over the past two decades we still are making corrections and additions.

School Record: 558-480-45….54%

Coach Matt Green: 58-26-69%

RECEIVING:

RJ Coplin- 41 catches season

Alex- 36 catches season

Career: Alex- 44 catches

RJ Coplin- 8 catches, 90 yards- Burnet

Alex Kachura- 4 catches,91 yards-Jarrell- 1 TD

Charlie White- 7 catches, 101 yards- Blanco- 1 TD

Alex- 3 catches, 95 yards- Marion

Alex- 7 catches, 133 yards-0 Ingram- 1 TD

RJ- 6 catches, 99 yards- 2 TDs Ingram

Kick off returns: 2- RJ…entered # 9 and #12 longest

Passing Yards: Single game

Luke Davis- Blanco- 21-36-1- 264 Yards- Blanco

Luke- 16-25-5- 210 Yards- Marion

Luke- 18-28-277 Yards- 5TD Passes- Ingram

Luke- #14 TDs in a season…Season- 74-119-990 Yards 12 Td passes/ 6 Interceptions

FRESHMAN ENTRIES

Carlos Sapalu- 18 of 24 extra points, 2 of 3 Field Goals

Luke Davis: 74-119-6, 12 Td passes

Tate Morgan (Junior)

15 of 15 extra points…1 of 1 Field goals

97 tackles season- 3 sacks

TACKLES:

Charlie White- 57 tackles

Fitz Kennedy- 55 Tackles

Dusty Miller- 53 tackles

THE 2022 Banner is up. please go see…located on the west wall in Llano River Creamery. About 20 pictures are up, and about 20 still to come. Thanks so much for Jeff Kuykendall for all of the pictures. If we’ve missed a senior, let me know.

Record Book Gets Additions

The fun part of what I do is finding new entries into the record book. The 2023 Yellowjackets have provided many of those new entries. Despite only a 5-5 season record, many numbers and names go into the book.

It is still a work in progress. I welcome anyone to submit items that you might think need to be in the Book..But I must have some kind of backup, either thru the Coaches, or items that have been placed by the coaching staff in Max Prep….or if it is an older statistic, I will go back into my play by play notes.

I just added a number and name that I found. Long time Llano Coach Karl McCormack kept wonderful records. When he was Coaching in Llano, he furnished to me many times stats that became invaluable. Coach Mac has just sent me a text in which he is sending me all of his stats from 1986 to 2000. One of the ones that I had, was that of Llano safety Chad Wootan.

Chad was the quarterback of the 1988 graduating class. But he badly hurt his right shoulder before the 1987 season. Yet, despite that injury, Chad still played safety. He not only lead Llano in total tackles, 138, but was one of the most prolific tacklers in the state. He was All District, All West Texas, and All Central Texas. This on a team that went 0-10. Today Chad leads all tackles in Llano, ever. That could change, as I get more information. But today is a great day to remember one of the all time best.

In a few days I will start listing here new additions to the record book. Mainly this will be from the 2023 season. Many have already been added. Other additions that I may find in Coach Mac’s statistics will come over the next few weeks.

I still am working on numbers for the great Drew Cooper and other Jackets that I need confirmation on. But to remind you…just type in Play To Win, by Mikel Virdell….then hit on the LHS School Records button…..

Yellowjackets Look to 2024

The seniors of the 2023 football class will look back at some point in time and appreciate better what they were able to accomplish. The four years of wonderful football and leaving behind records and accomplishments that will be hard to match. Yet the lessons learned will be more important.

I can tell you that over the past 50 plus years, the relationships, friendships and sense of knowing fairness and never giving up have been more important. The seniors have had moments that seemed impossible. The Crocket game this year. Winning with less than a minute to play. What lesson is that? They come from behind three seasons ago against San Saba? What a memory. And even last season playing to a season with four shutouts for the defense, in which two were in the playoffs. Will be hard to duplicate. All of these moments will be remembered by these players forever.

Might be interesting to also remember that the Jackets played eight teams that made the state playoffs. And in the first week of state playoffs, five of those teams won. 5A Austin Crockett won their first playoff game in 27 years. 4A Burnet won, 2A Coleman won, as did the top two teams in our district, SA Cole and Blanco. Llano beat Cole 37-0 and that still feels good.

Missing next year will be senior and two year starter Fitz Kennedy. Fitz was a force last season at linebacker, and this year had 37 solo tackles and 10 were for loss yardage, along with 3 quarterback sacks. But most of us remember Fitz carrying the heavy load of running the football, usually on third or fourth down. He had 82 carries and 363 yards and 8 running touchdowns. Fitz also blocked a punt against Ingram and also caught the ball and ran it in for the TD. Great Jacket career.

His brother, Dylan played on the offensive line. Simply dominating. Starter for two years. Offensive tackles don’t garner many statistics, but Dylan has been great. And so hard to replace.

Cooper McWilliams may be missed the most. A starter at the punting position, and had a good 28.1 yard average with a longest of 58 yards. But his coming into games late at running back became a fan favorite. Cooper only carried 30 times this season, but finished with 167 yards and a 5.6 yard average. His 150 pound frame was tough and fast, and the call by fans in the later part of the season is one reason to have been excited about this 2023 season.

I watched as senior Gage Arms was the good soldier. Always positive and excited for the players as they came off the field. Coaches made sure Gage got into the Ingram game. I saw Gage after the game, and he was beaming…a great teammate. What being a Yellowjacket is all about.

Dusty Miller had some great moments on both sides of the ball. He had 30 carries for a 5.4 yard per carry. Quick as a cat. And made special plays on defense for two years. Had 43 solo tackles this season with 1.5 sacks. His 9 tackles for a loss was third on the team. His energy and great enthusiasms will serve him well as he goes forward.

Players like Mason Martin, Jose Hernandez, Aiden Beuke, and Forrest Homesley had so many missed games due to injury. Briggs Green too can be included here. Their contributions are still valuable. And they get to have the same memories as most…Good teammates all.

Tight end Parker Parish was out with injury for 4 games. Yet the returning all district player had great moments. He had 5 catches for 28 yards and a TD. Very strong blocker. Mentored Sophomore Konrad Zwicke and junior Logan Van Pelt. Great leadership skills.

Charlie White missed the last game of the season with injury. But his contribution of 10 catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns were always exciting. But Charlie was a great defensive back. 44 solo tackles, 6 plays for loss yardage, and 3 interceptions. Might get recognition on the all district team.

Senior Alex Kachura was the Jacket’s most valuable player on offense. The tall 6’2 wide receiver ended the year with 36 catches and 647 yards, both numbers making the record book. Alex had so many clutch catches on third and fourth downs. His 5 TD catches was second only to junior RJ Coplin’s 6. It will take big shoes to replace Alex next season….he was special.

Jackson Hoot had a good senior year, despite missing two games. Playing cornerback and wide receiver, Jackson had 15 solo tackles. A very good downfield blocker, and an excellent special team player, lots of extra effort getting downfield fast. ..we needed more like Jackson.

Center Billy Everhart became invaluable. Injured for several games, when he returned the Jackets improved. Billy kept up a long tradition of very strong and smart centers. His buddies in crime in the offensive line were seniors Josh Cooper, JJ Vaughn, Hunter Brown and Frank Machuga. Their experience missed will end up telling how the Jackets can do next season. These veteran players were so good so many times. Statics don’t tell the value of offensive lineman. These seniors had a good year. Machuga on defense had 19 solo tackles with 2.5 sacks, and one blocked field goal. Hunter had 9 solo tackles and many games played both sides of the ball, as well had a blocked field goal. JJ seemed to show up everywhere. A sound blocker, and 5 solo tackles on defense.

2024 started last Monday. As we see the seniors go off into all different directions, one thing they will all get to know. They will always be Yellowjackets….thanks for the memories

I’ve started on the record book….many entries to make, and the next article will try to let you know what has been entered. Let me know when I miss some…always do. I found an entry from 2001 last week!! Go to: Play to Win by Mikel Virdell…can click on Yellowjacket Records

Jackets Secure 5-5 Record

The Llano Yellowjackets took a full quarter to get going against the Ingram Warriors Friday night, but when they did, left no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Jackets had come to play, and play very good. The Jackets needed the win to secure a 5-5 record, and avoid the first losing season since 2014. Llano finished the season with a 3-3 district record, tied with Marion. Marion secures the playoff stop due to its win over the Jackets back October 13th.

While the Yellowjacket seniors may feel unfulfilled in not obtaining their preseason goals, or even making the playoffs, the accomplishments are many. The 49-27 win against Ingram allowed the frustrations to come to surface, and great effort and determination sent the seniors out on a great note.,

Ingram had played sound football all season, playing many teams down to the last minute. Their opportunity to have a winning season was on the line. Beating Ingram on their home field and on senior night would not be a cake walk. Ingram held Llano to no points in the first quarter and less than 60 yards of offense.

In fact, on the first play of the second quarter, Ingram scored from 22 yards out to take a 6-0 lead. But from that moment on, the Jackets woke up and realized the importance of taking their game to the next level. The Jackets scored three touchdowns on their next 13 plays.

The Jackets running attack took off first. Strong runs by Brayton Shaw and Luke Davis ran for first downs. Senior Fitz Kennedy ran for another first down. And to complement the running attack, the passing game had its best night of the season. Freshman quarterback Luke Davis found senior Alex Kachura for 7 catches and 141 yards for the night. Alex had a TD catch in the second quarter, his best night as a Yellowjacket.

Junior RJ Coplin also had a great night catching the football with 6 catches and over 100 yards. Senior Parker Parrish’s catch in the second quarter also was for a touchdown. Sophomore Konrad Zwicke got into the act with a key catch in the third quarter for 24 yards and a first down. And also special was the catch of Jose Silas’s in the fourth quarter for a TD. Jose is a junior. He may be most remembered this season for the key block in the Austin Crockett game in which he freed RJ to run back the fourth quarter kick off and hand Llano the win in the last minute of play.

The running attack continued with senior Cooper McWillams and junior Trey Mote picking up good yardage behind an offensive line that had its best night blocking. Cooper had one run of 14 yards in the fourth quarter that sealed the win. Kennedy too had several first down runs in the third and fourth quarters. But maybe most impressive was the play of the offensive line.

Those forgotten lineman had a wonderful last game. Seniors Dylan Kennedy and center Billy Everhart really had good nights. Josh Cooper and JJ Vaughn were superior. And while JJ and Hunter Brown and Frank Machuga spend most of their time on the defensive side of the ball, their experience will be badly missed. All had major roles in last seasons 13-1 run deep into the State Playoffs. Blocking downfield by Parker Parrish, Alex, and Aiden Beuke usually go unnoticed. Their effort was relentless. Jackson Hoot had a good year, spent also alot of time on defense. As did senior Jacob Hernandez at wide receiver. Great effort by all.

The measuring stick of how good these lineman played can go to the numbers. The record breaking night in the passing game may stand for a long time. Freshman Luke Davis threw five TD passes Friday night. The five ties a school record with several other Jacket quarterbacks. In 2001, senior Brian Edwards threw five TD passes against….Ingram also. And then only last season, junior Briggs Green threw 5 TD passes. Briggs was on the sidelines Friday night with Luke giving him the business…I think. Anyways, after the game Friday night, and with a short interview with radio announcer Art Dlugach….Luke too called out his offensive line as instrumental in making this record happen.

I spoke little this week about the defense. Will do that later this week…as well as have some statistics and mention the names I have identified this year with names going into the school record book.

These seniors have had the unreal run of having seen or played in 39 victories in their four years of high school. Pretty sure that is an LHS record. That’s winning at an 80% pace. Give this a few years to look back on, and these seniors will be very proud of what they have accomplished. Thanks for the memories.

Jackets Play for PRIDE

The Llano Yellowjackets most likely will be playing for Pride Friday night in Ingram, as San Antonio Cole won this past weekend over Marion. Last week I said that Cole needed to win in order for Llano to still have have a chance to make the state playoffs. Actually Cole needed to lose. I was wrong…Cole won, and will have an opportunity to take part of the 13-3AAA District crown should they beat Blanco this week.

Being so odd, the Jackets played their best game this season, beating Cole five weeks ago 37-0 in Llano. Cole went on to win their next four district games to set up their contest with Blanco. Even should Cole lose, they will go into the state playoffs with a 4-2 district record. The Jackets have a 2-3 record in district play, and can finish 3-3 with a win over a surprising Ingram team. Marion too can finish the district schedule at 3-3 this week with a win over Lulling. But their win over the Jackets back on October 13th would give them the nod for the fourth play off spot. Should Marion fall on its face at Lulling, the Jackets would be back in play, providing Llano beats Ingram.

There are so many reasons the Jackets fell short of their goals this year. Injuries first…inexperience second, bad penalties in bad spots third, and turnovers fourth. Those are enough excuses. And I just thought of a 5th reason. Maybe the Jackets had too high of expectations. The Jackets expected more of themselves. And there is no reason to say that is a bad thing. Each and every player expected more of themselves. And every player gave all he had. No one gave less. I guess that is why there is so much pride in being a Yellowjacket.

I can only presume Marion will beat a very weak Lulling team. Going forward, the Jackets need to beat Ingram. For the seniors it is very important. While a 5-5 record is not what they had expected, it is still been an honorable season. Beat a 4AAAA school in the first game of the season in Jarrell. Beat 5-A Austin Crockett for the second year in a row. Crockett has already qualified for the state playoffs in their tough 5-A district out of Austin. Total domination what now looks like a very good San Antonio Cole team, possibly the best team in the district. Winning at Ingram makes for a good handoff from the seniors to next year’s Jacket team.

The Jackets have made the state playoffs the last eight years. 9 years ago, the 2014 team went 2-8, the last regular losing season. The Jackets went 5-5 in 2017, made the playoffs but lost in Bi-District.. That was head Coach Matt Greens first year in Llano. It has been a great run. And this years seniors, many on the 2021 team, have seen 6 playoff games, four playoff wins, and maybe 26 wins. A pretty good run.

Ingram is a pretty good team. They have a 5-4 record, and can have their first winning season in a very long time, should they beat Llano. Ingram lost to SA Cole only by the score of 24-14. And SA Randolph score was only 14-6! And then scored 41 last week against Blanco! These guys are expecting something good to happen to them….like beating a Jacket team that looks beatable. No doubt, the Jackets must bring their A Game. Dumb penalties and turnovers must be limited to none. The seniors last road trip. Lets make it memorable.

Llano 42 Ingram 20

Blanco Pounds Jackets

The very experienced and talented Blanco Panthers overwhelmed the Llano YellowJackets Friday night at Jacket Stadium to match the record of SA Randolph in tough District 13-3AAA. Blanco and Randolph each have one loss in District play. SA Cole also has only one loss, that being the 37-0 YellowJacket win back on September 22nd. It will come down to the final two weeks of play to determine the State Play off teams.

The 55-24 loss Friday night was the worse loss for the Jackets on their home field in four years. Llano is now 4-5 for the season, and 2-3 in District play. Llano is off this week. The final regular season game is in two weeks, November 3rd, at Ingram. The Jackets will need help to make the play offs. SA Cole needs to beat Marion this Friday night. And, Llano must beat Ingram. Ingram too has a path to the play-offs. Should they beat Llano and Lulling, they too would have a 3-3 district record.

All of the inexperience of the Jackets showed up Friday night. Llano never got untracked. Blanco kicked off to Llano, and in his first varsity start, freshman Luke Davis at quarterback completed two passes to senior Charlie White for 15 yards and a first down. From there, everything seemed to go bad. Three plays and out. Senior Cooper McWilliams punted for 51 yards, and good coverage by Kaleb Payten and Fitz Kennedy seemed to have penned down the Panthers on the 8 yard line. But on first down, the Blanco quarterback went 92 yards and the first score of the game.

Llano had three plays, and another solid 43 yard punt by Cooper. Blanco scored 6 plays later. Junior Tate Morgan blocked the extra point, so the score was 13-0. Tate also blocked another Blanco extra point in the second quarter.

On the Jackets third possession, senior Kaleb Payten returned the kick off 54 yards. Senior Jackson Hoot had a key block. On first down, Luke hit senior Alex Kachura for a big 32 yard gain and first down on the 18 yard line. Fitz ran twice, and Luke once, and on fourth down, Tate came in and kicked a 26 yard field goal to make the score 13-3, Blanco.

The Jackets defense played inspired football at times. The Jackets held Blanco on their next possession. Strong play by sophomore Brayton Shaw and junior Carter Bickett showed great promise. A sack by Tate, and Charlie White was outstanding in the secondary. Trey Mote, when not carrying the football plays hard at linebacker. Sophomore JD Friday was in on several tackles, as was junior Wesley Whitaker and junior Logan Van Pelt. As always, seniors Buddy Machuga and Hunter Brown played very good at defensive tackle. Senior Charlie White ended the night with 7 tackles, and senior Dusty Miller had 5 stops.

Blanco took a 35-10 half-time lead. The Jackets were able to score its lone TD in the second quarter. Luke found Alex for two catches and 45 yards down to the 5 yard line. Then on second down Luke hit Alex again for the 7 yard scoring pass. Tate kicked good for the Llano total of 10. Alex ended the night with 5 catches and 93 yards. Charlie White lead the Jackets with 7 catches and 101 yards, the best of his career.

The Yellow Jacket special teams have had a very good season. Junior RJ Coplin has run back two kick offs for TDs. Senior Kaleb Payten has had several long returns this year. Tate’s blocking kicks has been with tremendous effort, as well as his near perfect kicks on extra points. Senior Cooper McWilliams has had a very good year punting the ball, with several kicks over 50 yards. And coverage has become a source of pride. Wesley Whitaker, Jose Silas, Jacob Hernandez, Fitz and Kaleb have been tremendous. Junior Carter Bickett and Charlie knows the importance of getting down field to cover. Special effort by all.

The Jackets get this week off. More will be known after this weeks games. Who, what, when and where. We do Know Llano needs to beat an improved Ingram team. Getting to 5-5 for the season makes many things possible. Beating Ingram is a must.

Down To The Nitty Gritty

The 4-4 Llano Yellow Jackets have put themselves in a big hole, after going down 28-21 in Marion Friday night. The lose puts the Jackets at 2-2 in District play, 4-4 for the 2023 season. What many thought would be THE contest of the year this coming Friday night between the Jackets and Blanco, has turned into a fight for survival.

The 13-3AAA District has turned into a grinder. Last Friday night, weak sister Ingram played District bully Randolph to a 14-6 nightmare. Marion, considered not too strong, went down just a few weeks ago to Blanco by over 40 points. Llano meanwhile took care of San Antonio Cole, and now every team in the 7 team district, including Cole, has visions of possible play-off chances.

When I did the statistics at halftime Friday night against Marion, the Jackets had over 270 yards. I felt strongly that with that kind of production, despite mistakes, we would prevail. The Jackets did have four turnovers at that point, but settling down seemed reasonable.

The Yellow Jacket defense looked different. Marion scored on its first two possessions. On the fourth play from scrimmage, Marion’s quarterback ran straight up the middle for a 34 yard TD run. Then after a Jacket fumble, Marion’s QB ran up the middle again for 26 yards and a 14-0 lead.

Llano did wake up. Freshman quarterback Luke Davis hit senior receiver Alex Kachura for the longest scrimmage play of the year and 71 yards later the score was 14-7, after an extra point by junior Tate Morgan. We were in business.

But with 3:22 left in the first quarter, Marion connected on a 25 yard TD pass and catch that put the game at 21-7.

Llano came right back in the next series. Runs by junior Trey Mote, and then a 64 yard TD pass from Davis to junior RJ Coplin put the Jackets right back into the games, now with the score at 21-14.

Optimism was running high. The Llano defense caused three fumbles in three possessions of the Bulldogs. Outstanding play by seniors Dusty Miller and Charlie White. Senior Fitz Kennedy and junior Tate Morgan had very productive nights. And junior Colton Bailey had his best night as a defensive player. I had Colton down for three tackles for loss yardage. Junior Wesley Whitaker and senior Frank Machuga had several key stops. At the halfway mark, Llano was in a good position. If we could play this bad with this many mistakes, the second half would belong to Llano.

Well, to quote two old Yellow Jacket fans, Jerry Butler and James Beesley as they quote Waylon Jennings..”Wrong”.

Llano began as everyone expected. Scored on the first play from scrimmage of 66 yards…but called back for a penalty. Then scored on the second play, 52 yards…and called back for a penalty. Llano punted.

The defense put its big boy britches on. Marion’s first possession saw only 21 yards gained, and a force punt. Sophomore Aiden Detwiler made the key stop on third down.

The Jackets got two easy first downs, lead by Fitz Kennedy and 11 yards. But another turnover gave the ball back. The defense again held Marion and forced another punt. Good plays by junior Carter Bickett and senior Hunter Brown gave the ball back to Llano.

Llano’s next drive was impressive Starting on their 20 yard line, runs by Davis, Mote, and Dusty. Completions to Charlie White and RJ. But a fumble, recovered by senior Dylon Kennedy, and two penalties forced the Jackets to go for a first down on fourth down. It was not good, but the Jacket defense again saved the day. Three plays and out by Marion. Brown, Dusty, and sophomore Brayton Shaw forced the punt.

Llano had the ball on the 46 yard line. Runs by Davis and Mote…first down. Dusty carries twice for 11 yards, first down. Fitz got 13 more, and another first down. Key blocks from center Billy Everhart, JJ Vaughn and Dylon made it look easy. And into the end zone by Fitz for the tying score at 21-21.

But this time Llano’s defense was worn down. Marion went to the air. Three completions for 61 yards and a final 9 yard run by who else…QB from Marion. With only 3:02 left in the game, Marion was ahead 28-21.

The Jackets turned the ball over for its’ 6th turnover for the game. Marion ran out the clock.

In 2019, Llano lost two district games in a row. Still made the play offs, and won the Bi-District game.

Llano has played excellent at times, and very poorly at times. The inconsistency results in a 4-4 record. I believe Llano can beat a very good Blanco team. Llano must stop the terrible penalties. And the turnovers can be killers. A win against Blanco can put the Jackets in a position to take second place in the District race. This time next week…that would be a great place to be sitting.

Same as last years score: Llano 17 Blanco 6

Jackets Fall, @ Marion Next

The Llano YellowJackets had not lost a District game in four years, until Friday night, falling to a good 7-0 SA Randolph team 24-7. The lose puts the Jackets tied for second place in district play, and has three games to go. The 4-3 Jackets play in San Antonio this week against Marion.

Randolph played a good defensive game, holding Llano to less than 200 yards of offense. Llano on the other hand, too played good defense. The Ro-Hawks were held to only 212 yards of offense…winning football in most games.

Randolph took the opening kick-off and drove 70 yards in only four plays. The score came on a 51 yard TD pass and the score was 7-0 with 10:42 left to play in the first quarter. Good defense by seniors Charlie White and Dusty Miller. Hunter Brown applied pressure, but not enough.

Mid way thru the first quarter, sophomore Aiden Detwiler intercepted a pass in Jacket territory and Llano had the ball at the 33 yard line. The Jacket offense went no-where. A 38 yard punt by senior Cooper McWilliams put Randolph on the 48 yard line, and good defense by the Jackets forced a third punt. Junior Logan Van Pelt had a stop. Linebacker Tate Morgan had a stop, one of his team leading 13 tackles for the night. Fitz Kennedy ended the night with 10 tackles. Carter Bickett had 6 tackles from his safety position. Senior Buddy Machuga had a great night from the trenches. But after an exchange of punts, the Ro-Hawks struck again and scored with 7:23 left in the half.

The Jacket offense finally got untracked. Runs by Kaleb Payten, Trey Mote and quarterback Colton Bailey had Llano in a fourth down situation. But a 15 yard penalty by Randolph, and then a 10 yard gain by Dusty had Llano at the 28 yard line. Five more by Dusty, and three by Trey. With freshman quarterback Luke Davis in the game, a 15 yard TD pass to sophomore Konrad Zwicke put Llano on the scoreboard with 3:56 left in the Half. Freshman Carlos Sapula kicked good for the extra point and the score was 14-7, Randolph.

The beginning of the 3rd quarter made the score bleak. The Jackets fumbled the kick off, and Randolph recovered, and scored on the next play. Score 21-7.

Llano took the kick off and had a very good 14 play drive. Runs by Trey, Colton, Fitz Kennedy got the Jackets to the 23 yard line. Completions to RJ for a first down. Senior Alex Kachura had the longest play of the night for Llano with aa 33 yard catch. But the Jackets could not find the end zone. Llano stopped the next Randolph drive with an interception by Charlie White.

A 22 yard field goal by Randolph in the fourth quarter made the score 24-7. With the exception of a kick off play by Llano in the second quarter, when the Jackets caught the ball, got it to Davis, who threw clear across the field to RJ who got the ball up to the 50 yard line, leading to the Davis to Konrad Zwicke 15 yard catch and the only Jacket score.

There is no doubt that Llano did not play well enough to win Friday night. Many of the same players on offense are the same players on defense. The effort is there. The will is there. I only counted 4 penalties by Llano. Much improved from earlier in the season. Getting up and going again is what this team can be all about. Going 7-3 is realistic.

The season is far from over. Llano could and should win their three remaining games. If they can do that, they will have the opportunity to win two games into the play offs. That would be 9 wins. Then…they might get to play a revenge game against Randolph…I wouldn’t bet against the Jackets over the next three weeks. Or 5 weeks. Or 6 weeks.

Prediction: Llano 31 Marion 0