Play to Win

First of all…remember the September 13th date…2nd Annual Hall of Fame Banquet…High School Cafeteria…this year the featured team will be the 1973 Quarter-finals team…it has been 30 years…remember this is a donation for the $20.00 ticket: only 250 tickets will be available this year, due to the number of tickets being furnished to the 1973 team.

Tickets should be available in about two weeks. Again, and confirmed by Llano Head football coach and Athletic Director Scott Langley…the 2003 seniors will help, host and attend. Llano will play Comanche the night before the banquet in Llano.

There is no secret that 25AAA may be the toughest 3AAA district in the State. Three teams from 2002 had 10 or more victories. The Div.II State Champion, Bandera had the worst record of the three. Liberty Hill, who beat Llano in a 45-0 contest last year, comes off a 10-2 campaign. And Burnet is now rated number one in every poll. Making things even harder is Wimberley - picked by Texas Football as a team to make this seasons play-offs. Where does that leave Llano?

Llano has an advantage that no other team has except Ingram. Llano can only improve. But unless I am mistaken, Llano can improve the most, the fastest. Why? Because this year Llano will be going at the game of football with the prospects of playing defense this season. Had Llano played defense last year…while far fetched as it may sound…Llano could have had the same route to the play-offs as Bandera took. Maybe Llano was not on the same level as Bandera, but Bandera played Llano at home, and the winner of that game was going to the playoffs. Bandera had its hands full from the first play, and Llano played its heart out in a game that could have gone either way. Bandera won that game by a score of 39-32. The rest is history.

My point is Llano, while playing with one hand tied behind its back, will now play on a level field. This Jacket team of 2003 likely will not win the state championship, but making the play-offs with a winning record is my expectation.

Let’s see whom we can beat, whom we could beat, and whom we should beat.
Game one, Llano plays Smithville. Normally a very weak team, yet many returning letterman. Smithville will awake one morning, and beat someone. It should not be Llano this year. Llano at home…. put a “W” in game one.

Game two against Early at Early. Another victory in 2002 by Llano should be the same in 2003. But, good test. On the road, Early won two games in 2002, but with a new Coach, expect more…still Llano needs this one. 2-0.

Game Three…Comanche…Llano’s Waterloo in 2002…got beat 45 to 27 and the game was not close. Showed the Jacket’s underbelly with worse to come…this should help the Jackets see what they are made from…Homecoming needs to mean something to this year’s seniors. It begins in Llano September 12th playing a good 2002 play-off team. Llano wins to go up 3-0.

It only gets tougher playing 4A Lampasas in game four at Lampasas. Llano has no business beating a 4A school. The Badgers won 4 games last year, but Llano actually played pretty well at home in a 21 to 7 loss. Think defense in this game. Llano holds the Badgers to 14 points, and the Jackets bring home victory number four. The travel for Llano will be a good test.

Brady…game five…the game at one time was the Super Bowl for Llano every season. Time changes everything. I do not know how many of these Jacket players remember the intense rivalry Llano has had with the Bulldogs for 60 years. At least 15 years of those 60, the district championship game was decided on which “black” team won. Brady beat Llano last year at Homecoming 33 to 27. As an old timer, it is Llano’s turn to win. But taking turns will not make any difference in this game. Playing in Brady is always rough. Brady expects to make the state playoffs this year in the second hardest district in 3A. If the 2003 Jackets want to make their mark for the history books, they play their hearts out in Brady and bring home victory number five.

Can the 2003 Yellowjackets go 5-0 for the first time since 1997? I’m betting they can. Could they stumble…in a heart beat…if you do not play one game at a time.

The 2003 Jackets have a lot to prove. Varsity members have not played on a winning team since their 9th grade year. Underclassmen have not been tested. New quarterback, new defense, new coaches…not a formula for early season success. But the Jackets can today, look at the big picture. The district schedule will be brutal. Getting ready for those wars begins in pre-district play.

Next week the District 25 3AAA schedule.