Yellowjackets’ big plays eliminate Tigers
But the Llano High School football team can.
The Yellowjackets defeated Glen Rose, 33-21, Nov. 14 in the bi-district round of the Class 3A Division II playoffs.
Now they prepare for an area game against Bridgeport, the No. 1 team in Class 3A, Saturday in Stephenville.
The Yellowjackets took a commanding 19-0 halftime lead, but Glen Rose scored in the third quarter and kept Llano scoreless.
By the start of the fourth quarter, the two teams were exchanging points, with the Tigers winning the quarter, 15-14. But they could not win the contest.
“I was very proud of them,” head coach David Yeager said of his squad. “We dressed out our JV to make them feel apart of it. (Glen Rose) was ranked in the top 25 by Dave Campbell’s (Texas Football magazine). They were a quarterfinal team last year.”
The coach thought one of the issues in favor of the Yellowjackets was their ability to control the clock with the offense. Llano had 84 snaps to Glen Rose’s 40.
The Tigers had the wind in their backs in the fourth quarter, but by then Yeager was content to exchange points with them.
“I never felt like we were in control until the last onside kick went out of bounds with a minute left,” he said.
Glen Rose had one timeout remaining, but it was not enough to keep quarterback Trey Brooks from taking a knee to end the game.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Yellowjackets exploded for 19 points in the second.
Clayton Maples scored on a 20-yard run. Jordan Ashabranner had a two-yard scamper for a 13-0 lead.
“They gave us different looks,” the Yellowjackets skipper said. “I thought our kids executed pretty well. We averaged five yards a snap right before the half.”
But the back-breaker was still to come. As the quarter was winding down, Llano was moving the ball well even against the wind.
“We had used our timeouts wisely,” Yeager said. “After a first down, we had to kill the clock. We had to spike it. I think I called a timeout after a first down.”
Less than 20 seconds remained and the Yellowjackets scored. But offensive holding took the points off the board and moved Llano back 10 yards.
So Brooks scrambled and found Estevan Aviles in the end zone with a second left for a score and a 19-0 lead.
“It was a huge play going in at the half,” the coach said. “Our kids were pumped. It was a big play to get it in.”
He noted Llano got a few breaks that were too much for Glen Rose to overcome.
After a kickoff, the ball bounced off a Tiger, which made it live, and the Yellowjackets recovered.
On the Tigers’ second possession, they reached the 20-yard line and fumbled.
“They had two possessions and 14 snaps in the first half,” Yeager said. “We didn’t give up the big play in the first half. We were able to keep the ball the whole time.”
Brooks scored from a yard out in the fourth quarter. Maples added a five-yard run later.
Yeager was pleased with the consistency of the Slot -T offense thanks to racking up more than 360 yards on the ground. But he challenged his players to do more.
“Our backs ran hard,” he said. “We didn’t block well between the tackles.”
The coach chuckled at the thought the Yellowjackets don’t pass enough, confirming his squad is selective about throwing.
“We’re going to throw it when you don’t expect it and run when you don’t expect it,” he said. “Trey had six true passes. He killed the clock with one. He threw it well.”
As for special teams, Yeager commended his players for the heads-up fumble recovery, but he is looking for improvement in scoring points.
“We have to be a little more efficient in extra points,” he said.
jfierro@thepicayune.com