SUBSCRIBE NOW

Enjoy all your local news and sports for less than 6¢ per day.

Subscribe Now

JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER

LLANO — A week after qualifying for the Class 4A Division II playoffs, the Llano High School football team has a conundrum in finishing up the regular season.

The Yellow Jackets (3-6 overall, 1-2 in District 13-4A Division II) will travel to play Navarro at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6 at Erwin Lee Field, 5895 Texas 123 North in Geronimo.

The Panthers (9-0, 3-0) have already clinched the district championship, which makes this game meaningless for the overall standings.

However, if Hondo beats Lytle on Nov. 6, Llano will enter the playoffs as the third seed from the district since the Jackets defeated the Owls the previous week. But if Lytle defeats Hondo, Lytle is the third seed because the Pirates beat Llano 15-13 in overtime Oct. 23.

“Obviously, we’re cheering for Hondo,” Llano head coach Craig Slaughter said. “We’d love to go in as the three seed and not have to play a district champion right off the bat. But if we do, we’ll be ready to take them on.”

Slaughter said he and his staff have been contemplating how they want to distribute minutes, how long they want starters to play and perhaps move players to different spots to build depth.

“I want to play,” he said. “It’s just we also want to get out of that game feeling good and healthy. So I’m not really sure.”

While he was unsure about game specifics, Slaughter was clear about one part of this contest: Navarro is really good team.

“I told the kids I think it’s the best football team you’ll see all year,” he said. “We’re going to go compete with it and see what happens.”

The Panthers utilize a slot-T offense, which is a run-based scheme that uses misdirection and speed, which typically allows the offense to shorten the game by controlling the clock.

“They’re ground and pound,” Slaughter said. “But to be honest, they haven’t done a lot of ground and pound because they get so many big plays, they don’t have many long drives. They consistently found huge plays on offense.”

They are led by running back Tanner Law, who has 67 carries for 724 yards and eight touchdowns; running back Anthony Grant, who has 92 rushes for 601 yards and seven touchdowns; and Jared Leal, who has 44 carries for 405 yards and nine touchdowns.

“They score, they have a ton of explosive plays,” Slaughter said. “They’re not your 13-play, seven-minute drive. I would guess their average drive is something like a minute-and-a-half. They get it and crank it out. They’re very legit.”

Defensively, Navarro operates out of a 3-3 stack and relies on speed to control the line of scrimmage.

The Yellow Jackets will counter with sophomore quarterback Ben Walling and sophomore running back Mason Greenwood, who has 169 rushes for 896 yards and seven touchdowns and 20 catches for 222 yards and two touchdowns this season.

jfierro@thepicayune.com