Llano offense and defense look sharp in intersquad scrimmage

JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER

LLANO — A 90-minute intersquad scrimmage Aug. 5 presented Llano High School football fans with plenty of “ooh” and “ahh” moments.

The Yellow Jackets were equally sharp on both sides of the ball thanks to the starting offensive and defensive lines. Head coach Craig Slaughter put his his second-string offense against his first-string defense, which only allowed the offense one explosive play in 15 attempts.

But when he put in the starting offense — and went to the base offensive scheme — the Jackets had seven explosive run plays that resulted in three touchdowns. In all, Llano scored four times.

Slaughter said coaches called for a different series of plays to begin the scrimmage because they were evaluating a couple of positions. In addition, it also allowed the defense to gain more confidence.

“We called other people’s plays,” he said. “When we called our stuff, we moved the ball better.”

Defensive coordinator Clint Easley agreed.

“That first-team defense, I thought we stopped them consistently,” he said. “I’m very pleased. There was a lot of good.”

Easley also praised the play of senior linebacker Brent Greenwood and junior linebackers Ian Fletcher and Luis Coronado.

Slaughter chuckled when he thought of junior running back Mason Greenwood, who scored three times.

“It’s hard not to give him the ball every play,” he said. “He’s definitely built to take a pounding. He weighs 190 pounds. He’s a very good inside runner.”

The coach credited Greenwood for his dedication to the weight room, nutrition and conditioning during the offseason. And the team is seeing the results of that labor now, he added.

About the only area Slaughter noted he wants to see improved is the number of dropped passes by the receivers. Still, he wasn’t concerned because he has watched the receivers catch balls in open space and traffic.

He applauded junior quarterback Ben Walling’s willingness to stand tall in the pocket and scan the field before tucking the ball and running. Last season, Walling would have looked at his first read and left the pocket if the receiver was covered.

And though coaches haven’t quite settled on a starting five offensive line, Slaughter noted coaches have options because they are looking at eight players.

“They did a pretty good job,” he said.

One of the linemen, left tackle Ray Dixon, who also lined up as defensive tackle, said he was pleased with the performances of his teammates.

“It went really well,” he said. “Defensively, we looked almost as sharp.”

The Jackets open the season at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 26 against Smithville at Barry Field, located at Bishop Street at Sixth Street.

jfierro@thepicayune.com