Llano football looks to bounce back against Lago Vista
JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER
LLANO — To end a two-game losing skid, the Llano High School football team must defeat a Lago Vista squad that’s equally motivated after a setback to Wall last week.
The two square off at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 at Llano Stadium, 400 Texas 71 East.
The Vikings’ 62-14 loss to Wall snapped a two-game winning streak. The Yellow Jackets lost 21-7 to Brady on Sept. 9.
“We need it bad,” Llano head coach Craig Slaughter said of a victory. “It’s our homecoming game. It’s not one where we think we have to have the game of our lives. We have to make plays. We hadn’t cashed in on the last couple of games.”
What would really help the Yellow Jackets (1-2 District 13-4A Division) is ending drives with points. Llano has been able to get to opponents’ red zones but have been unable to capitalize. It could be a dropped pass or a missed block at the wrong time or even a missed field. And those opportunities are too precious to not take advantage of, Slaughter said.
In the loss to Brady, Slaughter noted his offense played into the Bulldogs’ territory on its five drives of the half. During one of the drives, he called a play on fourth-and-three from the Brady 7-yard line the unit worked on throughout the week. But during the game, the play wasn’t executed correctly, so it failed.
To make matters worse, a 68-yard Bulldog run flipped the field completely.
Then a fumble at about the Brady 10-yard line ended another drive.
“Offensively, it takes 11 guys playing with consistency,” Slaughter said. “A couple of guys consistently lost up front. That makes it tough to get (junior running back) Mason Greenwood loose. We would love to see Mason, with no trickery, hand it to him with holes big enough to get him lose.”
Greenwood had 12 rushes for 44 yards, while junior quarterback Ben Walling completed 11 of 27 passes for 152 yards. As a team, Llano had 218 yards of total offense.
Lago Vista (2-1, District 13-3A Division I), which utilizes a spread offense, has wins over Comfort, 17-13, and Brady, 42-32.
The team is led by quarterback Jarred De Felice, who has completed 28 of 67 passes for 332 yards and an interception and 10 carries for 127 yards. Running back Isiah Flaherty has 50 carries for 274 yards and four touchdowns.
“Their quarterback and running back are very impressive,” Slaughter said. “The running back plays fast, he looks smooth and athletic. The quarterback is a very good athlete. The offensive line is solid.”
jfierro@thepicayune.com