Llano Yellow Jackets ‘hungry’ for win against Brady
Llano High School head coach Matt Green talks to his offense during a recent game. The Yellow Jackets travel to Brady for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Sept. 15. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
STAFF WRITER JENNIFER FIERRO
LLANO — A confident Llano High School football team will make its way to Brady for its first road game of 2017 in an attempt to end a three-game losing skid to the Bulldogs.
The Yellow Jackets (0-2, 0-0 District 13-4A Division II) face Brady (0-2, 0-0 in District 3-3A Division I) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, at Bulldog Stadium, 1000 Wall St. in Brady.
Why are the Yellow Jackets confident after a 42-28 loss to Sonora on Sept. 8? Because they suffered correctable errors, head coach Matt Green said.
The two teams played to a 14-14 tie to end the first half. Llano fumbled inside Sonora’s 10-yard line, a turnover on downs in Sonora territory, and had a dropped touchdown pass in the end zone, which could have put the Yellow Jackets on top.
Still, Green tells his players those instances are simply a chance to learn.
“We grew a lot out of it,” he said. “I was proud of our kids.”
What makes this game even more intriguing is that Llano and Brady are traditional rivals for many residents.
“Both communities respect one another, but it is a rivalry game,” Green said. “The Yellow Jackets have a good opportunity to get a win. I’ve seen our team grow.”
The Bulldogs are led by two quarterbacks, senior Chad Cross and freshman Tyler Vaughn.
Cross has 20 carries for 43 yards and touchdown and completed 15 of 35 passes for 84 yards, while Vaughn has completed nine of 15 passes and run for 18 yards on 13 carries.
Junior running back Ryan Decker has eight carries for 163 yards and two touchdowns, and sophomore receiver Cole Bryant has 11 receptions for 188 yards and a touchdown.
“Decker busts plays off the tackles,” Green said. “They have explosive plays. They definitely have talent and are scrappy.”
A favorite Brady play in the offense are screens, so the Jackets must stay aggressive, the coach said.
The Jackets defense will attack with senior Luis Coronado, who leads the team with 19 tackles, and senior Ian Fletcher, who has 13.
The Bulldogs’s base defense is a 34-alignment that relies on confusion, strength, and speed, Green said. It is led by freshman defensive back Vaughn and junior outside linebacker Decker, who each have 10 tackles.
“They love to pressure you. They bring blitzes off the edges over and over,” he said. “They feel like they need to put pressure on the offense. They want to cause problems.”
The Jackets will counter with quarterback Cade Fly, a sophomore, who threw for 405 yards against Sonora to set a school record for most yards thrown in a game. Even more impressive was that seven different targets caught the ball.
Sophomore receiver Aaron Brown has seven catches for 160 yards, while junior receiver Brooks Keele has seven receptions for 159 yards and three touchdowns.
Green said a key element to the outcome is which team can control the line of scrimmage, and he believes the Jackets will have opportunities to make plays.
“Our quarterback play was tremendous,” he said. “We’ll be a formidable team.”
Though it might be the first official road game, Green said his players have already shown the ability to play on the road thanks to performing well in scrimmages during August.
“Our group on the varsity is very hungry,” he said. “They’re hungry for a win over Brady. I look forward to experiencing this rivalry.”