Missed opportunities, mistakes lead to 28-14 Llano loss
JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF REPORT
SAN ANGELO — A close first half led to a punishing third quarter for the Llano High School football in its 28-14 loss to San Angelo Lake View on Sept. 24.
After the game, Llano head coach Craig Slaughter talked about miscues and missed opportunities such as:
• not falling on a Chiefs’ fumble when several Jackets had a hand on the ball, which eventually rolled out of bounds in the first half;
• the offense not taking advantage of two solid returns in the kicking game, allowing drives to stall out;
• not capitalizing on interceptions and turnovers on downs when the defense swung momentum back in Llano’s favor;
• and the defense stopping Lake View after the Chiefs recovered an onside kick early in the third quarter. The Jackets’ offensive drive led to a punt.
“We don’t have that margin for error,” Slaughter said. “Those plays aren’t 50-50 plays. We’re not asking coin tosses to go our way.”
He believes many of those plays had a better than 80 percent chance to go in favor or his team.
“And that’s a huge impact on the game,” he said, “and that’s a huge impact on our team.”
Both teams played to a 7-7 halftime tie.
After the Chiefs (2-3) forced the Yellow Jackets (1-4) to punt on the first series of the third quarter, Lake View sophomore quarterback Henry Nickias scored the first of his three touchdowns.
Nickias led the Chiefs on a four-play, 80-yard drive that ended when he ran to pay dirt for a 45-yard touchdown. The drive covered one minute 27 seconds and gave Lake View a 14-7 lead it would not relinquish.
Nickias scored on an eight-yard run to finish a 10-play, 59-yard drive that took almost five minutes to complete for a 21-7 lead.
The last touchdown was a Nickias scamper from 30 yards out for a 28-7 advantage. The eight-play, 80-yard drive covered four minutes.
The Yellow Jackets answered with a nine-play, 60-yard drive that ended when senior quarterback Wyatt Casey scored on a four-yard touchdown to trim the deficit to 28-14. Senior Colton Center added the extra point. The drive took three minutes to finish.
Miscues highlighted the first quarter as both teams suffered two.
But Lake View turned a Llano fumble into a touchdown when junior running back Donald Bowman scampered 15 yards to pay dirt for a 7-0 lead with 2:39 remaining in the opening quarter. The seven-play drive covered 45 yards in 2:40.
Just when it looked like the Chiefs were ready to score on another Jackets fumble, Llano junior safety Brent Greenwood intercepted a Nickias pass.
Casey led the Jackets on an 80-yard drive that ended when he scored on a five-yard run to tie the contest at 7-7 with 8:16 left in the first half. The drive totaled 11 plays in 4:35.
Both defenses forced punts and a turnover on downs to finish the half tied at 7-7.
Greenwood began the second half with a 36-yard kickoff return. He was stopped on the 50-yard line, which indicated the Jackets heard the challenge from their coach. Greenwood also had a 50-yard return.
“I thought to myself, you have to get field position for your team,” Greenwood said. “I ran as hard as I could.”
“Our speech was do not go out and let these guys take control of this game,” Slaughter recalled telling his players at halftime. “We knew we were getting the ball first. We did get a spark with our kick return. Our one challenge — because it’s been forever — we were like, let’s play from the front. I’ve seen our kids fight and battle, and I’m proud of that. I’d like to see if other teams have that ability.”
Senior cornerback Cody Miller had the other interception. Miller’s came in the third quarter when Nickias found junior tight end Tyren Coverson inside the Llano five-yard line. But Miller hit Coverson, which popped the ball loose. Miller grabbed the ball in the air and ran about 30 yards the other way to give the ball back to Llano.
“Cody Miller’s interception was a huge stop,” Slaughter said. “We did make some plays that leave the window of success open. We’re still struggling to sustain two, three, four first-down drives that result in points.”
The Jackets welcome Salado at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2 to Llano Stadium, 400 Texas 71 East, for their homecoming game.
jfierro@thepicayune.com