2014 Seniors…Class of 2015

Kasin Riley # 89                              Austin Miller #40

Dalton Ward #88                            Lance Reven #34

Jalen Bauman #84                         Tommy Yelvington #24

Colton Ekstrom # 77                       Trevor Penny #20

Clayton Masters #75                        Holden Simpson #11

Harley Smith # #68                         Aaron Moss #8

Cody Harp #64                                  David Forrister #4

Stetson Watson #52                         Rhett Levingston #11

Colin Mayne #50                               Dustin Heflin #3

The loss to District Champions Navarro Panthers brought to the close a very frustrating season to a team that never gave up.  The effort was on the field, but the unbelievable rash of injuries to most key players and the misfortune of so many close moments that did not fall the Jacket direction.  Nearly beating Brady…nearly beating Lytle…the story of this season.

With senior Jalen Bauman after 3 games on a path that could have broken a season school record in receptions, goes down against Fredericksbug on the first play, and the whole offense had to change directions.  Bauman ended the season with 26 catches and in the top 10 all time catches for a career.  Senior Holden Simpson ended with 16 TD tosses, and 1147 yards passing…nice numbers that will be in the record book. And senior Kasin Riley with 13 catches and 20.08 yards per catch will see his name listed forever in the pages of Llano history.

But the disappointment for Llano fans like myself is the seniors that worked so hard since the 7th grade and before, saw few rewards.  “These are the times that try men’s souls,” and true Yellowjackets know that this is not the end, but it is the beginning of a special time.  A time of making decisions that set the course.  And after 42 years of writing Play To Win, few times have I not heard back from retired Yellowjacket players that did not learn what it meant to face adversity and not always see or expect rewards.  The reward many times in life comes from knowing deep inside you did all you could do.  That you tried your best.  That you left it on the field every game.  And while your best sometimes fail short, you knew you played to win.  Nearly 40 years ago I had a saying by Theodore Roosevelt placed in front of my desk, and in times of worry, and times of dark clouds, I would read, and somehow, feel better.  I have taken these words with me.  Maybe they can be of help to you.  Best of all to the great seniors of 2015.

“It is far better to dare mighty things and to enjoy your hour of triumph, even though it is checkered occasionally with failure, than to take stock with those poor souls who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in a gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”