DISTRICT CHAMPIONS 2025

Posted on November 11, 2025 by Mike Virdell

The Llano Yellow Jackets gave fans something to talk about Friday night as they beat Ingram 34-14 in the 13-3AAA showdown for the DISTRICT CROWN. The game certainly was one of two halves. The win gives the Jackets the Championship for the 5th time in 6 seasons. Undefeated in district play those 5 seasons, and Llano now has a 33-1 record playing at home over the past 6 years.

The game was not what was expected. In Coach Matt Green’s radio interview with Art Dlugach after the game, Green said that Ingram did nothing that Llano prepared for. Ingram made up their minds to stop the Llano run. Mission accomplished. The Jackets ran the ball 16 times for 58 yards in the first half. Average half of the usual Jacket production. Had it not been for the 54 yard run by senior River Thomison in the second quarter the game might have gotten ugly. Ingram set out to throw the ball. Something they had done very little of before the Llano Game. Mission accomplished. Ingram threw the ball 25 times in the first half and completed 14 for 142 yards. Had it not been for junior linebacker Cody Greenwoods interception, Ingram would have been near perfect.

If you can believe this, Llano lead at half-time 20-14. The Jacket passing game under the senior leadership of back up quarterback Grayson Lilie was right on. TD passes from Lilie to junior Cash Lynch for 55 yards and 61 yards were electrifying. Catches and runs both. And in the second quarter Grayson found senior tight end Konrad Zwicke open for a 9 yard TD reception.

What happened at half-time was more important than many things I have ever seen. Usually at halftime I scribble the stats down so to see a trend. There was a trend alright. And it did not favor Llano. Ingram with their undefeated district record had come to play.

Green said at half-time the Jackets changed their defense and their blocking schemes Offensive coordinator Ryan Priem and offensive line coach Colton Center “made some adjustments” in the blocking. Coach Robbie Coplin and Coach Ryan Norwood had their receivers at top form. Defensive coordinator Michael McCloud along with defensive line coach Joe Kennedy and Coach Joe Downey worked on the pass rush and coverage. The secondary adjusted some, including moving Grayson back to the secondary on certain plays. Coach Dwayne Friday and Coach Justin Wilson worked with Austin Humphries, Josiah Wood ( Got his second interception in two games) and JD Friday to stop that passing game of the Warriors.

Mission accomplished.

The Jacket running game. Llano had 144 yards rushing in the second half with a 6.2 yards per carry. The running game of Rivers, senior Brady Kelly, Grayson and freshman Cole Landers ( 135 yards) loved the changes at half-time. Cash finished the night with over 200 yards receiving. And that Ingram passing game? 4 for 13 passing and 46 yards in the second half. The Jacket defensive line dominated. 8 carries and 3 yards. Llano slowed the game down mid way thru the fourth quarter and taking a knee with several minutes left in the game.

This may have been the Yellow Jacket Coaches’ best game!!

Bi Distirct: Llano plays Poteet Thursday night in Kerrville at 7 PM. Poteet is not a very good football team. They finished fourth in District 14-3AAA. The Jackets may get junior quarterback Luke Davis back. Senior leading rusher Jose Sillas should return to play. Maybe senior running back Brayton Shaw will be ready. Llano should be at near full strength.

Llano has played in 29 Bi District games in its history. The first in 1950 under Head Coach Purser. The Jackets lost to Georgetown 27-6. Llano has won the last five Bi district games it has played in, but the over all record in this game is still only 14-15. Let’s even things up.

Llano 56 Poteet 0

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District Title on the Line Friday Night

Posted on November 4, 2025 by Mike Virdell

The Llano YellowJackets beat Marion last Friday night 44-27 to move their District record to 4-0 and play Ingram this Friday night for sole possession of the District crown. It seems each week we are playing in order to take command of the standings. Marion and Ingram both had matched Llano up to this point. Ingram had beaten Marion, but a loss would have caused havac. Llano did not allow that to happen. Ingram comes to Llano to play at Jacket Stadium.

When you begin the game without your starting quarterback. When your starting senior safety moves over to play quarterback and start his first game at quarterback. When your number 2 and number three running backs are out for the game. You might begin to worry. Then your number one running back is in a car mishap, but still insist on playing despite an injured leg. What to do?

Senior Grayson Lilie has started at safety all season. Junior quarterback Luke Davis, with 27 starts at quarterback was injured in the Randolph game. Lilie took over and handled that win. And then started Friday night while Davis continues to heal. Grayson completed 3 of 4 passes in the first quarter for 34 yards. He ran twice for two first downs on the first drive. He threw a 35 yard TD pass to senior tight end Konrad Zwicke in the second quarter. He had no turnovers. He had no interceptions. He was just what the doctor ordered.

Jose Sillas lead all Jackets in production. Jose had 17 carries in the first half of the game for 77 yards. Grayson had 74 yards passing in the first half. Llano lead 27-13 at halftime. The game never seemed in doubt. But Marion kept coming back. Their running back was outstanding, maybe the best Llano has faced since the two running backs from Jarrell. The defense held Marion to about 90 yards of offense in the first half.

Josiah Wood started at safety this week. His interception at the end of the first half showed his reediness. The Jackets defensive line was…again…outstanding. Juniors Cole Kennedy, Mario Hernandez, Nick Light, Evan Gomez, Logan Robinson and senior George Gallucci were lights out all night long. Marion only had two runs for more than 10 yards. Marion had less than 70 yards rushing for the game. That’s good football. JD Friday and Austin Humphries were outstanding. Junior Jason Cherry had a strong game at linebacker. And too, junior Cody Greenwood. Senior Nicko Arms at linebacker with an interception is helping to make this unit very good.

One surprise. In the second quarter after Llano scored on a 4 yard run by freshman Cole Landers, Llano’s Francisco Parravano kicked off and Marion ran it back for a touchdown! In the past, Francisco has made that last tackle to prevent such happenings. Must have gotten blocked. No worry. Francisco came back in the fourth quarter and kicked a 24 yard field goal to extend the Jacket lead to 37-20.

Other highlights included Evan Gomez snuffing out a fake punt. Jose having over 120 yards rushing. Freshman Landers having 112 yards rushing and two rushing TDs. Senior Gavin Hays getting “Weller” and better each week. JD blocking another extra point. Junior Cash Lynch caught another touchdown pass along with 4 other catches. Senior Graham Prokop had a great catch in the first quarter and another in the third quarter.

And this was all made possible by offensive line blocking. In no certain order, but leading this group is junior center Dylan Smith. Seniors Cason Stephenson, Zach Driskel, James Greenwood, Ethan Griego, Cooper Scott, Lane Wesson, and Hayden Bigger. Juniors Camren Smith, Scott Henderson, and Nick Light. These guys are doing a tremendous job.

Ingram of all people! 4-0 in district play. They have beaten everyone to get to this game. Ingram…going back a few years, has gotten better every year. This year they seem to be loaded. They have 13 starters back from last years team that made the play offs. Their quarterback returns as well as their best receiver. They will be traveling to Llano in hopes of winning a district championship.

The difference in Llano over the past 9 seasons, is Llano expects to win. This is not arrogance. What has happened in Llano since Head Coach Matt Green has been here since 2017, is a culture change. An attitude change. The Jackets have won district 4 of the last 5 seasons, going undefeated in those four seasons. This season will be 5 of 6 seasons…undefeated. Since Coach Green came to Llano, the Jackets are 36-7 on our home field. And over the past seven seasons, Llano is 32-1 at Jacket Stadium. This week, even without River Thomison, or Brayton Shaw, or Luke, or maybe even Jose…Llano expects to win.

Llano 49

Ingram 21

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7-1 Jackets Roll…Roll On

Posted on October 28, 2025 by Mike Virdell

The 2025 Llano YellowJackets rolled over the Randolph Ro Hawks 35-0 Friday night in a game that was called after three quarters due to weather. The lightning was close, and soon came the hard rain and winds. You never saw so many fans leave the stands as quick as you did Friday night. And Randolph fans were not sad to see the game called after three quarters.

Llano wasted little time in setting the tone for the game. Llano scored first with 7:03 in the first quarter. Junior Luke Davis scored from 5 yards out. Luke was starting his 27 game as the LHS starting quarterback. Luke’s record as the starter is 21-6.

Luke completed passes to junior Cash Lynch for 15 yards and 12 yards to senior Austin Humphries. Seniors Brayton Shaw and Jose Sillas each carried the ball three times. Senior Cason Stephenson and senior James Greenwood were monsters in the line blocking. But it was not until Luke hit Cash for a 51 yard gain down to the 19 yard line before Llano was able to score.

The Jacket defense has three shutouts so far this year. Randolph had 8 plays in the first quarter and had 24 yards of offense. No one has played better than senior Gavin Hays. Gavin has been out with an early season injury until just two weeks ago. He is making up for lost time. Several times he has made tackles one after the other. And on kick offs, he leads that parade, first down field to make sure there is no return. Gavin is playing at the highest level. Not far behind is senior Austin Humphries. Leads the team in interceptions. And speaking of interceptions, I think JD Friday is tied with Austin, as JD picked off one in the third quarter and ran it back 29 yards. The Jackets scored off that turnover to put the score at 35-0.

The Jacket secondary is as good as I can remember. Senior Grayson Lille at safety is just so good, and seems to always be in the right position to stop a play…. Grayson with JD and Austin are a savvy threesome. Throw in juniors Caden White, Josiah Wood and Emerson Pool and the Jackets are in great shape on the back end of the defense. Senior Niko Arms plays somewhere. He sometimes has the most tackles. Not only does defensive coordinator Coach Michael McLeod keep opposing teams confused, I am confused. Maybe Niko is a linebacker.

All of this works because the defensive line is very disruptive. Juniors Cole Kennedy, Mario Hernandez, Nick Light and Logan Robinson are so good. Put lots of pressure on the quarterback…every play. Throw in newcomer junior Evan Gomez and senior George Gallucci and their play makes the secondaries job look easy! It works because everyone does his job.. I had the Ro Hawks gaining less than 100 total yards. One thing I can’t stop thinking about. This Ro Hawks team was 10-3 last season and took Llano to the last minute of play last year before we escaped Ro Hawks Stadium. Randolph had 7 returning starters from last years team.

Marion was listed as the 25th best football team in Class 3 AAA by DC Texas Football in July. They lost earlier this year to 4 AAAA Lago Vista. And last week they lost to Ingram I really consider that an upset. The 40-33 score was a surprise. I think Marion was looking ahead to the Llano game. And by looking ahead, the Bulldogs were caught napping. Senior Quarterback Cade Pape returns along with 12 other starters. Marion will not be asleep Friday night. One wise Jacket insider said the Bulldogs were the team to worry about.

I have not heard any updates on the injury to Llano quarterback Luke Davis. Luke had just begun the Jacket’s third series when he went down with a leg injury, and out of caution, did not return. Luke had completed four passes for 93 yards and then he scored from 5 yards out. Senior Grayson Lille took Luke’s place, and performed beautifully. Grayson completed 8 passes for 113 yards, the longest to senior Brady Kelly for 36 yards. The shortest to senior tight end Konrad Zwicke. If this were a basketball game, Konrad would be playing above the rim. His tremendous leap was high and short. Three yards down to the 9 yard line. We need Luke back, and we don’t need to lose Grayson out of the secondary.

Up to this date…two things. The Jackets have not been reading their press and rankings. And they have not looked ahead. Winning the District Championship is the goal. Getting that first round bye to play # 4 in District 14 3AAA is so important. Being 8-1 really important.

Llano 31 Marion 16

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Jackets Ready for District Strongest

Posted on October 21, 2025 by Mike Virdell

The Jackets have had the week off as have all the teams in District 13-AAA. Three teams enter the final three weeks undefeated and three have not won a district game yet. That will change this week. The Jackets, Ingram and Marion all carry a 2-0 record into the third district game. The Jackets play Randolph this week. If there has ever been a game to trip up on, this is it. The strong rivalry between the two teams started as soon as the Jackets entered 13-3AAA Division 6 years ago. Randolph has always had a good program. Randolph neat Llano in 2023.

Last year the game played at Randolph went down to the final series. Randolph drove the field and scored. To win, they needed to go for two. And a great play by the Jacket defense stopped the two points and Llano won by one point. Randolph went into the play offs and ended the season with a 10-3 record. The Jackets finished at 12-2. The 7 returning starters off that Randolph team have good memories. Llano can expect a very good team to show up in Llano.

Llano has had a good run up to this point. An offense that is averaging nearly 50 points per game. A defense that is allowing 14 points a game. All things said, on paper the Jackets look good and confident. But the Jackets can’t let the success go to their heads. They have to play one game at a time, and know any one left on their regular season schedule could beat them. I think Jacket fans all know about Randolph and their potential of making a comeback in district play. Looking ahead of the Ro Hawks would be a bad mistake. Randolph is looking at this game as their turn around game, and a revenge game from last season. Beating Llano in Llano rarely happens. It need not happen Friday night.

Just observing. Jarrell got beat last Friday night 35-34 by Wimberley. But Salado had beaten Wimberley the week before. Jarrell plays Salado this week. Could be a district that ends up with a three team winner. I only mention this as the Jarrell game was a real test for the Jackets. And a good barometer on how we might stack up. I still expect the 4-AAAA Jarrell team to have a great season.

One of the strongest parts of the Jacket team is that so many players have caught passes and run the football. 10 players are adding yardage to this offense. That many contributing sure makes for a strong team. They may need all ten Friday night.

I don’t usually say much about stats during the season, and this season several players will end up with their names in the LHS record book…but that is after the season is over. One stat that stands out to me is the number of quarterback starts.

In 1965 Butch Stovall was the returning Yellow Jacket quarterback and a senior. He was the District Champion in the high hurdles his junior year in track. Butch was fast. In the second game of the 1965 season, what was thought at the time to be a pulled muscle in his lower calf, Butch came out of the game. The pulled muscle turned into gangrene in less than three days. Butch was whisked to San Antonio where the doctors removed over half of his lower leg muscles. Butch never walked the same.

Dennis Raesener, a sophomore, was the back up quarterback. Dennis lead the Jackets to the last game of the season playing for the district championship against Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg won that game and went on to the state semi-finals. Llano finished 7-2-1 in 1965. At that time, only one team from each district went to the play offs.

Dennis would start all of the games at quarterback his junior and senior years. He ended up starting 28 games at quarterback, the most in school history. Luke Davis will start his 27th game at quarterback for the Jackets Friday night. Should all go well…stay healthy, Luke will hold the school record at the end of the season. Something I find that really stands out.

Llano 28 Randolph 14

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2-0 Jackets Rest in Bye Week

Posted on October 14, 2025 by Mike Virdell

With the 53-0 win Friday night in Lulling, the Yellow Jackets take this week off. Again, Llano went unchallenged against the Lulling Eagles for the second week in a row. The offense came prepared, the defense had its second shutout in three games, and all seems perfect in Jacket Nation. But Jacket fans know how quickly things can change.

Llano prepares for Randolph in 10 days. Follow that up with the Marion game at Marion. And the team that has most surprised, the final game of the regular season will be with Ingram.

Ingram is tied with the Jackets in first place in district play, along with Marion. All three are tied with a 2-0 district records. Ingram has a 4-3 season record and Marion is now 5-2. Last year Llano beat both teams by one score. These were not easy games. And one to remember…Llano beat Randolph last year only because the Jacket defense held the Ro Hawks out of the end zone when they went for two points and the win when they scored and came within 2 points of beating Llano. The Jackets are 24-3 in District play over the past six seasons. The Jackets are going for their 5th District title over the past six seasons. Never has happened in school history.

The Jackets again held a team to less than 100 yards of offense, and in this game, less than 50 yards. Jose Sillas had another interception. Luke Davis threw for three more touchdowns. Cash Lynch, Konrad Zwicke, and Graham Prokop caught the TD passes. The running game was crisp and without turnovers. Jose, senior Brayton Shaw, Brady Kelly, George Gallucci, and Josiah Wood all ran hard and make for a tough out for anyone on defense. Cody Greenwood had a fumble recovery in the first quarter and Llano turned that into a quick TD.

Jackets making plays on defense were seniors Isaiah Aguilar, JD Friday, Austin Humphries, Grayson Lille, James Greenwood, and Gavin Hays. Players on offense doing their jobs included Hayden Bigger, Cason Stephenson, Ethan Griego, Zach Driskel, William Foley and Niko Arms. Special team players showing lots of hustle were Hays, Cody Greenwood and River Thomison. No one took the week off.

The Jackets have to work harder now. The reason is the work load the last two weeks has been light. And while Randolph appears to not be the Randolph of past years, don’t let that fool you. The Ro Hawks are a good football team. And they would love to beat the Jackets in Llano…just as the Jackets beat them last season in front of their home crowd. Randolph was a 10-3 football team last year. Players and fans alike….should not take Randolph lightly.

The best thing that happened to Llano in the month of October is alot of players got in some good playing time. Players like junior Evan Gomez lining up on both sides of the ball. Junior Emerson Pool. Junior Caden White. Junior Scott Henderson. Junior lineman Camren Smith. Junior Jason Cherry is seeing alot of playing time…so valuable to this team. Lineman Xander Cruz and junior Cooper Scott played nearly three quarters. The Coaches know they can send any of these guys into the game at any time, and get good sound performances.

And we also learn that returning to the starting lineup next week will be Head Coach Matt Green. Green was out for two weeks with an emergency procedure, but has healed. And best part of his absence was he was able to listen for the first time to ART and LANCE and EVAN on the radio.

Next week we’ll follow up with this Friday night games and get ready for Randolph.

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Caution Abounds- Jackets 1-0 District

Posted on October 7, 2025 by Mike Virdell

The contest aganst Florence Friday should give caution to Jacket Nation. The 58-0 halftime lead did not reflect the real score. Our guest for Llano’s Homecoming were a woeful team. Their first two possessions had fumbles, and their first quarter netted 22 yards on 13 plays. Llano played solid football against a much weaker team. But small mistakes loom. 4 penalties in the first half…not good.

The Jackets had a torrid first quarter. 101 yards passing by junior quarterback Luke Davis connecting on 3 of 4 passes. Senior tight end Konrad Zwicke hauled in the first pass for 20 yards and the Jackets first score. Senior running back Brayton Shaw snatched the second completion and went 60 yards for the TD. And with Luke’s third completion, he hit senior Graham Prokop for 21 yards down to the Buffaloe’s 39 yard line. Luke then took it the remainder of the way on the next play, and a Jacket 20-0 lead . Llano ran the ball four times in the first quarter. Senior Jose Sillas on the first play from scrimmage had a 33 yard run. He followed that up with an 18 yard run. And on his third carry of the quarter, ran for 19 yards and the TD. 70 yards on three carries for Jose.

The Jackets came to play and to hit. Defensively Jackets that stood out were senior Grayson Lille at safety. JD Friday had his usual solid game at safety. Senior Austin Humphries was oustanding.

In the first quarter, Austin fielded two punts. He ran both back for touchdowns. Both were called back. Maybe a record!..Junior Mario Hernandez in the middle of the defensive line has been outstanding all year. Junior Cole Kennedy is a menace at defensive end. And defensive lineman junior Nick Light continues to improve. Really solid. Junior Kincade Rodriguez got valuable time in the game. Love the play of our linebackers. Senior Isaiah Aguilar, junior Cody Greenwood and senior Niko Arms, junior Evan Gomez and for the first time this year, we got to see senior linebacker Gavin Hayes. Gavin, returning from an injury, comes at a great time

Junior Jason Cherry is starting to make plays on defense. Junior Scott Henderson and senior James Greenwood were in on stops. Junior Logan Robinson has been consistent all year. All making this defense strong and ready for more stronger test in just a few weeks.

Luke completed two passes in the second quarter. A 57 yard TD pass to junior Cash Lynch, and a 55 yard TD pass to Austin Humphries. Seems like his name has come up sometime before! But at the end of the second quarter, and the entire second half, Llano did not throw another pass. Senior running back River Thomison had five carries for about 35 yards. Senior William Foley had five carries for about 25 yards. Senior George Gallucci had 7 carries and three first downs. Senior Grayson Lille had a five yard TD run at quarterback. And kicker senior Francisco Parravano kicked 7 of 7 extra points.

Extra effort…River…Brayton…Isaiah…George…Jason…Kaden Cruz…William…Josiah Wood…Caden White had an interception…all came to play in the Jackets first district game. All special effort…even in the kicking game and coverage.

Senior Brady Kelly blocks very good when he does not have the ball. So does senior Emerson Pool. Senior Lane Weston had a good night blocking. Greenwood, Light, Zach Driscal, Hayden Bigger and Cooper Scott all got in valuable playing time. The line, lead by Cason Stephenson , Dylan Smith and Xander Cruz are getting our running game going. And the return of Ethan Griego is big….

Llano has another text this week. Lulling will be stronger than Florence. But maybe not by alot. The Jackets must stay focused. And it is hard to do. While Llano can have fun this week, but the eye cannot be taken off the ball. Those penalties…come on guys….think…most players know the front of a helmet from the back. Those will be hard penalties against Randolph and Marion. This game is where you get better. The BYE week comes next…then the meat of the DISTRICT schedule. Getting better every week….this week included is the path to your goals.

Might be of some interest. The Jackets five non-district opponents…Lytle, Comanche, Jarrell, Comfort and Marble Falls…are a combined 20-8 right now. I still expect Jarrell to win their 4-AAAA district. And Lytle, Comanche and Comfort should all make the playoffs.

The Jackets are 5-1. And playing good football. Let’s start playing great football.

Llano 64 Lulling 12

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4-1 Jackets Prepare for District Play

Posted on September 29, 2025 by Mike Virdell

The 41-0 win against Comfort last Friday night had to be rewarding to the Jackets in the light of playing much better against a slot t offense, and the fact that the Jacket offense was humming. The Jackets put together another slow start, but hard to complain as the score was 20-0 at half time and finished with 41 points. The Jackets have averaged 47.4 points per game, while giving up 17.6 points per game.

In comparison, last season the Jackets defense gave up 16.8 points per game in the first five games, while the offense averaged 29.2 points per game. And on this subject, great to see Comanche, Lytle, and Jarrell all winning this past Friday. I really expect Jarrell to win their 4-AAAA District. And that means beating both Wimberley and Navarro. 4-AAAA power houses over the years.

The Jackets’ first drive was 10 plays and resulted in a Jose Sillas punt. Comforts’ first three plays ended in a minus 13 yards and a punt. Linebacker Niko Arms had one of his best games. Safety Grayson Lille was in top form, making tackle after tackle. And the night saw three Jacket interceptions. Seniors Brady Kelly and JD Friday each took one out of the air from Comfort, and Jose had one in the second quarter and took it to the house from over 50 yards out. This was Jose’s second returned interception for a TD this season.

Comfort too ran the slot t offense. It is 3 yards and a cloud of dust. No mistake, this was not Jarrell. But Llano handled it much better. The Jacket defense forced the first five running plays of the Bobcats to loss yardage, and Llano did not give up a completed pass until deep into the second quarter. Junior Cole Kennedy may have had his best game. Was all over the field. Junior Mario Hernandez had several stops for losses. And Logan Robinson, a junior continues to get better. Junior Josh Wood is a player…play after play. Junior linebacker Cody Greenwood made life unpleasant for Comfort and had several key stops. And I continued to write down # 25. Senior Isaiah Aguillar…great night against Comfort.

The Jackets effort was tops. On special teams I see Grayson going down hard to cover kicks. And kicker Francisco Parravano made the tackle of the night in the stop of a kick off that looked like the Comfort returner was going all the way…but with a great open field tackle, Francisco made the stop. Senior linebacker William Foley made the tackle on a kick off and senior Graham Prokop hustled his way down field to make several stops. This kind of hustle makes winning teams.

Junior quarterback Luke Davis had 13 completions to 8 different receivers. Cash Lynch stretched the field with a run and catch for 72 yards and a touchdown. Senior tight end Konrad Zwicke had four catches for 63yards and a TD. Austin Humphries had two catches for 62 yards and two TDs’. Please correct me…but without review, I think Luke has 18 TD passes thru five games. Graham, Jose, Brady, Brayton Shaw and junior Caden White also had catches Friday night. Folks…that is spreading the ball around.

Blocking has improved every week…yes even against Jarrell. See junior Emerson Pool downfield blocking. River Thomison protects well when Luke drops back to pass. Jason Cherry and Konrad at tight end do a good job. And thinking Zach Driscal and Cason Stephenson are really good on the offensive line. Junior Scott Henderson and senior James Greenwood are ones making this offense work.

Now the games start that count. We are not tricking anyone in saying Florence is a great football team. But as we should remember, last year they played hard the first half on their home field. They will play hard against the Jackets this Friday night, Llano’s HOMECOMING GAME. But the only way the Jackets can realize their goals this year…is to get better every week…even against teams that we are much better…work on no penalties…no turnovers…perfect routes, quicker releases…snappier passes…all goes into getting better. The Jackets know that this team…could be special…but only as they continue to improve. Because we know…Llano will play teams that are more talented and more athletic. You beat those teams by being smart and playing perfect football…the goal of the 2025 Jackets.

Llano 63- Florence 0

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Jarrell…Just Very Good…Jackets 3-1

Posted on September 23, 2025 by Mike Virdell

The Llano Yellow Jackets played one of their toughest games last Friday night in Jarrell and experienced their first loss of this young season. 4-AAAA Jarrell was waiting. In the four games that the two teams have met, Llano took the first three beginning in 2022. In each game the Cougars were competitive, and as the years passed, you could see they were getting better. The Cougars hired a new Coach (Alan Haire) last season, and he brought with him the “Slot T” offense. With the skill set of the Cougar players, and having nearly twice the enrollment of Llano, it was only a matter of time. That time came last Friday night in a 40- 29 win for the home team.

The Jackets started strong. Taking the opening kick off, Llano marched 11 plays down to the 18 yard line before running out of downs. Junior Quarterback Luke Davis completed 6 of 8 passes, running back senior Brayton Shaw added 6 yards rushing and saw 4 first downs. The confident Jackets looked like the number 2 team in the State, according to Dave Campbells Texas Football poll. Llano was ranked # 12 in the Harris Ratings.

The Jackets traded punts with the Cougars and on the Llano third possession of the first quarter, senior Jose Sillas scored standing up. Senior Francisco Parravano kicked true. 7-0 Llano. Llano had 81 yards of offense…the Cougars 37.

JD Friday kept Llano ahead in the game for the second quarter. The Cougars scored with 11:10 in the second quarter. But JD blocked the extra point. I should know how many extra points and field goals he has blocked in his career, but I don’t. But… it is often. 7-6 Llano.

Luke hits Cash Lynch for 15 yards and a first down. Shaw for 2. Another 17 yard strike to Cash from Luke. 10 yards by Jose. 15 yards more by Jose. And the final 2 by Jose. Luke runs for the 2 points. 15-6 Llano. Llano onside kicks…and JD recovers. Llano ball.

We have woken a big giant. An interception sets the Cougars up on the 49 yard line. Slot T in gear…five plays and Jarrell scores. Score now 15-13 Llano.

Senior Grayson Lille fields the kick off and gains 18 yards up to the 33 yard line. Luke completes four of 5 passes. Two more to Cash for 17 yards. Senior Graham Prokop for 15 yards and a first down. Third down and 15 to go. Luke finds Jose and he takes it to the house for the final 35 yards. Llano leads 22-13 going into half-time. Llano had 132 yards of offense in the second quarter. Jarrell had 113 yards.

Jarrell took the kick off and scored on 6 plays. All running plays. Mario Hernandez had a great game on the defensive line. JD from his secondary position was in on multiple tackles. As was Grayson and senior Austin Humphries. But the grinding down by Jarrell was beginning to show. At this point, Jarrell has thrown only one pass. The score going into the final quarter is 22-19.

The fourth quarter was very odd. Three possessions by the Jackets…ran the ball three times for 2 yards. Luke passed 11 times for 82 yards on 5 completions. The longest to senior Brady Kelly for 20 yards.

Jarrell on the other hand had the ball three possessions…and three touchdowns. Ran the ball for 78 yards on 15 plays. One pass. Final score 40-29.

The Good: Senior tight end Konrad Zwicke had two catches for 53 yards. Can be a bull. Hope Luke can find Konrad more in the future. Jose is playing both ways. He was pooped in fourth quarter. Shaw has shown he can carry more of the load. Cody Greenwood at linebacker and Caden White had good games. Junior Logan Robinson played strong. And seeing more of Niko Arms on defense. Great effort.

And what a weapon we have found in senior Francisco Parravano. His on -side kicks are perfect. Bounce…bounce…bounces high and Llano recovers. The Jackets got two and nearly had the third. We may be doing that every game….certainly no surprise…but perfect bounces makes it anyone’s ball.

Llano didn’t have anyone play bad Friday night. I really think we played a better team, and their running game was bruttle. The Jackets face the slot t at least two more times this season. Maybe three. This test will make Llano better in the games ahead. We will not play a better team in the regular season this year. We are in the same spot now as we were this time last season. The Jackets upped our game then. We will do so this year too.

Llano travels for the third week in a row, this time to Comfort. This is where the Jackets get serious about improvement…getting better each week….working extra hard in practice….making every snap count. The Jackets will be heavy favorites the rest of the regular season. That cannot be reason to rest. For the Jackets to realize that dream season, every game is played one at a time, and every game is big. Getting sloppy…penalties…turnovers will kill those dreams. This is when seniors realize this is it. Leadership becomes paramount. Coaches can coach. But the players have to make it come true.

Llano 56 Comfort 12

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3-0 Jackets Romp On Mustangs

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Mike Virdell

The 2025 Llano Yellow Jackets raced to a 3-0 record here in the early part of season by winning 50-18 over our close neighbors, Marble Falls. The first out of town game was one of three Llano faces in a row. Marble Falls falls to 0-3 for the season.

For the second week in a row the Jackets fell behind on the score board in the first quarter, and for the second week in a row, it was not until the second quarter that Llano was able to take the lead. The Jackets 22 points in the second quarter furled Llano on to a 21 point third quarter and the Jackets won…going away.

Llano had four rushers that combined to run up 135 yards on the ground. Senior Jose Sillas had 14 carries and 48 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Brayton Shaw had 5 carries and 44 yards, followed by senior River Thomison with 4 carries and 29 yards.

But the offense this week came off the arm of junior quarterback Luke Davis. Luke’s 359 passing yards made the record book, as did the 212 yards receiving by junior Cash Lynch, along with two catches for TDs. Shaw, Graham Prokop, Josiah Wood, Austin Humphries all had catches. Brady Kelly had three catches and 65 yards with a TD catch, and senior Konrad Zwicke had a 34 yard TD catch. Luke now has 14 TD passes in the first three games this season. That’s some pass protection on that offensive line.

The numbers have looked great up to this point in our young season. No one can tell if we have played a good team yet. Lytle has won a game since we played them in the opener, and Comanche won this past weekend. Still, no real yard stick. That changes this week

One veteran observer of the Yellow Jacket program said before the season began that the team to watch is Jarrell…they are 4-AAAA, and in one of the toughest Districts in the State. The Cougars were 6-4 last season, and that is not bad when you play Wimberley, Lago Vista and Geronimo Navarro every year. Their fourth loss last year was to the Jackets. A slow start is not advised. Jarrell lead Llano at halftime last year. Remember, Llano only won that context by one score, and we were playing them in Jacket Stadium. This game will be a yard stick.

The running game of the Cougars will be brutal. Their best running back, Jaysen Hobbs weighs in at 190 pounds is starting his third season. Their defense was remarkable improved last year with a new Coach. Expect more improvement this week.

Llano gets down to the hard stuff this week. It is like the Cougars are waiting for their chance to redeem themselves after three straight losses to the Jackets. The Jacket defense will have their hardest test…keeping the Cougars under 21 points, and Llano will win.

Llano 35 Jarrell 20

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Jackets Beat Comanche Soundly

Posted on September 9, 2025 by Mike Virdell

The concern that Llano could be facing a Comanche Indian team that resembled the 2024 version was put to rest Friday night with a 62-23 win at Jacket Stadium. The Jackets actually did not take the lead in the game until 4:19 was left in the first half. But after that point, the game was all Llano. 6 TD passes, three running TDs, Two Yellow Jacket interceptions and a defense that held Comanche to 62 yards in the second half, not counting the Indians final drive.

Comanche scored first with a 50 yard TD pass with 7:43 in the first quarter. The Jackets responded. A running game that featured quarterback Luke Davis with 2 carries and 22 yards. Senior Brayton Shaw had two carries for 9 yards. Luke completed a pass for 8 yards to Shaw. And Senior Jose Sillas had 4 carries for 10 yards and the Jackets first score…but the extra point was missed and Comanche still lead 7-6.

Comanche came right back and had an 8 play drive for a quick score. Players on defense seemed to be just getting warmed up. Niko Arms had his best game as a Yellow Jacket. Isaiah Aguilar had a very good game at linebacker. The defensive line of Cole Kennedy, Mario Hernandez, Nick Light, and junior Logan Robinson were at their best. Really started to take control of the line in the second quarter. And into the third quarter just had the upper hand and were tiring out the Indians. This allowed our linebackers to make plays.

If our secondary continues to improve, it could be legendary. While not a good thing when your secondary is making so many tackles… they do make a lot of tackles! Senior Austin Humphries leads this group. At one place in the game I had Austin making 3 out of 4 tackles on the four plays. Senior Grayson Lille, Nico, junior Josiah Wood, junior Emerson Pool, junior Caden White and the hard hitting senior JD Friday. These guys are quick and not afraid to come up hard and fast. Could develop into a really strong group. White and Austin had interceptions Friday night.

Llano’s blend of passing and running has worked well so far this season. I had Llano passing on 22 downs, and running 38 times. Over 500 yards of offense. Luke had five TD passes. Graham Prokop caught one from Luke and one from senior Grayson Lille. Junior Cash Lynch caught one from Luke, giving him 4 TD catches for the young season. And senior Brady Kelly had his own record tying game. His three TD catches ties the school record. The receiving core of Case, Graham and now Brady really makes it hard for opponents to cover these three players. All have the ability to score from anywhere on the field. Luke has lots of options. And with Brayton and Jose being very good at pass catching coming out of the back field….Llano is starting to get an identity.

The Jackets have 25 seniors on this team. All are contributing. Players getting their shots include Jason Cherry at linebacker. Haydin Bigger is playing well. And lineman Cooper Scott and Xander Cruz are adding great depth at offensive line positions. Getting better every week is the key. Not just going thru the motions. Working hard…getting better. You have to know that Marion and Ingram are working hard. And know Goliad and Edna can be on the horizon. They are not sitting still.

Marble Falls does not seem to have a very good football team. But bet all you can…they will play Llano its hardest. Families, friends, and foes alike are in Marble Falls. The Jackets need to make this game a disciplined outing. Penalties…turnovers…crisp tackles…a work in progress. Being 3-0 is special. Because it only gets tougher. Three weeks of out of town games….Llano gets better.

Llano 49 Marble Falls 7

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