The anticipation is always at a high number before you play a rival. It is a sweet victory if that occurs. It did not go that way for the volleyball Jackets, September 13, but they made a something-to-be-proud-of rally before losing to Burnet, three games to two.
Game 4
“It was pretty impressive,” said Head Coach Dee Heiner, “since we started down 5-0.” The Bulldogs owned a 2-1 lead entering this set.
It was another perfect week for the Llano High School sub-varsity teams as both Freshman teams and the JV team recorded victories at Jacket Stadium. The Llano Freshman Orange team started the evening off by thumping Burnet to move its season record to 3-1. The Llano Freshman Black team and the Llano JV team each followed up with hard fought victories over Lago Vista.
The UCLA-Washington State game, which kicks off our college review, tells us the football, like the baseball, must also be juiced, and, if you’re going to leave a game early, DON’T CRY ABOUT IT!
The Cougars, under the guidance of Mike “I never met 100 points I didn’t like” Leach, led the 0-3 Bruins, 49-17 in the third quarter.
“Fear the mellos” is Haley Gronewald’s mantra this season. She leads the Llano Yellow Jacket Band’s mellophone section, and by all accounts has her charges toeing the proverbial line. She describes her section as, “fearless, brilliant, and devoted”, traits that earned them “Section of the Week” honors for the second week of marching season.
Year after year—for close to two decades—the Llano High School Hall of Fame grows with remarkable class, and 2019 is no different. Let’s start our walk down that Hallway. Induction ceremonies took place September 13.
Brad Hatfield
Brad graduated in 1990 after being named All-District in football, basketball and baseball—Offensive MVP as a tight end in the district.
It was an exciting Homecoming week for the Llano Jackets sub-varsity teams as each of them recorded victories.
Llano Freshman
Orange 14, Brownwood Freshmen 6
At historic Gordon Wood Stadium, cornerback Ulisses Martinez and linebackers Kyle Gilliland and Eric Miguel each had tackles for loss on the Lions first offensive series to force a punt.
The Lady Jackets used Homecoming Night to come home and win a volleyball game for the first time in too long, and they did it in dramatic fashion. Down two games to one to San Antonio Cole, Llano won 3-2.
“The kids fought hard,” said Head Coach Dee Heiner, “did not give up, gutted it out,” and, “showed grit and determination.”
LHS jumped out to a big lead in Game 1; Cole rallied to make it respectable, but the result was 25-18, Jackets.
Runner-up Anna Casey led the Lady Jackets to a third-place varsity finish at Harper, September 14. Her time was 12:54 for two miles. Lauren Lee was third and Erin Lauricella, 22nd. Isaiah Bush (19:58, three miles) was second in junior varsity; Jackson Turner, sixth. Loralee Downey was 17th among JV girls.
How good is the Jackets’ offense—without a juiced ball? Their three-game massive message is 141 points, most by any Llano team for that span to open the season in the school’s century of gridiron action. Only a handful of squads are close.
None of that would have happened if the Jackets hadn’t recorded 35 points in the last 21 minutes—28 in the final quarter—to defeat a determined, gutty and no-quit-rival Brady, 49-24, on Homecoming Night.
Case Kuykendall and Donaven Arellano ...
“I wanted to make the band better,” reported Brianna Desai when she was asked why she wanted to be a section leader for the 2019-2020 LHS Yellow Jacket Band. The senior leader may be soft-spoken and rule with a velvet glove, but her charges in the clarinet section have definitely responded to her gentle style and earned “Section of the Week” honors during the first week of the band’s marching season.
