By Art Dlugach
Gridirons of high schools and colleges were in use for a full weekend, August 29-September 2. Let’s hopscotch our way across the country checking out a few happenings.
Llano High’s JV beat Hondo, 34-22; the freshman team known as Black downed the Owls, 27-0. Listen to this: the Orange frosh walloped Lake Travis, 38-0!
By Art Dlugach
SAN SABA—A pair of Llano High JV runners didn’t quite steal the show at the San Saba Invitational Cross Country Meet, August 28, but I’d say they borrowed it for a while.
Isaiah Bush was about a two-iron shot in front of second place on the city’s picturesque golf course in the junior varsity competition.
Although the Yellow Jacket Marching Band includes a fairly equal mix of genders, the 2019-2020 LYJB’s drum major leadership positions are completely dominated by young ladies. Seniors Emma Richardson and Allyson White, along with junior Mackenzie Woolson, have already established themselves as leaders who both deserve and receive respect from their peers.
By Art Dlugach
COMFORT—Progress was made by the Llano High cross country runners, August 23, 20 miles south of Fredericksburg. Anna Casey placed third—not her usual lofty location—but she did reduce her two-mile time to 13 minutes, nine seconds—39 seconds quicker than her winning number in Ingram a week earlier. Freshman Lauren Lee was a dandy 11th in a crowded field with a clocking of 13-44, 18 seconds faster than her tour at Tom Moore High School.
“We had some who vastly impro ...
If you love offense, forget about the Spread, the 61s on the PGA Tour, the NBA games in the 140s or the U.S. Women winning a World Cup match, 13-0. Get yourself out to a major league ballpark and enjoy the juice—the baseball.
We begin with the Astros scoring 23 against Texas, August 10, and, yes, they won!
Most all football coaches show a degree of enthusiasm. I would put Matt Wells at six degrees—but it is not six degrees of separation from his team. The man, who was successful at Utah State, has succeeded Kliff Kingsbury as the Head Coach at Texas Tech.
“The biggest key for us in year one,” Wells said at Big 12 Football Media Days in July, “is installing our culture, building our foundation.
The Fall Sports Guide, which I just told someone, is lurking in my neighborhood, and it has a lot on Llano’s scrimmage success at Manor New Tech and news on the quarterback contest—it’s not that exciting, but worth reading, for sure.
Since that “big time” Guide, as it calls itself, doesn’t much mention Hondo, I’ll take care of that right now.
There’s a lot of talk about Texas being back in football. True enough, but its rival of so long ago, those Aggies, certainly showed last year they are making moves toward the tier above respectability. 9-4 in 2018, under new Head Coach Jimbo Fisher. The campaign included a two-point loss to Clemson, a bowl win and a victory over LSU, in a contest that finished on Valentine’s Day.
“They run the team,” Fisher says of his players.
BLANCO—All-square in a couple of areas, August 16, as the Jackets opened a two-game scrimmage schedule with a very sturdy Panther team. Each scored two touchdowns.
The other rather important news, from my soapbox, is that the Llano quarterback competition—don’t call it a controversy—is a dead heat. Braxton Vickers and Case Kuykendall have been sharing duties since early May in 7-on-7.
He’s international now. From Llano to Costa Rica with a stopover in Lubbock. Dakoda Trull, Jackets’ Class of 2018, owns a high school powerlifting state championship plus a silver medal in college nationals while a freshman at Tech, and he has just captured the Junior North American Powerlifting title in Costa Rica.
“Won by quite a bit,” Dakoda told me right before he left for sophomore classes at Tech.
