Llano football to play in Burnet SQT, host June league

CAPTION: Llano senior defensive back Caden White jumps the pass for an interception during a 7-on-7 win against the Marble Falls Mustangs. Staff photos by Jennifer Fierro

The Llano Independent School District football program is once again hosting its annual 7-on-7 June League at 5 p.m. Monday, June 1, at its home stadium for the next four weeks.

But first, the Yellow Jackets will compete in the Burnet State Qualifier Tournament Saturday, May 30, at Bulldog Field.

Llano, which is in pool A, will face Lago Vista at 9:45 a.m., Bandera at 11:15 a.m. and Austin LBJ at 12:35 p.m. Pool B includes Burnet, Fredericksburg, Marble Falls and Wimberley. The winners of each pool will meet in the championship at 1:45 p.m. with an automatic trip to the state tournament at stake. Llano is the only Class 3A team entered.

“In 3A you’re not always blessed with the depth and the number of players that you have to have healthy in the fall, and I know how competitive 7-on-7 state qualifiers get,” Jackets head coach Matt Green said. “I want to play just enough to get a taste of it, the state qualifiers, but I don’t want to play in three or four of them. Because you gotta have every kid available in the fall.”

He believes the next several weeks are about opportunity – for other players to step in and show coaches what they can do.

While quarterback Luke Davis, who will be a four-year starter, and receiver Cash Lynch, who was the team’s stat leader last season, are returning, Green pointed out his squad has starting jobs open in positions up and down the depth chart.

And the Llano League, which includes Burnet, Marble Falls and San Saba, is a chance for each Jacket to show what he can do. Teams will play two games a week and the final night is June 22.

“You won’t play the same group every week,” Green said. “It’ll rotate somewhat, because you get burned out playing the same people over and over and over. But I will say this – clearly Marble Falls, Burnet and Llano all see the value in playing each other. We’re all making each other better in my opinion, witnessing what I’ve seen not just this year. Year in and year out it’s been a really good league. I think we all say we’re better for playing in it, so we will host in June and we look forward to that.”

He noted that 5 p.m. “is cooking time” in Texas and believes the players and coaches will be smart about rotations and will pace themselves.

“Kids gotta start getting used to (the heat) and working them into that,” the coach said. “That’s only one workout a week where we’re in that kind of heat. But you have to think about starting to acclimate those kids all the way into August and people go ‘Oh, my gosh, that’s a long ways off.’ You just gotta start getting those kids in that shape, and it’s a long process.”

CAPTION: Senior quarterback Luke Davis calls for the ball as sophomore running back Cole Landers prepares to explode out of his stance.