The Llano High School football team lost to Comanche 34-21 Sept. 6 in the Yellow Jackets' first road game of 2024.
The Yellow Jackets (1-1) will host Marble Falls at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, at Llano Stadium.
"I felt like our kids played really hard," Llano head coach Matt Green said. "We competed for four quarters. At the end of the night, we made a lot of good plays, just not enough."
Llano scored first thanks to a 90-yard kick return by senior athlete R.J. Coplin. Senior Tate Morgan added the point after for a 7-0 lead.
The Indians tied the contest thanks to a 56-yard scamper by quarterback Caden Davis for a 7-7 contest after the first quarter.
Davis began the second quarter by throwing a bomb to senior Manuel Ortiz, who was tackled near the Llano red zone. Senior tight end Kazdon Theford scored from three yards out to give the Indians a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter.
Comanche began the third stanza with a one-yard rushing touchdown by Thedford and a 21-7 advantage.
Coplin caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Luke Davis to trim the deficit to 21-14 with about 5 minutes left in the third quarter.
The Indians responded with a short rushing touchdown by sophomore Ladainian Smith for a 28-14 lead.
Just when it looked like the Jackets were on their way to scoring, they fumbled. Comanche recovered inside their 40-yard yard to preserve the two-touchdown lead going into the final quarter.
Comanche scored on its first drive of the fourth quarter on a six-yard rushing touchdown by Davis for a 34-14 lead.
An Indian interception near the Comanche red zone turned the Jackets away.
But junior linebacker Gavin Hays recovered a fumble inside the Indians' 20-yard line that led to a three-yard rushing touchdown by senior running back Trey Mote to trim the deficit to 34-21.
Comanche recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
Davis led Comanche by completing 14 of 25 passes for 169 yards and with 11 rushes for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Thedford had four rushes for 10 yards and two scores. Ortiz caught five passes for 94 yards.
Mote led the Jackets with 16 rushes for 73 yards and a touchdown. Davis completed 9 of 23 passes for 64 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while Coplin had four receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown.
"Our big lesson is we have to make plays when we have the opportunity," Green said. "We missed out on opportunities on both sides of the ball. We got better. We didn't get embarrassed or whipped. We couldn't make the plays we needed to to win the game."
He noted this game was the Jackets' second of the season and some are still adjusting to all that comes with playing under the Friday night lights.
"We have good players," the coach said. "We need to play some games. We need to be in some really hard games."
Both the Mustangs and the Jackets are entering their contest after week two losses. Marble Falls lost to Jarrell 21-14. With about 1:20 left in the game, Jarrell went for it on fourth and 1 from their 42. After the measurement, the officials signaled first down, which allowed the Cougars to run out the clock.
Marble Falls beat Austin Crockett 56-0 Aug. 30 to begin the season.
"I see them improving on film," Green said. "They're better than they started out. They're a team you have to play well to beat. They're going to play hard. They have some depth, they have some talent."
Marble Falls is led by a pair of quarterbacks -- junior Doak Timmerman, who started both games, and senior Colton Minor, who played in the second half of each contest.
"They both bring a different element to the game," Green said. "They played a good game against Jarrell. I thought they had a chance at a win."
Junior Joaquin Aguilar is the primary running back and senior receiver Kole Becker and senior tight end Noah Lyon are the top passing targets in new head coach Keri Timmerman's version of the spread offense.
Becker and Lyon also play on the defensive unit, which is coordinated by Ryan Craven, who is in his third year in the position. Other standouts include juniors Brody Graham and Gregory Lemon.
"Defensively, they're multiple," Green said. "They're trying to confuse the quarterback. We're going to have to do a really good job of knowing what they're in and what they want to do."
