Dillos show fight hosting Llano in 48-18 loss

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  • San Saba High School varsity football junior wide receiver, Tyler Johnson (2), attempts to break tackles on Friday, September 17th, during the Dillos’ 48-18 loss to Llano High School at Rogan Field.
    San Saba High School varsity football junior wide receiver, Tyler Johnson (2), attempts to break tackles on Friday, September 17th, during the Dillos’ 48-18 loss to Llano High School at Rogan Field.
  • San Saba High School varsity football senior running back, Wesley Lackey (10), runs the ball on Friday, September 17th, during the Dillos’ 48-18 loss to Llano High School at Rogan Field.
    San Saba High School varsity football senior running back, Wesley Lackey (10), runs the ball on Friday, September 17th, during the Dillos’ 48-18 loss to Llano High School at Rogan Field.
  • San Saba High School varsity football junior quarterback, Lance Taylor (3), throws the ball downfield.
    San Saba High School varsity football junior quarterback, Lance Taylor (3), throws the ball downfield.
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Despite being without a few key players, the shorthanded San Saba High School varsity football team held its own on September 17, as the host Armadillos fell 48-18 to the Llano High School Jackets at Rogan Field.

Quickly down 13-0 in the first quarter, the Dillos’ offense finally got going with an impressive drive engineered by junior quarterback Lance Taylor. On a great throw from Taylor along the San Saba sideline, Dillos senior wide receiver Drake Bryant made a fantastic leaping catch for a 24-yard gain that crossed midfield and into Llano territory. San Saba would again gain more first-down yardage on a screen pass from Taylor to senior running back Wesley Lackey. However, following a nine-yard gain on a screen pass from Taylor to junior fullback Tegen Saiz, the drive stalled as San Saba was unable to convert a fourth-and-one conversion.

With Llano getting the ball back and driving again on offense, San Saba trailed 13-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Following a third touchdown with 8:44 left in the second quarter, the Dillos trailed the Jackets by a 20-0 margin. However, San Saba was able to get right back in the game when Taylor connected on a pass over the middle to junior wide receiver Tyler Johnson that got the Dillos past midfield and into Jackets territory. After a defensive pass interference call got the Dillos even deeper downfield and into a first-andgoal situation, San Saba got on the board with a quick pass from Taylor to Saiz to make the deficit 20-6 with 3:52 left in the second quarter.

Unfortunately for the Dillos, they let Llano drive down the field again and immediately score again to make it 27-6 with 2:27 left until halftime.

Looking to make it a twoscore game heading into the locker room, the Dillos successfully inched closer when Taylor threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Bryant as the Dillos trailed by just a 27-12 margin at halftime.

This would be the closest the Dillos would get as the Jackets would extend their lead to 41- 12 early in the fourth quarter before San Saba would strike on offense again. With 8:55 left in regulation, the Dillos got their final points of the night with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Taylor to a leaping Johnson in the endzone.

In the loss, Taylor put up some pretty solid numbers on the evening with 26-of-41 passing attempts for 260 yards through the air, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. Johnson had nine catches for 99 yards receiving and a touchdown, while Bryant had six receptions for 64 yards and also caught a touchdown.

Although the shorthanded Dillos had quite a bit of trouble as a team stopping Llano’s rushing attack, they held in there throughout the night. San Saba junior linebacker Zuri Herrera led all defenders on the night with a whopping 17 tackles, while senior safety Reagan Mejia made 14 stops of his own.

Next on their schedule, the Dillos will conclude their nondistrict slate of games on the road at 7:30 p.m. on September 24 when they travel to take on Dublin High School. Following a much-needed bye week on October 1, San Saba (0-4 record in 2021) will have its annual rivalry game on October 7, against 2A-1 District 4 foe Goldthwaite High School at neutral site Gordon Wood Stadium in Brownwood.

Be sure to check out next week’s edition of the San Saba News & Star for more updates on Dillos and Lady Dillos varsity athletics. Sports editor Andrew Salmi can be contacted via email at salmi.courier@gmail. com or by cell phone at (818) 645-1115.