MARBLE FALLS—Llano High’s 7-on-7 team is going to know as much about the Mustangs as Todd Dodge does once this summer league is over. Some might wish it to be 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

The teams got together in Marble Falls once again, June 5, and the hosts won all three games. The finale was close, as the Jackets lost 20-13.

You’re more than welcome to keep asking who the starting quarterback will be, and I’ll tell you his name is Michael Richardson. Oh, sorry, you meant for Llano. I don’t know, and neither does head coach Craig Slaughter, but he has patiently told me that about 16 times already.

He did note that the decision between senior Rhett Brooks and junior Layton Rabb may occur after the first scrimmage in August. Despite some setbacks in the final scores, both have done a pretty good job in the 7-on-7 games.

“They bring different skills to the table,” Slaughter advised. He likes to call this a luxury—having twin QBs—but things might be more luxurious if one would jump out of the bachelor party cake and provide an easy answer. Don’t bet on that—the cake or the easy answer.

Rabb’s first touchdown pass at Marble Falls went to Brooks in a 27-6 loss. Rhett completed six throws on the length-of-the-field, 45-yard drive for a score in Game 2. Wil Siegenthaler and Cassidy Pitcox caught two balls each; Layton grabbed one, and Isaac Hutto collected the scoring toss. 20-7 was the last reading—Richardson, formerly of Salado, directing the Marble Falls attack.

It was Rhett to Erich Burch for a TD in the third game and Rabb to Deven Mayne. Llano owned a 13-12 advantage, but Richardson had one winning end zone destination left.

“Switching us in and out on the series isn’t too bad,” advised Rabb. “I’m ready to do whatever the coach and the team want me to do,” he asserted, in answer to a question about playing another position if Brooks is named starting quarterback.

The Shuttle Program: “I don’t anticipate doing this,” declared Slaughter, who added he never has in more than a hundred games as a head coach. “Don’t slam the door on that,” the new Llano resident pointed out, but not with a lot of enthusiasm.

In defense of: “The guys are getting better every day,” defensive coordinator Clint Easley stated. In the no-tackle summer game, seven in the secondary guard five receivers. “I’m encouraged; it’s going to be good.”

Slaughter emphasized, “I don’t like those one-play drives (40-45- yard passes for touchdowns). I don’t care if it’s 7-on-7 or seventh grade. Our goal is to make the other team work, but not succeed, to move the ball down the field.”

Easley: “We have a long way to go; we’ve worked more for Friday Night Football than 7-on-7. This won’t be the death of us.

“I want the kids to have confidence. You can’t worry about anything else.”