Sports
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
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LAMPASAS DISPATCH RECORD
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Badgers win district, erasing 14-0 deficit BY JEFF LOWE DISPATCH RECORD
BI-DISTRICT REMATCH
The Badgers faced more competition in the first quarter Friday than they have nearly all season. Fredericksburg raced ahead 14-0, but Lampasas rallied to take the district title with a 47-35 road win. The Badgers proved they can regain composure after errors and win close ones as well as blowouts. Six of their regularseason wins had been by 32 points or more. Earning the district’s top spot gives Lampasas a bi-district match-up Friday against Brazosport at Shelton Stadium in Buda. Quarterback Ace Whitehead threw six touchdown passes and gained 408 total yards for the Badgers against Fredericksburg. “Coach always preaches, ‘Adversity and chaos is gonna strike through the course of a game,’ and throughout the season we haven’t had much,” Whitehead said. “But for it to show up in the district championship game in the first two series, and then we overcome that, I think that’s just credit to how good we really are as a football team.” Whitehead reached 3,067 total yards on the season. Three of his touchdown passes were to Mike Murray, two to Jaylon Porter and one to Cameron Everts. Lampasas’ first two drives ended in three-and-outs and just one completion. The Billies scored on their first offensive play and led 14-0 less than five minutes into the game. “Of course, we’ve got to fix that…,” Whitehead said. But as for the comeback, overall, “looking back on this, that’s gonna be a defining moment for us.” Fredericksburg’s quarterback Tucker Elliot produced five touchdowns, 313 total yards, and also made four tackles on defense. Fredericksburg’s stout offensive line also shielded him from the aggressive Badger defense. Lampasas put the brakes on the Billies’ offense in the second quarter, forcing a fourth-down incompletion, a fumble and a safety. The turnover on downs came deep in Badger territory, with Dax Brookreson and Clayton
Lampasas (9-1, 5-0 in district) will face the Brazosport Exporters (6-4 overall, 3-3 in district) Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Shelton Stadium in Buda. The address is 4800 Jack C Hays Trail, Buda, TX 78610. The host school, Hays Consolidated, has a “clearbag policy” prohibiting most backpacks, purses, folding chair bags and other tinted bags. Bags are subject to inspection prior to entry. Accepted items include clear tote bags, one-gallon plastic freezer bags, clear bags with a logo, clutch purses smaller than 5.5” x 8.5” and wallets. Tickets are $8 per adult and $6 per student. Lampasas is the home team. The Badgers beat Brazosport last year in the bi-district playoffs, 42-35. The Exporters are fourth in their district: 13-4A Div. I. Shelton Stadium has a capacity of about 8,600 and an artificial playing surface.
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Owen Seaver (50) makes a fourth-quarter sack on Friday, despite a hold by a Fredericksburg lineman.
Bever covering the intended receiver. Later, Daunte Cuffie made one of the team’s two sacks in the game, forcing a punt. Fredericksburg had a bad snap on the punt. The punter scooped up the loose ball near the two-yard line and scrambled. He threw the ball away with Koby Allen bearing down in the end zone, and the intentional grounding call resulted in a safety. The Badgers’ third safety in district play, and their only one of the night, put Lampasas ahead 16-14. “We just had to settle down…,” Allen said after the game. “We busted some coverages. Sometimes they just made a good catch.” His safety was one of the biggest turning points in the game. “We were all playing for each other,” Allen said, and “our defensive line was doing great.” While the Badger offense continued to roll most of the game, penalties came into play
a few times. After two flags against them on a single play, they faced first and “halfway to Luckenbach,” 36 yards from the first-down marker. Defensive Coordinator Sam Waldrip said the Badgers “came out flat,” but around their third defensive series “we realized what we needed to do.” Lampasas scored 23 unanswered points with Whitehead’s touchdown passes to Porter and Murray, and Allen’s safety. Both teams scored a touchdown pass in the last minute of the half. Everts made his 42-yard reception on a single-play drive with 17 seconds left in the half. Lampasas brought a 30-21 lead into the break. Most other weeks, Elliot’s dual-threat attack would have carried the Billies to victory, but he couldn’t match the Badgers’ passing game. Whitehead and Murray connected for two more touchdowns in the second
Troy Rogers with an icy Gatorade cooler. Rogers couldn’t help but smile despite the cold. “Football’s fun, and winning’s fun…,” he said. “These kids deserve it, and
half, and Whitehead’s 30-yard field goal helped Lampasas hold the lead the rest of the game. To celebrate their first district title since 2011, players soaked head coach
Lampasas Fredericksburg
Q1
7 14
Q2 23 7
Q3 Q4 FINAL 10 7
7 7
47 35
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter FRED - Tucker Elliot 35-yard pass to Judson Beard (Aaron Cordero-Rojas kick) 10:55 FRED - Elliot 3-yard pass to Jarrett Beard, (Rojas kick) 7:39 LAM - Ace Whitehead 10-yard pass to Jaylon Porter, (Whitehead kick) 4:53 Second quarter LAM - Whitehead 48-yard pass to Mike Murray, (Whitehead kick) 9:43 LAM - Koby Allen safety 7:39 LAM - Whitehead 22-yard pass to Porter, (Whitehead kick) 2:40 FRED - Elliot 12-yard pass to Judson Beard, (Rojas kick) 0:38 LAM - Whitehead 42-yard pass to Cameron Everts, (Whitehead kick) 0:17 Third quarter FRED - Elliot 71-yard run, (Rojas kick) 10:37 LAM - Whitehead 30-yard field goal, 6:54 LAM - Whitehead 45-yard pass to Murray, (Whitehead kick) 4:48 Fourth quarter LAM - Whitehead 6-yard pass to Murray, (Whitehead kick) 7:31 FRED- Elliot 8-yard pass to Jarrett Beard (Rojas kick), 2:23
Jaylon Porter (5) scores his second receiving touchdown of the night.
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they’ve worked hard for it.” Adding to the excitement was the huge crowd of fans who made the 180-mile roundtrip drive. “Speaking for the team, I want to give a big shoutout to the fans,” Whitehead said. “The community’s supported us. Without them, I don’t think we win this game tonight.”
TEAM STATISTICS LAM FRED
Total yards 481 389 Rushes-yds. 27-164 36-252 Passing yds. 317 137 Comp-att-Int. 21-32-0 12-25-0 Punts-avg. yds. 4-38.3 6-28.7 Fumbles lost 0 1
INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS Passing: Ace Whitehead 2132, 317 yds., 6 TD, 0 INT Rushing: Whitehead 12-91 Jack Jerome 9-46 Receiving: Mike Murray 8-134, 3 TD Jaylon Porter 7-95, 2 TD Cameron Everts 2-42, 1 TD Brenton Webb 3-32 Tackles: Koby Allen 10 Case Brister 10 Tackles for loss: Dustin Engdahl 1 Isaiah Rhodes 1 Sacks: Owen Seaver 1 Daunte Cuffie 1 Fumbles forced: Seaver 1 Fumbles recovered: Rhodes 1
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LAMPASAS DISPATCH RECORD
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
DAVE CAMPBELL’S TEXAS FOOTBALL RANKINGS - 4A DIVISION I 1. Argyle Eagles (10-0) 2. Carthage Bulldogs (10-0) 3. La Vega Pirates (9-1) 4. Decatur Eagles (10-0)
beat Celina 30-13. beat Kilgore 49-11. beat Gatesville 59-0. beat Gainesville 49-12.
6. Lampasas Badgers (9-1) 7. Springtown Porcupines (9-1) 8. Brownwood Lions (9-1) 9. Beeville Jones Trojans (10-0) 10. Andrews Mustangs (9-1)
beat Fredericksburg 47-35. beat Burkburnett 61-7. beat China Spring 41-14. were off. beat Seminole 35-20.
5. Dumas Demons (10-0)
beat Hereford 45-13.
The previous No. 6 team, Needville (8-2), fell from the rankings after a 49-0 loss to unranked Sealy to end the regular season.
Cornish named first team all-district JESSICA MALDONADO | DISPATCH RECORD
Lometa junior Enrique Prado (4) takes a handoff from Corbin Cline (15) in Friday’s 33-22 loss to Zephyr. Also pictured is Luis Acevedo.
Prado competes in state meet, football finale BY JEFF LOWE DISPATCH RECORD
Enrique Prado scored multiple touchdowns in the Hornets’ season-ending 33-22 loss at Zephyr on Friday. A few hours later, he raced in the 1A state cross country meet for the second year in a row. Prado placed 35th out of 147 runners with a 5K time of 17:31. The state meet in Round Rock started at 9 a.m. after the long trek to Zephyr had ended Lometa’s football season with a 3-7 record. “We tried to limit his snaps, but him being a competitor, he wanted to keep playing,” Lometa head football coach D.T. Torres said. “It was his choice that he wanted to play.” Prado was the only Lometa runner to advance to state. In Friday’s game, he scored once on a pass from Corbin Cline and also reached the end zone on a rushing play. Details on Lometa’s other score in game were not available at press time. Zephyr led 25-22 at the end of the third quarter
HORNET FOOTBALL RECAP SCORE BY QUARTER Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Lometa 6 16 0 0 Zephyr 13 12 0 7
SEASON RESULTS W 34-13 over Lingleville L 47-0 to Blanket L 64-14 to May W 56-6 over Mullin L 56-54 to Gorman L 61-16 to Brookesmith W 36-2 over Bynum L 60-10 to Jonesboro L 50-0 to Evant L 33-22 to Zephyr
Zephyr will face Nueces Canyon on Friday. Jonesboro will face Leakey the same night. Evant ended the season at 5-5, 1-2 in district.
before tacking on another touchdown. The Bulldogs (4-6, 2-1 in district) advance to the playoffs as the runner-up, behind Jonesboro (9-1, 3-0). In 1A Div. I, only two teams per district advance. Colby Henry and Anthony Seider, seniors, played their last football game for the Hornets. “Anthony Seider, he played well defensively for us,” Torres said. Prado proved to be “a real, true competitor,” Torres said. Head cross country coach Aurora Reyes said “we got in some really good workouts,”
leading up to the state meet. “I felt like he worked a little harder than usual.” Two weeks ago, Prado earned the No. 3 individual qualification at the Region III-1A meet in Dallas. After Saturday’s race, he said, “I felt pretty good about it, but there was more competition.” A rolled ankle from the night before bothered Prado some on the first two miles of the race. Hoping to place in the Top 10 at state next year as a senior, Prado’s other goal is “be more confident about myself.”
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Freshmen, JV sweep East View in basketball
Allison Bertrand reaches to make a save at the baseline in the Lady Badgers’ 41-36 JV victory over Georgetown East View. Lampasas won the ninth-grade game 35-18.
Senior outside hitter Emma Cornish earned the Lady Badgers’ only spot on the all-district volleyball team. Brooklynne Edgar, a senior libero, was named to the second team. Sophomores Juliana Dwamena and Laurcy Bender received honorable mention. Liberty Hill, the district’s last team standing, was eliminated from the playoffs late last week. The Lady Panthers took most of the top 27-4A awards, including MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. The Lady Badgers went 16-23 in their first season under head coach Whitney Doyen.
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Emma Cornish makes a left-handed kill in her last Lady Badger game, Oct. 29 at Austin Eastside Memorial.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
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East View girls hold on after big first quarter BY JEFF LOWE DISPATCH RECORD
Georgetown East View jumped out to an 11-0 lead and finished off the Lady Badgers 31-23 in the girls’ basketball regular-season opener on Saturday. Lampasas improved defensively after the first quarter. After entering halftime down 20-7, Lampasas closed the gap to 26-21 at the end of the third quarter. Three-pointers by Jessica Ball and Laurcy Bender contributed to the Lady Badgers’ 14 points in the third. The Lady Badgers were 4-4 from the free-throw line in that period. Sophomore Juliana Dwamena led the Lampasas offense with seven points. Freshman Payton Tatum played her first varsity regularseason game. Last year, East View beat Lampasas by nine points in overtime. The Lady Badgers are scheduled to play at 7 p.m. tonight at Kyle Lehman, weather permitting. The Lehman Lady Loboes (1-0) are a 6A team. They beat Austin LBJ 54-25 on Friday.
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Nuckles pleased with offensive output in first basketball scrimmages Lampasas High School hosted the first series of scrimmages in the boys’ basketball season on Saturday. The Badger varsity beat Hyde Park 22-21, then lost to Marble Falls 27-25. Both of those scrimmages used a 20-minute running clock. Then, in an eight-minute live quarter, Hyde Park outscored the Badgers 13-8. In JV action, also with a 20-minute running clock, Lampasas beat Marble Falls 23-8 and Hyde Park 30-17. “I like how our kids handled the varsity side of things, most of them for the first time ever,” LHS head coach Aaron Nuckles said. “Our offense was a little ahead of where I expected to be, and we shot well for so early in the season. However, we did have too many unforced turnovers. Our defense was not as good as I expected it to be and will need to improve quickly for us to be ready to compete and win games.” Weather permitting, Lampasas is scheduled to scrimmage Lago Vista tonight. The regular season starts Saturday at home with a 12:30 p.m. tipoff against Rosebud-Lott.
Vipers win golf tournament at Burnet
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Addison McDonald (24) guards an East View player near the edge of the paint in a 31-23 loss on Saturday.
Lampasas placed sixth as a team at the Viper Classic girls’ golf tournament at Delaware Springs in Burnet Friday and Saturday. LHS shot 350-348--698. Vandegrift won with a score of 294-296--590. Lampasas’ individual results were: LeeAnn Parker, tied for 13th, 164; Kinsley Lindeman, 170; Kirsten Richards, 176; Shaylee Wolfe, 188; and Elizabeth Cross, 208.
Badger JV defends district football championship For the second year in a row, the Badgers won the JV football district championship and finished with eight wins. At home Thursday night, Lampasas beat Fredericksburg 34-20. Lampasas (8-1) was undefeated in district. One game, against Taylor, was canceled due to the weather. Offensive highlights on Thursday included Peyton Underwood’s four total touchdowns. Along with two rushing touchdowns from inside the 10, Underwood connected with Connelly White on a 46-yard pass for six points. He also threw a 10-yard pass
to Cody Hinson for the last score of the night. “Aden Rascoe had 17 carries for 134 yards rushing due to a great night from the offensive line – Conner Keele, Avery Smith, Caleb Brady, Harrison Hayes, Michael Neary, Sosa Sokimi, Wade Davis, Cole Lowery and Caden Melton,” coach Shane Doege said. White intercepted a pass on defense. Rascoe made eight tackles – three of them behind the line of scrimmage. “Ian McKinney had a great night at linebacker with six tackles,” and “Sosa Sokimi had five tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack,” Doege said.
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Ian McKinney (99), AJ Torrez (67), Sosa Sokimi (51) and Ruger Miserlian (6) swarm to the ball on a JV defensive play on Thursday.
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Freshmen end season against Billies
Dylan Sanchez (12) takes snaps in the Badgers’ ninth-grade game against Fredericksburg, while Shea Robinson (51) and Hank Kielpinski (68) block. The Fredericksburg Billies won 28-14 in Lampasas.
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UIL Region 4A Div. I Region Hall of Fame selections announced IV football playoff bracket Garry Milligan, a 1975 Lampasas graduate, and the late coaching legend Rodney Hudson are the newest selections for the Lampasas Football Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was started in 2015, and the Badger Quarterback Club booster organization has overseen the induction of one or more new members each year. The ceremony will be held later at a date that has not been announced yet.
Milligan played defensive tackle for the Fightin’ Texas Aggies, who reached a ranking of No. 2 his freshman year of college. Hudson coached the Badgers to four consecutive district football titles. His 1986 team reached the state semifinals, which is the Badgers’ deepest playoff run, so far. The team added a fifth straight title in 1989, a few months after Hudson’s death.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
BI-DISTRICT, NOV. 14-16 AREA, NOV. 21-23
REGIONAL SEMIS, NOV. 28-30
REGIONAL FINALS, DEC. 5-7
Garry Milligan
Rodney Hudson
Playoff opponents compared Lampasas 9-1 Pass/run ratio: 52.6% pass Points for/against: 522/193 Opponents’ combined record: 39-60 Results/schedule W 63-14 over Joshua W 66-27 over Lago Vista L 31-30 to Lorena W 48-28 over La Vernia W 59-0 over Gatesville W 45-13 over Burnet W 52-10 over Liberty Hill W 56-0 over Taylor W 56-35 over Canyon Lake W 47-35 over Fredericksburg
Brazosport 6-4 Pass/run ratio: 57.9% run Points for/against: 303/227 Opponents’ combined record: 53-45 Results/schedule W 33-8 over Hitchcock W 27-12 over Sweeny L 30-27 to Edna W 54-8 over North Forest W 21-20 over Sealy L 51-17 to El Campo W 35-20 over Bay City L 17-12 to Columbia L 48-35 to Needville W 42-13 over Fulshear
Lorena, the only team to beat Brazosport’s win over Sealy, Lampasas, ended the season the state’s No. 4 team at the at 5-5. time, was a highlight.
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efore the Nov. 8 showdown, Lampasas’ last game in Fredericksburg was Ace Whitehead’s varsity debut in 2017 as a freshman QB. Despite Whitehead’s 200-plus yards in his first game, the 27-13 loss kicked off a 2-8 season. “Me and the offensive linemen were joking about it” last Friday, Whitehead said. “I told ’em, ‘Boys, y’all’ve got to give me some protection. I might get some flashbacks to that year.’ But it’s just good to be out here and play. And obviously last time we were here we lost, and now we come back here today and we win.” The Badgers’ 9-1 record matches the regularseason record they posted
When and how Badger football turned the corner during their last districttitle run eight years ago. 2018 ended a three-year streak of losing seasons and a playoff drought that had started in 2012. “A turning point to me in the program was probably a goal-line stand against Burnet last year right before half…,” LHS head coach Troy Rogers said. “I know it doesn’t seem like much, but I think that kind of kick-started us a little bit. And we had the same thing against Canyon Lake last year. It just kind of motivates everyone, and we saw that we can actually come back, and we can finish quarters and halves.” The Badgers smashed Burnet 56-7 in 2018, ending a three-game losing streak and posting their biggest margin of victory in 43 years. Three weeks later,
they clinched a postseason trip with a win at Canyon Lake. “Of course, the buyin this offseason has been great, the summer conditioning…,” Rogers continued. “They all enjoyed what happened last year, but they felt like they left a little bit, kind of some unfinished business [losing in the area round]. These guys have been on a mission.” Turning points this year included home victories over La Vernia and Liberty Hill. Both of those opponents are down from last year’s dominant performances. But Liberty Hill was the 2018 state runner-up, and La Vernia has more than 20 consecutive playoff appearances. Teams that seemed almost unbeatable not long ago left Badger Field in defeat.
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Daunte Cuffie, Koby Allen and Isaiah Rhodes sprint during a summer conditioning drill led by assistant coach John Rogers, right. The intensity of the workouts, and the number of participants, was noticeably higher than some summer conditioning programs of the past.
DISTRICT CHAMPS!
Order photos from this year’s top moments.
FILE PHOTO
In a moment that Coach Troy Rogers called a turning point in the program, Cameron Everts made this goal-line stand in 2018 at Burnet. Landon Irvin, in background, assisted on coverage.
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