Let's try the glass-half-full approach this week
Jeremy Heath

Just call me Pollyanna.

Right now, my glass is half full of the lemonade I chose to make from the lemons I saw last Friday night in the Badgers' 48-21 loss to Burnet.

Forget the bone-headed ejections. Forget the firsthalf offensive futility. Forget the porous run defense. (OK, don't forget the porous run defense. Even Pollyanna can't overlook something that important.) Forget the fact that Burnet had some second-teamers on the field late.

The important thing, and I truly believe this, is that for the first time this year, I saw a bunch of kids in Blue and White playing pretty good football -- and having a little fun doing it. Forget that it took those kids three quarters to start doing it. The point is they did it.

Now, though, the bar is set a little higher. The Badgers have shown they can make some plays against an excellent football team. But can they make two, three or four quarters worth of good plays against an excellent football team?

They'll need to this week.

Austin Lake Travis is, without a doubt, an excellent football team, and it will take four quarters of fearless, loose, yet fundamentally sound football for the Badgers to make a game of this on the road. It also will take some Lake Travis mistakes, but that hypothetical situation is out of the Badgers' control, so there's no use wasting time worrying about it.

What the Badgers do have control over is their demeanor on the field. If they walk out there worried about making mistakes (as they did in the first three quarters of the Burnet game), they'll play tentatively and more than likely get drummed.

If they walk out onto the field relaxed and confident in their ability to execute the game plan (as they did in the fourth quarter last week), well ... you just never know.

And why shouldn't they be loose? At this point in the season, what have they got to lose?

Nothing. What have they got to gain?

Oh, how about respect?

I'm not talking about the respect of their peers or the fans or even the community. Those are peripheral factors that should never enter the minds of players. I'm talking about the respect of the guys with whom they share a locker room. That respect is the only thing that can hold a team together in a season like this one.

And when it comes right down to it, sticking together is all that matters. It's the essence of team sports.

These kids shouldn't worry about rumblings in the community about who is to blame for what. It would be like our men and women in uniform worrying about what some left-wing nut thinks of the job they are trying to do.

Think about it: The only difference between constantly questioning the leadership of a high school football team and constantly questioning the leadership of a military operation is the scale. After all, both can have the same demoralizing effect.

I've watched these kids. I've watched how they interact with each other at practices and in games. They're good, strong-willed kids. They'll fight for each other.

And that's what matters.

Let's grade the Burnet game.

Defense, C-Minus: The first poor outing this group has experienced this year had a lot to do with the fact that Burnet had some real big kids up front pushing the front seven around and opening holes. I mean, 400 rushing yards? Yikes!

The Badgers forced just one turnover. Producing turnovers will be crucial against Lake Travis.

Offe nse,C : Th r e equar ter sof quarter of an A grade equals a C.

The running game was pretty much non-existent. The passing game went from brutal to beautiful after Ryder Brown hit Jarrod Bowen on an over-theshoulder, 70-yard touchdown.

Special Teams, C-Minus: A missed extra point and a fumble on a kickoff return get lost in the shuffle of a blowout. But imagine what either of those plays could mean in a tight game.

And that's what tonight's game could be. All it will take is a loose Badgers team and a few Lake Travis mistakes. Stranger things have happened.

Ask Pollyanna.

Jeremy Heath is the Dispatch Record's sports editor. His column appears Fridays. He can be reached via e-mail at jheath@lampasas.com.