TOUGH STRETCH
Badgers play district co-leaders for second week in a row
By JEREMY HEATH Staff Writer

Above: Linebacker Coleton Lucas will help lead a defense that is trying to recover after being beaten on the ground against Burnet and through the air against Lake Travis. Left: Receiver Cole Ball, along with Seth Fry, Aaron Reyna and Jonathan VanLiew, will need to take up the slack if Connally uses double-coverage to eliminate Jarrod Bowen from the game plan. Right: Bowen was limited to one catch for 28 yards against Lake Travis' double-coverage schemes.

It's like finally jerking the lure loose from a tree branch only to have it fly up and stick in your forehead.

Just when you think the tough part is over, you find yourself with another whole mess of problems to deal with.

For the Badgers, the mess of problems comes in the form of going on the road and losing decisively to the best team in District 25-4A, then turning around and traveling to play a team that might have even more physical talent.

Lampasas (0-6, 0-3) will do just that, as it follows last week's 58-14 loss at Austin Lake Travis with tonight's game at Pflugerville Connally.

The Matchup

Teams

Lampasas (0-6, 0-3) at Connally (4-2, 3-0).

Last Week

Lake Travis defeated Lampasas, 58- 14. Connally defeated Burnet, 28-27. Key Players

Lampasas: Linebackers Coleton Lucas, Stephen Eskola and Reese Vann; Defensive tackles Gabe Sanchez and Jesse Tobar; Receivers Jarrod Bowen and Seth Fry.

Connally: Quarterbacks Darius Darks and Jacob Wertz; Running back Justin Mason; Receiver Chase Harper.

At Stake

Lampasas needs to win its last four games to stay alive in the playoff race.

Connally (4-2, 3-0) is tied with Lake Travis atop the district. The Cougars' two losses came at the hands of Killeen Ellison (20-3) and Killeen High (28-21). They have beaten Fredericksburg (16-6), Dripping Springs (23-21), Marble Falls (14-7) and Burnet (28-27).

"Connally has some athletes that are better than what Lake Travis had," LHS head coach Ryan Bailey said. "The difference is discipline. Connally has players who can beat you physically, but they also make some mistakes, commit some turnovers."

PHOTOS BY GABE WOLF

The Cougars are fairly balanced on offense and offer two different styles, depending on which quarterback is in the game. Jacob Wertz is a drop-back passer, while Darius Darks creates more plays with his legs than he does with his arm.

Running backs Justin Mason and Brad Ndubuisi log the majority of the carries, and receiver Chase Harper is the primary target in the passing game.

The Lampasas-Lake Travis contest marked the second straight week the Badgers showed improvement in the passing game. With junior Ryder Brown under center, Lampasas registered 223 passing yards in a 48-21 loss to Burnet and 174 against Lake Travis. Brown completed 14 of 28 passes against Lake Travis, despite a handful of drops by wide-open receivers.

Brown started the last two games because sophomore signal-caller Vann Millican had some staph infection removed from his foot. Millican has been cleared to play, and Bailey said he might platoon the quarterbacks this week.

"Neither one is playing terrible, and neither one is playing great," the coach said. "Both of those kids are working hard to be ready to go, so I'll let their performance in practice this week dictate the rotation."

Both Burnet and Lake Travis rolled coverages to double-team LHS' most explosive playmaker, Jarrod Bowen. It worked for three quarters in the Burnet game, but Bowen caught fire in the fourth period, catching three passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. Against Lake Travis, the receiver was held to one catch for 28 yards.

If Connally follows suit and doubles Bowen, Bailey will rely on receivers Seth Fry, Cole Ball and Aaron Reyna to take advantage of single coverage and whichever quarterback is in the game to recognize where that single coverage is.

Running back Melvin Batiste has carried much of the load in the ground game the last two weeks, but Brode DuBose is also expected to contribute tonight. A consistent running game will be the key to keeping the Lampasas defense -- which spent a lot of time on the field against Burnet and Lake Travis -- fresh.

"We've tweaked the game plan a little bit and plan to go with a little more of the power stuff this week," Bailey said.

The defense allowed 400 rushing yards against a Burnet team that dominated the line of scrimmage. It allowed more than 300 yards in the air against Lake Travis' pinpoint passing attack.

Defensive tackle Jesse Tobar missed both those games with an injury but is expected to be ready tonight.

After tonight, the Badgers play host to Pflugerville Hendrickson (2-4, 0-2), then travel to Vista Ridge (1-5, 1-2) and play host to Dripping Springs (2-4, 0-3) the last week of the regular season.

"Lake Travis is the best team in the district and maybe one of the best in the state," Bailey said. "Aside from Lake Travis and Burnet, we've been in all of our games. In each of the next four games, we'll have a chance to win. It will just come down to whether or not we can execute when we have the chances to make plays."