Freshman girls having incredible season
Jeremy Heath

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

Originally, I had planned to give props to the Lampasas High School freshman girls' basketball team when -- now, it might be if -- the team's winning streak ends.

But with all the attention garnered by the New England Patriots for becoming the first team to finish the NFL's regular season undefeated since the league expanded the schedule from 14 to 16 games in 1978, I figure there's not a better time than right now.

In case you've missed it, the Lady Badgers' frosh cage squad improved its record to 17-0 on Wednesday with a 52-36 win against Pflugerville Hendrickson.

Sports writers -- even those who practice community journalism -- generally are leery of providing sub-varsity squads with coverage beyond scores and roundups. The thinking behind that reluctance is it can create a public backlash.

Simply put: It's hard to explain to the curious mother or father of a member of the eighth-grade boys' team or the seventh-grade girls' team that the ninth-grade girls' team was worthy of a column but their son's or daughter's team was not.

PHOTO BY RICHARD AKRIDGE LHS freshman Madison Morris scores two of her 12 points in Wednesday's 52-36 win against Pflugerville Hendrickson. The Lady Badgers' win improves their record to 17-0.

It quickly can become an open can of the squirmiest of worms.

But in this case, I'll make an exception and gladly accept whatever degree of backlash this column creates.

That's because what these girls are doing qualifies as truly special. It's hard enough to make it through November without a blemish, much less through December.

I mean, c'mon. Seventeen wins to zero losses. And that includes championship trophies from the Killeen Shoemaker Tournament Nov. 16-17 and the Llano Tournament Dec. 6-8.

That's 17 times this team has hit the floor and found a way to win, whether or not the team was performing at a high level. Let's face it: Every team, no matter the sport or the level, has some bad games. The ability to consistently win those games shows a rare level of teamwork and fortitude.

"They just play hard and play together," LHS freshman coach Jimmie Cain said.

"They have a lot of confidence in themselves, and they don't care who scores as long as it's someone. They just have fun and enjoy playing the game."

What will be most interesting to watch is whether this group can maintain those two qualities for the next three years. If these girls can translate their winning ways to the junior varsity and varsity platforms, LHS head coach Mitzi Lancaster will be licking her chops to coach these girls.

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For right now, Lancaster will have her mind in a much more important place.

The girls' varsity coach gave birth to her son Tuesday night in Georgetown. He was due in March.

In talking to assistant coach Stuart Beckwith and Athletic Director Joey McQueen, the little guy is doing well and will -- by routine -- be kept in the hospital longer than normal to ensure everything is OK before he is released.

My prayers and every bit of positive energy I can muster are with Lancaster and her family.

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For those fans who caught the LHS boys' junior varsity game against Hendrickson on Tuesday, the gentleman on the Hendrickson bench who looked like he could have played in the NFLactually did.

Hendrickson assistant Earl Cooper was a running back and tight end for the San Francisco 49ers from 1980-85. He helped Bill Walsh's Niners win Super Bowls XVI and XIX.

The 1984 team that won Super Bowl XIX is considered one of the best in league history. But even it couldn't match what the Lady Badgers' freshman team is attempting to do. The '84 Niners finished the regular season 15-1. Wins against the Washington Redskins and Chicago Bears in the playoffs and the Miami Dolphins in the Super Bowl ran their total record to 18-1.