PHOTOS BY RICHARD AKRIDGE Badgers' running back Ronnie Branch eludes a defender during one of his three rushes. The Badgers lost to the Hawks Friday night but, according to head coach Joey McQueen, they gained something almost as valuable as a victory.

"I know one thing. There are people in this district that respect us now," the coach said after the 55-23 district-opening loss. "They respect us because our kids are playing like maniacs. They played until the last second, and they didn't give up anything.

"I think they grew a little here tonight."

The Badgers have not won a district game in more than two years, but it appeared the losing streak might be snapped heading into halftime.

After Lampasas fell behind by 12 points at 19-7, Ronnie Branch returned a kickoff to midfield, and the Badgers marched the remaining 50 yards in seven plays. Senior fullback Brode DuBose capped off the drive on a one-yard touchdown run. The extra point trimmed the Hawks' lead to 19-14 with just under a minute left in the half.

Senior Edward Hall picks up a chunk of his game-high 125 rushing yards. Then the unthinkable happened.

After Lampasas received a fiveyard penalty for sending the kickoff out of bounds, the Hawks began the last-minute drive with excellent field position at their own 39-yard line.

On the drive's first play from scrimmage, Hendrickson star running back Kenny Williams received the ball and completed a long pass to sophomore Daje Johnson. To make matters worse, Lampasas was flagged for roughing the passer, and the Hawks found themselves with a first-and-10 from the Badgers' 11-yard line.

Williams needed just one play to complete what he started, as he ran the ball in for a touchdown, giving the home team a 26-14 advantage.

The drive lasted a mere 15 seconds.

"We told them, 'Don't come off your man,' " McQueen said. "They ran a toss sweep pass and, of course, our corner comes up, and they threw it deep and got great field position."

Despite going into halftime trailing by a dozen points, Lampasas found itself right back in the thick of things early in the third quarter.

Aaron Reyna makes a move while returning a kickoff. It took the Badgers just under three minutes to complete a fiveplay, 61-yard drive as Aaron Reyna took a pitch 11 yards for a touchdown.

The extra-point kick was blocked, however, and Hawks junior Tommie Robins recovered the ball and took it 90 yards for a safety to give Hendrickson a 28-20 lead.

"You'd think there would be a letdown [after a play like that], but they didn't," McQueen said of his squad. "I was proud of the way they stayed in the game."

Although the Badgers never threw in the towel, there was simply no stopping the Hawks' ground attack. Led by the district's best rusher Williams and his 105 yards, Hendrickson amassed 288 rushing yards, including 37 on the following drive that ended with a 12-yard scoring run by Williams. It was his third and final touchdown of the evening.

Lampasas found itself pinned inside its own 20 on the ensuing kickoff and, after two plays with no gain, Branch fumbled the ball, and Hendrickson took over at the Badgers' 10-yard line.

Two plays later, the Hawks' lead grew to 42-20 as Brandon Bedford found the end zone for the second time. The senior finished with 83 rushing yards on the night.

The Badgers let another golden opportunity slip through their fingers when they settled for a field goal after Reyna returned the kickoff to the Hawks' 17-yard line.

"We wanted to get something out of it," McQueen said. "We thought that kicking that field goal was the right thing to do."

In the fourth quarter, Hendrickson tacked on two more touchdowns, including a 61-yard Damarion Jackson touchdown run with 3:37 left in the contest.

"[The defense] was probably tired, but I think we'll get in better shape as the year goes on," McQueen said.

After forcing the Hawks' highpowered offense into consecutive three-and-out situations to start the game, Lampasas tail back Edward Hall fumbled and lost the ball at midfield, setting up Hendrickson's game-opening score with 2:47 left in the first quarter.

The Badgers responded when DuBose ran the ball 39 yards down the right sideline for a tying touchdown on the first play of the second period.

Less than two minutes later, the Hawks (4-1, 2-0 District 25-4A) struck back as Williams broke free for a 16-yard score. Spencer Cooper blocked the extra point, however.

Lampasas (1-4, 0-1 district) was forced to punt on its following possession, and Robins returned the ball 85 yards for a touchdown, which gave Hendrickson a 19-7 lead.

Things will not get any easier for the Badgers this week when they welcome the top 4A team in the state, Lake Travis (5-0, 2-0), to town. Although the odds are stacked against Lampasas, McQueen is hoping to slay the giant.

"We're not going to cower down to anybody," the coach said. "I'm ready to shock them instead of being shocked. I feel like I'm getting poked with a cattle prod. I'm ready to prod somebody else."

***

The Badgers' junior varsity (5-0) could not be stopped Thursday night.

At least, not by Hendrickson.

Lampasas posted 20 points on the visiting Hawks before heavy showers rolled through town, ending the game with 8:56 left in the second quarter.

Justin Maldonado opened the game's scoring with a one-yard touchdown run to complete a 10- play drive.

After recovering an onside kick, Lampasas needed just two plays to cash in as quarterback Brandon Scott broke free for a 32-yard touchdown.

Early in the second quarter, Secody Howard took the Badgers' first handoff of the period 76 yards to the end zone. The extra point was blocked, leaving the score at 20-0 before the bad weather rolled in.

The Lampasas freshmen (1-4) lost to the Hawks 6-0 on the road.

Game Stats

Score By Quarters

Lampasas	0	14	9	0 — 23
Hendrickson	7	19	16	13 — 55

Scoring Summary

First Quarter
HHS — Brandon Bedford 35-yard run
(Will Ward kick)
Second Quarter
LHS — Brode DuBose 39-yard run
(Colton Perkins kick)
HHS — Kenny Williams 16-yard run
HHS — Tommie Robins 85-yard punt
return
LHS — DuBose one-yard run (Perkins
kick)
HHS — Williams 11-yard run (Ward
kick)
Third Quarter
LHS — Aaron Reyna 11-yard run
HHS — Robins 90-yard safety
HHS — Williams 12-yard run (Ward
kick)
HHS — Bedford three-yard run (Ward
kick)
LHS — Perkins 31-yard field goal
Fourth Quarter
HHS — Zach Caballero 21-yard run
HHS — Damarion Jackson 61-yard
run (Ward kick)

Team Stats

	LHS	HHS
First Downs	16	8
Rushing Yards	277	288
Passing Yards	42	55
Total Yards	319	343
C-A-I	4-10-0	3-6-0
Fumbles-Lost	3-2	0-0
Punts	3	2
Penalties-Yards	7-65	5-35

Individual Stats

Rushing — LHS: Hall 18-125, DuBose
17-67, Reyna 7-54, Perkins 6-32,
Gabe Terrell 1-4, Tanner Mobley 1-0,
Ronnie Branch 3- -5. HHS: Williams
13-105, Bedford 12-83, Jackson 1-61,
Caballero 1-21, Daje Johnson 3-18.
Passing — LHS: Perkins 4-9-0-42,
Reyna 0-1-0-0. HHS: Matt Renner 2-5-
0-20, Williams 1-1-0-35.
Receiving — LHS: Branch 2-23, Hall
1-15, DuBose 1-4. HHS: Johnson 1-
35, Williams 2-20.
Missed field goals — NONE.