PHOTOS BY CLAY WHITTINGTON Badgers' head coach Joey McQueen strapped an old trophy from a past playoff victory to his back all week during practice as he prepares his team to make a push for the postseason, beginning tonight with the state's top 4A team Lake Travis. Joey McQueen is willing to try almost anything to motivate his team.

In the past, when his teams have been down, the veteran coach has brought shovels to work to represent how his kids need to "dig their way out" of a hole.

The son and brother of military veterans also has made his coaching staff wear camouflage shirts to show that it was time, figuratively, to go to war.

At another point, he believed his squad could win three consecutive games after starting 1-4, so he purchased shirts that read "3-0."

By the time the streak was over, his staff and players were wearing shirts that read "6-0." His team tied for the district championship that year.

After being signed on as the Badgers head coach before this season, he rounded up his players and had them all write down excuses for why the team amassed an 0-20 record over the previous two years. The pieces of paper were thrown into a trash can, and he then had his players pulverize the can -- and the excuses -- with a baseball bat.

Vann Millican will start tonight's game against Lake Travis because starter Colton Perkins missed some earlyweek practices due to illness. Last week, McQueen pulled another trick out of his hat.

"[I put] three things in a box," McQueen said. "The first was a flat football which represented how people respected us in our district, which is not much. The second was a regular ball filled with air that showed how the town's people are supporting us and that they do believe in us.

"The third thing was one of our gold football [trophies] that we received back in 1998 for winning the bi-district championship game, and that represents what we think it's going to take to make it to the playoffs."

So his team will not forget, McQueen manufactured a strap and has been wearing the trophy on his back all week during practices.

"Whether we make the playoffs or not, we're going to believe we can," the coach said.

It might seem a bit odd to some, but McQueen does not care. He has one goal: to win.

And he will do anything to whip his kids into a frenzy for the game.

Tonight, the Badgers (1-4, 0-1 District 25-4A) will need all the motivation they can find as they host Lake Travis, the No. 1 Class 4A team in the state.

The Cavaliers have not lost a game since 2007, winning back-toback state championships.

This year, they are well on their way to a third title, with an undefeated record of 6-0 (2-0 district) coming into Badger Stadium.

The high-flying Cavaliers are averaging 52.2 points per game (55 ppg in district) behind the strong arm of quarterback Michael Brewer.

In his first year as a starter, the junior has completed 109 of 147 passes for 1,963 yards and 19 touchdowns.

The Badgers, on the other hand, sport the district's third-best rushing game, averaging 284.4 yards per contest and 19.6 points per game.

Lampasas also owns the district's third-best pass defense, giving up 764 yards in five games.

The Badgers will look to keep the ball out of the Cavaliers' hands with their ground-based attack. By limiting the visitors' touches, McQueen hopes to reduce their scoring and avoid a shootout.

While snapping Lake Travis' 30- game winning streak will be difficult, McQueen knows nothing is impossible on the football field.

"We know they're good. They're the No. 1 team in the state, and they deserve to be that," the coach said. "But they are playing us at our field, and we're going to show up. That's the bottom line."

The Badgers will have a different look when they take to the turf tonight.

Starting quarterback Colton Perkins missed some practices earlier in the week due to illness, and McQueen does not allow players to start if they miss practice.

While Perkins is expected to play at some point tonight, Vann Millican will serve as the starter.

Millican, a starter in previous years, and junior Perkins were involved in a summer-long battle for the position, and the two began the season alternating every two series.

Then Perkins took complete control, and Millican was moved over to tight end.

Now, his number has been called once again, and McQueen has complete faith in the senior.

"Vann Millican is one of the best young men I have ever been around," the 20-year coaching veteran said. "He has respect, he cares about his teammates, and he'll do [anything] for his team."

McQueen takes the same approach, even if it means wearing a trophy like a backpack for a week.

In the end, the coach knows all the motivational tricks in the world won't win tonight's game.

The Badgers must execute the game plan on the field for a full 48 minutes.

"It's not like this is a Dr. Phil philosophical thing," McQueen said. "We're playing good teams, and we've got to play hard against them. It's not like we'll work on the emotions of the kids; they [already] know that.

"I used to want my teams to get fired up in pregame, but I remember when I was in high school we'd do that and by the time pregame was over, I was tired."