PHOTO BY BILL MCDONALD In all, 25 Badgers were named to the District 25-4A All-District list with 13 landing on the first or second teams, while two players, Rush Seaver and Aaron Reyna, made it on the AP’s Class 4A All-State list of honorable mentions. Lampasas split the co-coaching staff of the year honor with three-time state champion Lake Travis. The Badgers proved that.

After going winless for two consecutive years, Lampasas turned its football program around in 2009, winning four games under new head coach Joey McQueen and reaching the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

Needless to say, the district took notice and when the all-district honors were released, the Badgers posted 13 first- and second-team selections. The number was second only to the recently crowned threetime state champion Lake Travis Cavaliers’ 16 selections.

“I think what that says is that the other coaching staffs in our district respect what Lampasas did,” McQueen said. “People respected us for the way our kids played throughout the district race.”

Equally important, the district coaches respected the way the Badgers were coached.

Along with Lake Travis, Lampasas was named co-coaching staff of the year.

“We’re very humbled by that,” McQueen said. “This is one of the most memorable years, because we weren’t supposed to do [what we did].

“We felt good about each other, we played as a team, and we improved every week.”

In all, six players made the alldistrict first team.

On offense, running back Edward Hall, utility player Aaron Reyna and offensive lineman Rafael Cazares were recognized. Defensively, lineman Carter Burks and linebacker Rush Seaver made the list. Punter Brandon Abbott made the first team special teams.

Hall was the district’s secondleading rusher with 1,386 yards and 13 touchdowns.

In addition to catching passes and returning kicks, Reyna rushed for 356 yards and four touchdowns behind Cazares and the rest of the offensive line’s blocking.

Nicknamed “The Big Swat,” Burks went solo on 26 tackles and helped out on 33 more. Abbott was the district’s third-best punter, finishing the season with a 33.85- yard average.

Brode DuBose (RB), Dustin Yoho (OL) and Tate Stoneham (C) were named to the all-district second team offense. Zack Carnes (DE), Abbott (S) and Reyna (CB) made the second-team defense. Reyna also was placed on the second team special teams list as a return specialist.

Additionally, a dozen players -- including Michael Shaughnessy, Justin Taylor, Joey Burks, Evan Strickland, Blaine White, Jeff Arevalo, Josh Woods, Cory Carpenter, Eric Sooter, Vann Millican, Zac Bryant and Astin Murray -- received honorable mention recognition.

The team also landed 26 players on the academic all-district list, and McQueen feels certain the dedication to academics correlates to achievement on the football field.

“If making good grades is important to them, then playing athletics will be important to them,” the coach said. “If you’re someone who struggles all the time [in academics] because you’re lazy, then you’ll be lazy in athletics.

“It’s just a direct correlation.”

Bringing home the district’s top honor was Lake Travis’ Andy Erickson, who was named MVP. Killeen running back Michael Cummings received offensive MVP, while Cavalier Quinton Crow earned the defensive MVP.

Sophomore quarterback Zed Woerner of Marble Falls was named newcomer of the year.

The Badgers also received respect from the Associated Press, as Seaver and Reyna were placed on the Class 4A All-State honorable mention list.

“That is just awesome,” McQueen said. “They deserved it.”

Middle linebacker Seaver finished the year with 70 solo tackles and assisted on 66 more, including 10 tackles for a loss.

Reyna, nominated as a defensive back, recorded 44 solo tackles with 28 assists and a team-high three interceptions.

McQueen is proudest of the fact that his players received so much recognition despite many people considering them underachievers after the squad went 0-20 over the previous two years.

“It makes it more worthwhile,” the coach said. “Lake Travis has [a lot of pure talent], but I have never had a team like that.

“I’ve had three or four good athletes, but the rest are overachievers, and that’s what made this such a memorable year. God puts me in places with kids that you have to mold, and it might be because I was that type of kid.

“It just makes you feel better [to turn around a team], and that’s what brought our town together. Hopefully, we will continue that.”