An offensive lineman eyes his opponent while junior quarterback Brandon Scott imitates Smithville’s offense and delivers a pass out of a spread formation during Friday night’s intrasquad scrimmage. PHOTOS BY RICHARD AKRIDGE The Badgers put on their pads for the first time and took to the field in front of local football-starved fans Friday night.

But something was missing at the team’s first preseason scrimmage: an opponent.

After completing their first week of two-a-day practices, the players finally got to suit up and hit somebody, but unfortunately they were limited to beating up on each other in the intrasquad scrimmage.

While the full-contact session allowed the coaching staff an opportunity to evaluate the physicality of the team as it competed at full speed, it also served another purpose.

Badgers head football coach Joey McQueen, who referred to the scrimmage as a glorified practice, spent the evening mimicking the offense and defense of Smithville in hopes of preparing his players for the team’s first true scrimmage Saturday night at 7 p.m.

A Lampasas running back eludes a tackler and begins advancing the ball. “That’s when the season will really begin,” McQueen said of the upcoming scrimmage against the Tigers. “Then you know you are having to prepare for different defenses and different offenses, and you are not just getting out there conditioning and running plays.”

The Badgers received a small taste of things to come at the Lampasas High School field Friday as the team’s offense ran 15 plays against “Smithville’s” defense before the squads switched and the defense attempted to halt the “Tigers’” offense.

Overall, McQueen was pleased with the performance.

“It went good,” the coach said. “It was the first day in pads and, of course, they were kind of excited because it was a scrimmage format. We had some mental mistakes, but the effort was there.

“We saw some good things out of our young [players] that we hope will grow up real fast. and the negatives were all things that are easily corrected. I was excited about what happened.”

Defensively, the Badgers prepared for the Tigers’ spread offense, while the team’s offense ran plays against Smithville’s 4-3 defensive scheme -- the same primary formation used by Lampasas.

McQueen was most impressed with his running backs’ explosiveness and his defense’s aggressiveness.

“That’s what you like to see,” the coach said of his defense. “[Defensive coordinator Jimmy] Randolph thinks we will be quicker than we were last year. We might not be as mature right off the bat, but I think as time comes our kids will grow into that.

“When I say mature, I mean making reads and picking up on the intricacies and knowing how to adjust to different offenses.”

The biggest loss Lampasas must overcome is the departure of inside linebacker Rush Seaver, who accepted a football scholarship to Angelo State University after making the District 25-4A All-District First Team during his senior season.

The young defense will receive its first real test Saturday against Smithville.

The two teams will alternate plays with the squad’s first teams running 20 plays each before bringing in the second teams to run 15 plays apiece.

After the first-team offenses and defenses return to the field for 10 more plays each, the Tigers and Badgers will play a live quarter.

Lampasas will travel to Waco for a scrimmage against Waco Connally Aug. 20 before opening the season on the road at Manor Aug. 27. The Badgers begin district play Oct. 8 at home versus Burnet.