Last Friday night, the fans at Badger Field were treated to an instant classic between Lampasas and Waco University.
The Badgers picked up a 35-28 win over the Trojans in a game where they completely dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, running for 300 yards and giving up only 60 yards rushing on 19 carries to University.
In a stretch from the start of the third quarter through the midway point of the fourth quarter, the Badgers outscored the Trojans 21-0 to eliminate a 21-14 halftime deficit and create a 3521 lead with about four minutes to play.
University would score another touchdown on what was its fourth big pass play of the night. But when the Badgers got the ball back, they were able to keep possession and run out the clock for the win.
Both KJ Reed and Wesley Stephens were efficient and effective on the ground for the Badgers. Stephens ran for 144 yards on 20 carries and the first Lampasas touchdown of the night. Reed racked up 134 yards on 15 carries, and he found the end zone twice during that 21-0 scoring stretch for Lampasas.
After the game, head coach Troy Rogers talked about his team’s effort and execution in the win.
“Last week it was kind of a different story,” he said. “We had a twotouchdown lead, and we knew they would try and come back and they did, but we were able to withstand it.
“Then you go in tonight at halftime, and you’re down, and so that was the talk at halftime that we’re in unprecedented territory, and this is what football is all about,” Rogers said. “You’re going to get put in these situations, and it’s about how you respond. I was really proud of the way they played in the second half across the board.”
Rogers often talks about the need to play complimentary football where all three phases of the game compliment each other and make the game easier for each.
The Badgers did their best job of that last Friday, as they got stops defensively when they had to have them, and they were able to put drives together and score touchdowns when they needed them.
“That’s an extremely explosive team as you can see,” Rogers said of University. “They throw and catch the ball really well, don’t drop a lot of balls … I think across the board we responded well.”
While the Badger offense did most of its damage in the running game, the passing game was very efficient by Bryson Roberts and his receivers. Tripp Stinnett had a breakout game, as he played the most football he’s seen all season. He made three big catches for 71 yards and a touchdown that tied the game in the first half.
The other two catches Stinnett made were for big third-down conversions in the second half on drives that ended in points for Lampasas.
The junior described the feeling of catching the ball in the end zone for the first time in a varsity game.
“It felt like a dream when I was a little kid,” Stinnett said. “I want to thank the linemen for blocking for Bryson [Roberts] and Bryson for giving me a chance after those two drops and trusting me with that.”
Elsewhere in the passing game, Jaden McElwain caught four passes for 38 yards and found the end zone once to open the second-half scoring. And Kayden Van Pelt caught eight balls for 40 yards on the night.
Roberts spread the ball around to his receivers, and the quarterback finished at 16 of 22 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns through the air. This marked a second consecutive week where Roberts kept his completion percentage high and took care of the football in tight wins.
“Every snap that Bryson gets is going to make him better,” Rogers said. “It doesn’t matter what happens on that particular snap. The more he gets, the more he plays the position. He’s just going to get better and better, and luckily we’ve been seeing that progression.”
On defense, the Badgers gave up four long passes that led to the four touchdowns for University. But apart from those four plays, the defense was flying around and making plays all night. They gave up almost nothing in the running game and recovered a forced fumble that played a big part in flipping the game in the Badgers’ favor.
That extra possession the defense created turned into points for the offense and ultimately was a differencemaker in the outcome.
“They have been impressive all year,” Rogers said about his defense. “That bend, don’t break mentality … the way they play together and the way the coaches have them in the right positions, I think it’s just good.”
At the midway point of the regular season, the Badgers are 5-0 with two wins over 5A teams and a win over a championship-level program in Wimberley.
The Lampasas team took on the motto of BOND -- Beat the Odds, Never Doubt -- and the players have largely embodied that motto through five games.
Rogers has been proud of his team through five weeks, while still admitting they have a long way to go.
“I didn’t know what was going to show up in Fredericksburg weeks ago, and here we are,” the head coach said. “We’re five weeks into the season, and every week I just get more impressed with them. It’s an honor to coach them because they are such a good group of young men across the board. They go to work, and they work hard for us, and they’re fun to be around, and they’re fun to coach. So I’m just proud to be a part of it.”
Next up, Lampasas will hit the road for the final non-district game of the season against Lorena.
The Badgers will have a short week, as the game will be played at 7 p.m. Thursday against the Leopards.
