Ace Whitehead and the Badger baseball team (11-4-1) were on track for the best winning percentage of their careers before the season ended in non-district. The Badgers’ 2020 squad had eight starters returning from the bi-district champion team, four college commits and Whitehead -- who committed later in the year to the Texas Longhorn baseball team. JEFF LOWE | DISPATCH RECORD
As a junior, Alyssa Ayers posted the strongest pound-for-pound lifts in Lady Badger history. Her best lifts in the 123 weight class were 315 in squat, 205 in bench press and 330 in deadlift for an 850-pound total. She won her home meet with a 205-pound lead over the runner-up and won region, but the state meet was canceled. JEFF LOWE | DISPATCH RECORD
Rice University verbal commit John Long (79) pancakes an Austin LBJ Jaguar as Jack Jerome (22) rushes for a touchdown. Lampasas won 41-20 over LBJ, a state semifinalist team with two Power 5 Conference commits on the team. Jerome finished with about 4,000 career rushing yards. JEFF LOWE | DISPATCH RECORD
LeeAnn Parker -- a silver medalist at the regional golf preview and bronze medalist at the state preview -- won her third straight West Texas Junior Champions Tour (pictured above). She later signed with Angelo State University. Lampasas beat nine-time defending state champ Andrews this fall in a regular-season tournament. COURTESY PHOTO
Joel Allan (86-46) finished with the fifth-best winning percentage in Badger boys’ tennis history. Team records date back to 1999-2000. KENNETH PEISER | COURTESY PHOTO
Luis Acevedo (14), Lane Evans (1), DJ Smart (11) and Alonso Caso (3) converge for a defensive stop against Evant. Lometa reached the playoffs for the first time since 2017 and beat the rival Elks for the first time since 2014. MEGAN LUSTY | DISPATCH RECORD
Steffin McCarter, a University of Texas senior long jumper and LHS grad, hoped to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but they are postponed until July 23, 2021-Aug. 8, 2021. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT | COURTESY PHOTO
Most local athletic teams had a promising start to their seasons, but the coronavirus quarantine stopped spring sports in their tracks.
Others, like the Badger football and Lady Badger basketball teams, saw great seasons end with a tough draw early in the playoffs.
The Lady Badger basketball team entered the new year at 20-4 but slipped to fourth in the final district standings. In the first round o…
