Lampasas football is underway for the 2025 season, as the players hit the practice field for the first time on Monday. They have begun preparation for their Week One matchup with Fredericksburg.
There is a lot of excitement every year as the season gets started, but this year feels different because of the significant roster turnover from 2024 and the fact that this could be a pretty young team with some serious potential.
Head coach Troy Rogers said this group of Badgers has not focused on what they lost from a season ago and instead is excited they all get their shot at playing now.
“Our young guys are good,” Rogers said. “We’re going to have probably several sophomores on varsity, where last year I don’t know if we did … last year we were so seniorheavy that we didn’t bring up a lot of young people. But this year, we are bringing up young people and just to get them in the mix together, learn how to communicate together, learn how to compete together, lean on each other.
“I think we’ve got those types of players that are more bought in to the team vibe more than the individual vibe …,” the coach said. “I really like the way these guys work together in this infancy of what we’re doing now.”
Rogers added that there is a lot of positive energy in the group, which is important for a team to feel. It enables players to practice and play with positivity. That will help the Badgers, not just early on, but also down the stretch in the second half of the season and beyond.
Rogers also identified potential as something he’s excited about with this team.
“The dangerous word of ‘potential’ is scary, but it’s true. I think we’ve got potential, if we can keep them healthy and put them in the right positions to have a really fun year,” the head coach said.
Over the past three seasons, the junior varsity football team has won the district title twice, and last year they were 20 seconds away from going undefeated and winning the district again.
That success at the JV level has an impact on the varsity the following season, and it absolutely will do so again this year.
“There’s going to be a lot of guys from that JV team that played a lot of football that are going to be contributing and starters on the varsity,” Rogers said. “They’re going to help us be successful, so I think it is vital.”
The Badgers will play the same schedule they did last season, but now with the home games set to be on the road and the road games back at home. The longest trips – and toughest tests – will involve travel to Fredericksburg, Wimberley, Brownwood and Stephenville.
Lampasas will play all 10 weeks of the regular season with no break, as the bye week is placed after the final regularseason game. That off week can be a big benefit if the Badgers find their way into the playoffs again.
A more detailed season preview for the football team and other fall sports, plus thoughts from players and coaches, will appear in the upcoming Fall Sports Preview set to hit newsstands Aug. 29.
