Badger quarterback Whitehead had considered graduating at the end of this semester, but the latest word at press time was that he planned to stay through the spring. He is eligible for one more season of high school baseball. He has earned the interest of Major League Baseball scouts and signed a letter of intent to play for the Texas Longhorns.
Whitehead’s high school football career, by most measures, is the most successful in Badger history.
He threw for more yards in high school than Heisman winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, passed for more touchdowns than Colt McCoy and had more total touchdowns than Cedric Benson.
He was the first four-year starting quarterback in modern Badger history. Along with 11 other players on this year’s roster, he was part of three straight bi-district titles.
In the five seasons before Whitehead’s debut, the Badgers won only two district games. From 2018-2020, they have won every district game but one.
As a sophomore, Whitehead broke Pablo Jass’s school record for career passing touchdowns. As a junior, he broke Troy Rogers’ record for single-season passing yards with 4,259, and the Badgers had a school-record 13 wins.
Jack Jerome has a claim to the best rushing career in Badger history. He finished with close to 4,000 career yards (Saturday’s official team stats had not been released at press time), outrushing the late Johnny “Lam” Jones by several hundred yards.
He hurdled some of the best defenders in the state and is one of the strongest poundfor-pound players in years.
John Long anchored a Badger offensive line that enabled over 500 yards per game on average in 2018-2019 and over 470 yards per game this year.
The LHS Class of 2021 will be one of the hardest to replace.
But the Badgers have several big playmakers eligible for next season, including current juniors Case Brister, Dax Brookreson, Josh Carter and Caden Thrift, and sophomore Ethan Moreno.
Of his whole career, Whitehead said, “the biggest blessing of all is that I grew up in Lampasas, and to be able to represent our community the last four years is something I’m going to hold with me forever.
“I’m just going to remember growing up, from the time that I was a third-grader, I just wanted to be a Badger…,” he said. “And it didn’t really matter the wins or losses that were going on. I just wanted to wear the white and blue.”
Whitehead said his proudest accomplishment in the program is “changing the tradition and making an impact on the youth of Lampasas that’s now gonna grow up and go farther than what we have last year and what we have this year.”
“The biggest blessing of all is that I grew up in Lampasas, and to be able to represent our community the last four years is something I’m going to hold with me forever.”
Ace Whitehead Senior QB/punter/placekicker