After losing all but two lettermen from last year’s 21-10 team, Merkel coach B.C. Lee knew the 2018-19 Badgers would need to do some things differently if they hoped to match the previous season’s success.

With more size on his roster and no proven go-to scorer, Lee’s solution was twofold — slow things down a little bit and get defensive.

Through the first 20 games of this season, that philosophy shift has produced excellent results. Not only do the Badgers (14-6 overall) share the District 5-4A lead with Jim Ned at 4-0, they’ve developed an identity as tough, hard-nosed team that is simply no fun to play.