Almost four years later, in their District 13-5A opener and homecoming game, the 2007 Wildcats came of age.
Chase Moore threw touchdown passes to Adrian Reaves-Brown and Daniel Carr and Lache Seastrunk ran for an 80-yard touchdown as the Wildcats built a 21-7 halftime lead over Bryan, then their defense denied the Vikings’ last drive to give Temple a 21-13 victory Friday night at Wildcat Stadium.
Elated Temple third-year coach Bryce Monsen didn’t hesitate to place a ranking on the win that ended the Wildcats’ three-game losing streak and moved their overall record to 2-3.
“During my tenure here, this is the biggest win our program has had,” Monsen said. “It’s a great team win and it’s been a long time, so it feels good.
“It’s always about just getting better and playing hard in games that mean something. We’re learning to win again, and tonight was big in that process. I’m really proud of our kids.”
Following three straight losses in games Temple could have won, senior safety Harry Sheppard said it was a satisfying victory.
“It feels great because we put in a lot of hard work in practice the last week,” said Sheppard, who helped Temple limit Bryan’s offense to 94 rushing yards and 249 total. “We had a real good team effort. We kept our composure and stopped them right there at the end.”
Bryan came in riding the momentum of a 30-27 win over then-No. 9-ranked DeSoto, but against Temple the Vikings (2-3, 0-1) didn’t play up to their usual standards on either side of the ball. Coach Bob Bellard simultaneously commended the Wildcats and took the blame for the defeat.
“You have to give them a lot of credit, and we knew they had the ability to make big plays,” he said. “I don’t know if we played aggressive or inspired from the get-go, and they made us pay. They executed well, too.
“There’s no excuses. The bottom line is we weren’t ready to play tonight and that’s my fault.”
Senior quarterback Moore hadn’t thrown a touchdown pass in the first four games, but his 71-yard scoring toss to Reaves-Brown gave the Wildcats a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter and his 34-yard scoring strike to Carr two minutes before halftime supplied Temple with a 21-7 advantage.
“We’re been working hard on our passing game, and tonight we had vision and passing lanes and plenty of time to throw,” Moore said. “We put together a really good first half.”
After the teams traded punts to begin the game, Moore completed a 16-yard pass to tight end A.J. Coulter on a third-and-8 situation. From Temple’s 29-yard line, fullback Reaves-Brown raced past the linebackers, hauled in Moore’s floating pass down the middle, then cut right and sprinted down the sideline for a 71-yard touchdown.
The first of Chris Winkler’s three extra points gave the Wildcats a 7-0 lead with six minutes gone.
Temple’s defense forced another Bryan punt, and on the Wildcats’ next offensive snap sophomore running back Seastrunk (10 carries, 131 yards) took a handoff, bounced out to the right side and used his splendid speed to go 80 yards for his eighth touchdown of the season and a 14-0 lead with 1:38 left in the first.
Riding the rushing of Monterrell Washington, the Vikings responded with a 79-yard drive that Stan McGruder capped with a 1-yard scoring rumble for a 14-7 score 8:58 before halftime.
But McGruder, who tore up DeSoto for 162 rushing yards, was limited to 23 yards on eight carries by Temple’s swarming defense.
“The key was No. 11 (McGruder),” Sheppard said. “The coaches told us, ‘Wherever he is, he’s going to lead you to the ball.’ We were keying on him.”
Late in the second quarter, Seastrunk’s 13-yard run and Reaves-Brown’s 25-yard rumble set up Moore, who from the Bryan 34 faked a handoff left and threw back to Carr - sprinting toward the front-right pylon - for a score and a 21-7 advantage.
Bryan controlled Temple’s offense in the second half, allowing only 24 yards.
Moore’s first interception of the year gave the Vikings the ball at the Wildcat 12 with 5:10 left in the third, but Temple’s defense stiffened and Bryan settled for Matt Little’s 28-yard field goal.
The Vikes marched to the Wildcat 15 midway through the fourth, but again Temple got tough and Little kicked a 32-yarder to make it 21-13.
Bryan began its final drive from its 37 with 3:09 left, and Garrison Kickham’s precision passing pushed the Vikings to the Temple 16 at the 1:45 mark.
But then he threw incomplete, Cody Monsen swarmed a run by Washington, Patrick Johnson popped Kickham on a run, and on fourth down Stedman Moore and Daquan Dunn drilled Kickham as he threw, forcing a weak incompletion that clinched Temple’s win.
“We had great desire tonight,” said Monsen, whose team will play A&M Consolidated (1-4, 1-0) in College Station next Friday. “These Temple kids have a lot of pride.”
gwille@temple-telegram.com
