That’s something they’re looking to change this year.
The Wildcats and Tem-Cats open postseason with bi-district home games tonight.
The District 13-5A champion Wildcats will take on Cedar Park at 7 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium.
A few blocks away, the Tem-Cats, the fourth-place team in 13-5A, host Cedar Park at 6 p.m. at Woodson Field.
Senior-laden Wildcats
ready for playoff run
Entering the playoffs having lost just two games - to Belton and College Station A&M Consolidated - the Temple boys have put together one of the best seasons in school history.
But with a roster chock full of seniors, the Wildcats also know this is their eldest players’ last chance to chase a state title.
“It’s nice to be 20-2-3 and that’s a good season, but we’re not content to be district champs,” Temple coach Matt Corley said.
The key for the Wildcats to win their first bi-district game in three years will be forcing the Timberwolves to play a fast-paced style.
Temple averaged nearly six goals per game in the regular season and have six players - Sean Coles, Ryan Staten, Jeff Pickett, Itai Meki, Logan Nance and Brad Lawrence - with at least five goals.
Coles leads the bunch with a school-record 47 goals.
“I think it’s a pretty even match,” Corley said. “It’s their defense against our high-powered offense and their high-powered offense against our defense.”
Corley said he has reminded his team not to look at today’s game as simply a district winner versus a district fourth-place finisher.
He said his team only needed to look at the NCAA Tournament to see that a lower seed can easily upset a higher seeded team.
The winner of the Temple-Cedar Park game will face either Lufkin or Klein Collins in this weekend’s area round.
Tem-Cats face tough road
in postseason
The Temple girls have been in this position before.
A year ago, they were 13-5A’s fourth seed, facing a district champion to open the 5A playoffs.
Temple (9-9-4) finished fourth in 13-5A once again this season, sending the Tem-Cats to another bi-district matchup against another district champion.
This year’s bi-district opponent, Cedar Park, enters the playoffs with a 16-4 record.
Coming into the game, Temple coach Oscar Bersoza gave his team a list of things it needed to do to win.
Most of important on the list was hustling.
“We’re a hustle team,” Bersoza said. “When we don’t hustle and don’t have a good work rate, we’re in trouble.”
Because the Tem-Cats haven’t scored much this season, Bersoza said defensive effort was going to have to keep them in the game.
“We just have to take care of the intensity,” Bersoza said. “We just have to play like we’re fighting for our lives.”
The winner of the girls game will face either The Woodlands College Park or Klein Collins in the area round.
