Speed.
It’s the element Temple’s head football coach believes that in 2007 sparked the Wildcats to their first district championship since 1999 and their first perfect district record in 22 years.
With returning players such as running back Lache Seastrunk and receiver/kick returner Tevin Reese possessing track-star speed, it’s the element that Monsen says should give Temple a great opportunity to succeed in 2008 and beyond.
And with the Wildcats ready to begin their month of spring practice today, speed - in the Wing-T offense, in the “59” defense and on special teams - figures to be a prominent aspect of what they’re trying to achieve.
“We’re very blessed with speed right now, and we’ve been working extremely hard on our speed and also our strength,” said Monsen, whose 7-4 Wildcats ran for 3,543 yards - 1,532 by honorable-mention all-state selection Seastrunk, who had 19 touchdowns - in their first year back in Temple’s traditional Wing-T.
“What you get done out of season,” he added, “makes you a better athlete.”
Temple responded from a 1-3 non-district record to run the table in District 13-5A, winning all six games for its first outright league crown since 1995.
The Wildcats’ tremendous turnaround - they were 4-26 the previous three years - didn’t end until the first round of the Class 5A Division II playoffs, when Pflugerville edged them 34-31 in overtime in Killeen.
Because the Panthers then advanced all the way to the state championship game before losing to Katy, Temple believes it might have been only a play or two away from going just as far.
And that defeat continues to motivate the Wildcats.
“We’re not satisfied, and expectations are high,” Monsen said. “We’ve re-established who we are as we try to build a program. The kids are here and the expectations are here. The kids understand what we’re about. They’ve got smiles on their faces.”
After beginning spring ball this afternoon, the Wildcats will work out several times each week - a total of 14 practices - throughout the month. Temple has scrimmages scheduled for May 9, 17 and 23 before its annual Blue-White spring game at 8 p.m. on May 31 at Wildcat Stadium.
The spring practices should serve as a crucial step toward next season, when the Wildcats’ first five games are against perennial playoff contenders Cedar Park and Leander, traditional state power Plano, familiar foe College Station A&M Consolidated in the 12-5A opener and then old rival Copperas Cove, a 4A Division I state finalist the last two seasons.
“Those first five games will make you or break you,” Monsen said. “Your season could really be made if you do well. It’s monstrous.”
An obviously intriguing date on the schedule is Sept. 19, when the Wildcats will host Plano, a 5A Division I state semifinalist last year. Monsen says legendary former Temple coach Bob McQueen has told him it will be “the biggest football game played in Temple since 1992.”
That year, McQueen’s Wildcats beat defending state champion Odessa Permian 20-14 en route to a 15-1 record and the 5A Division II state title, Temple’s second state crown.
The Temple-Plano battle also has historical roots. Those squads of Wildcats met four times in the playoffs from 1978-83, with Plano winning 15-14 in ’78, 16-10 in ’80 and 20-14 in ’83. The lone Temple victory was in 1979, when McQueen’s Wildcats won 19-16 en route to a 15-0 mark and their first state championship.
“Now we get ’em in our back yard,” Monsen said of Plano. “We’ve got 4,500 seats on the visiting side and their coach said they’ll fill it up. I’ll bet you that on Sept. 19, there will not be a place to sit at Wildcat Stadium."
gwille@temple-telegram.com
