The 7-on-7 game was designed to promote passing and receiving skills, but Temple rarely needed to throw the ball last season, rushing for 3,543 yards in its ground-based Wing-T attack.
Because every play is a pass, Wildcats junior-to-be running back Lache Seastrunk - who rushed for 1,532 yards and 19 touchdowns last fall - must be converted to a wide receiver.
And hard-hitting junior linebacker Derrick Davis, who made 95 tackles for district champion Temple, must settle for stopping opponents with a one-hand touch instead of driving them into the turf.
Nonetheless, the Wildcats had a successful run last year in their inaugural trip to the 7-on-7 state tournament and now are ready for their second straight appearance at Texas A&M’s Penberthy Intramural Fields in College Station.
“I think we’re just as good or better than we were last year,” said Temple 7-on-7 coach Craig Marshall, whose 2007 Wildcats went 2-1 in pool play at state and won three games in the consolation bracket to reach the semifinals. “We’re more athletic. These guys have cranked it up a notch.”
Temple is in Pool C of the 64-team Class 5A/4A bracket and will play three games today - against Coppell at 1 p.m., Klein Oak at 3 and Duncanville at 5.
If the Wildcats finish among the top two teams in their pool, they will advance to Saturday’s 32-team single-elimination competition. Otherwise, they will move on to the 32-team single-elimination consolation bracket Saturday.
Belton also qualified for state and is in Pool E. The Tigers will play Klein at 1 p.m. today, El Paso Montwood at 3 and Lewisville Hebron at 5.
Although teams that employ passing offenses might be better suited for 7-on-7, Temple still reaps the benefits of competing in the T-shirts-and-shorts game that uses a 45-yard field and two 20-minute halves.
For one, the Wildcats’ skill-position players - quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, defensive backs and linebackers - remain in good physical condition because of the frequent practices, games and qualifying tournaments.
“It’s a lot of running,” the 225-pound Davis said early Tuesday evening, having already worked up a sweat before Temple scrimmaged Mary Hardin-Baylor players at Wildcat Stadium. “There’s a lot of speed on the field and you have to run people down.”
And because there’s no hitting, defenders such as Davis must adjust their play from the normal physicality of the 11-on-11, full-pads game.
“7-on-7 is very challenging,” he said. “On defense you’re used to reading keys, but out here you really have to get used to the speed.”
On the subject of speed, Temple senior-to-be receiver and kick returner Tevin Reese - a three-event qualifier for the Class 5A state track and field meet in May - certainly is a proponent of 7-on-7.
The slender, explosive Reese made several big plays for the 7-4 Wildcats last year, including an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against South Garland and a 64-yard TD reception in the 34-31 overtime loss to Pflugerville in the first round of the playoffs.
But because of the run-heavy nature of Temple’s Wing-T, Reese didn’t receive many opportunities to catch the ball.
In 7-on-7, however, he’s a prime passing target - along with Seastrunk, A.J. Coulter, Marcus Jones, Drew Shenkir and others - for senior quarterback Jonathan Bane, whose older brother Justin, a former Rogers standout, helps coach the summer team.
“In 7-on-7 it’s all passing, so I get the ball a lot,” said Reese, who says he’s receiving recruiting interest from Louisiana State, Baylor, Texas Tech and Texas Christian. “I get a lot out of it.”
Temple was disappointed not to qualify for state when it hosted a tournament in June, but the Wildcats drove to Brownwood later in the month and beat Stephenville, Early, Austin Lake Travis and San Antonio Clark to earn their second straight state berth.
A year ago Temple won two of its three pool-play games but was edged by Abilene and Houston Cy-Fair in a total-points tiebreaker, forcing the Wildcats into the consolation bracket. They then won three straight games before a semifinal loss to San Benito.
Said Davis: “We went in very focused and played with a lot of heart. It was tough.”
This year, Davis said, Temple has much higher goals than the consolation bracket.
“We want none of that,” he said. “We want to win our pool, and we want state this time. We ain’t no underdog.”
Marshall, a 1987 Temple graduate who played football for coach Bob McQueen’s Wildcats in ’85 and ’86, says he has thoroughly enjoyed guiding the 7-on-7 squad.
“It’s fun, you get to compete, and it’s fun to be competitive again,” Marshall said. “I also hope I’ve been a positive influence for these kids.”
Temple’s other 7-on-7 players are Toravion Belcher, D.J. Daniels, Ryheem Johnson, Itai Meki, Deleon Patterson, Ryan Powell, Michael Sullivan and Matt Wells.
NOTES: Temple is making its second consecutive 7-on-7 state appearance. Last year the Wildcats won five games and reached the consolation semifinals. . . . Belton’s other state trip was in 2000. . . . Georgetown is the defending 5A/4A champion. . . . The title game is at 5 p.m. Saturday at Kyle Field. . . . Gatesville and Rockdale qualified for the 32-team 3A/2A/A bracket and began competition Thursday. The title game is at noon today. . . . Celina is the defending 3A/2A/A champion.
