But for the second time in Temple’s last three games, one final breakaway dash by the opposing quarterback denied the determined Wildcats an overtime victory.
Following a controversial call that stopped Temple’s winning bid in the first overtime period and Chris Winkler’s 42-yard field goal that put the Wildcats up 10-7 in the second OT, Leander’s Taylor Ratcliff charged through the defense on the next play for a 25-yard touchdown run that gave the Lions a 13-10 thriller of a victory at Wildcat Stadium.
“What a great high school football game. That was one of those where the fans got their money’s worth,” said disappointed but proud Temple coach Bryce Monsen, sounding very much like he did after Pflugerville ended the Wildcats’ 2007 season with a 25-yard touchdown run in overtime for a 34-31 win in a first-round playoff game.
“It goes without saying that we’d all have loved to win this game,” he added. “But we lost a great game in overtime, we’re better than we were last week and our kids played hard, so how can you be disappointed in anything? We keep improving and that’s all you can ask for.”
Junior running back Lache Seastrunk rushed 26 times for 207 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown right after halftime that gave Temple (0-2) a 7-0 lead.
However, his second-to-last carry of the night was the one that turned the game around.
After Leander’s Daniel Esparza missed a 35-yard field goal on the first OT possession, Temple took the ball on the Lions’ 25-yard line and used two Seastrunk runs to march to the 11.
Seastrunk then broke away from several defenders on a run to the right side, but as he lunged and reached out for the pylon, the ball popped loose and went out of bounds in the end zone. The closest official ruled it a touchback, stopping Temple’s possession and giving Leander (2-1) new life.
“I still thought his knee hit down (before he fumbled),” Monsen said adamantly, indicating that he believed the Wildcats should have retained possession inside the 5 for second down.
Temple then got the ball to begin the second overtime, but its offense went nowhere before Winkler drilled a 42-yard field goal into a hard-blowing wing to give the Wildcats a 10-7 advantage.
This kick had plenty of room to spare after Winkler’s 46-yard attempt that would have won the game in regulation was on line but landed on the back line of the end zone with 12 seconds remaining.
When the Lions began their second overtime possession, they had rushed for only 81 yards and gained just 208 total yards all night against a fast, relentless Wildcat defense.
But junior quarterback Ratcliff decided the outcome on the very next play. He kept the ball on a run behind the right side of his line, cut back toward the middle, dodged a few defenders and crashed through the remaining ones near the goal line for the touchdown that set off a hearty celebration by the Lions and left the Wildcats in agony.
“I just saw a lane when I saw the backside safety, and I just took off with it,” said Ratcliff, who passed for 127 yards and a touchdown and ran for 70 yards and the winning score. “
“On that last play he just broke contain - we made a minor mistake,” said senior lineman Garfield Hawk, who helped lead Temple’s stubborn defense throughout. “Our coaches are always telling us to focus on the little things.
“As a team we rallied to the ball and read our gaps. We got better as a team. We have to keep our heads up and keep getting better.”
Monsen had high praise for his defense, which kept Leander scoreless for the first three quarters after shutting out Cedar Park in the second half of Temple’s season-opening 28-20 road loss last week.
“Our defense, they played lights-out tonight,” Monsen said. “They proved a lot and just got after Leander.”
Added Leander coach Steve Gideon: “Temple changed defenses on us and did some things we had not seen on film. Coach (Brad) Gunn (Temple’s defensive coordinator) and their guys did a good job. We just kept hanging in there.”
Defense dominated the first half, and any scoring opportunities were thwarted by turnovers, penalties or simply a lack of execution. Seastrunk lost a fumble at the end of a 26-yard run in the first quarter, and Temple also turned it over on a muffed punt.
The Wildcats found their spark right at the start of the second half. Leander’s Jon Henderson returned the kickoff from 6 yards deep in the end zone and raced to his 35, but a big hit by Deleon Patterson jarred the ball loose and D.J. Daniels recovered it at the 40.
After Kane Thomas ran for 8 yards, Seastrunk broke a tackle on the right side and followed his blockers for a 32-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Leander got its passing game going late in the third quarter, and Ratcliff’s 14-yard TD pass to Ryan Atkin on the first play of the fourth made it 7-7.
Taking over with 6:10 left, Temple’s Wing-T methodically drove from its 1 to the Leander 29 with 18 seconds left, but Winkler’s 46-yard field-goal try didn’t have quite enough to cut through the stiff breeze.
The Wildcats will host second-ranked Plano (3-0) at 7:30 p.m. next Friday.
gwille@temple-telegram.com
