And by the end of tonight, Temple might find itself in prime position to earn its second straight playoff berth.
But even though the Wildcats (2-5 overall, 2-2 in 12-5A) are plenty hungry to work themselves into that situation, they’ll have to defeat a team that is flat-out desperate to get a victory - the Bryan Vikings.
Projected as a playoff team before the season began, Bryan (3-3, 1-3) likely must win tonight’s 7:30 battle at Wildcat Stadium and then its next two to qualify for postseason play.
“If we want to stay in contention, it’s real important,” said Bryan coach Bob Bellard, whose squad he calls “inconsistent” lost 28-9 at home to Killeen Ellison a week ago. “We have to win out - that’s got to be the goal. We know we have a heck of a challenge in front of us and have to play our best football to beat Temple.”
After beginning 12-5A with losses to College Station A&M Consolidated and Copperas Cove, coach Bryce Monsen’s Wildcats knew they faced must-win situations the last two weeks on the road against Ellison and Harker Heights.
And Temple came up with the goods, beating Ellison in a 49-42 shootout and then thrashing Heights 48-10 last Thursday to get to the .500 mark in district play.
The fallout of A&M Consol’s forfeited win over Belton is that Temple, Belton, Ellison, Killeen Shoemaker and Consol are tied for second at 2-2 - two games behind seventh-ranked Cove and one ahead of Heights and Bryan in the battle for 12-5A’s four playoff spots.
With games against Belton and Shoemaker after tonight, Temple isn’t imposing any must-win pressure on itself.
But because of how well they performed the last two weeks, the Wildcats believe they’re recapturing the form that powered them to a perfect record in 13-5A last season - and that has them eager to battle Bryan.
“We played well last week, and I’m proud of our kids and the coaches,” Monsen said. “Our execution on offense was better, our tackling was better and we probably made our biggest leap in special teams. It was an outstanding performance, so there’s a lot of excitement right now for our kids and our coaches.
“There’s three weeks of games left and it’s one game at a time,” he added. “Cove is out there in front a little bit, but the other seven teams are right there together. We’ll see what happens.”
Monsen is aware of Bryan’s 1-3 district record, but he certainly isn’t downgrading the Vikings - who began their season with wins over Houston Cypress Falls and Leander - because of it.
“Bryan is awfully talented and physical, and we know they’re good enough to beat anyone,” said Monsen, whose 2007 team sparked its perfect run to the 13-5A crown by holding off Bryan for a 21-13 win at Wildcat Stadium. “We’re going to get everything they’ve got. It’ll be tough.”
Bellard and Bryan offensive coordinator David Beal - Temple’s head coach from 2000-02 - were scouting at Leo Buckley Stadium two weeks ago when the Wildcats blitzed Ellison early en route to a 35-14 halftime lead.
And they definitely noticed Temple’s play last week, when the Wildcats’ improving Wing-T offense got 112 rushing yards from new fullback Derrick Davis and two first-half touchdown passes from Kevin Lock to Tevin Reese.
“Right now, it’s the balanced Wing-T, and having Davis at fullback makes them a complete offense,” said Bellard, whose father, Emory, is credited with perfecting the wishbone offense in the 1960s. “They have all three phases working with the buck sweep, trap and bootleg pass, so it’s a different animal.
“With Davis and (junior running back Lache) Seastrunk and Reese, you’ve got three great players making plays. They scare me to death.”
Bryan will counter with an offense paced by senior back Monterrell Washington, who’s rushed for 784 yards and 13 touchdowns but was limited to 43 yards by Ellison last week.
NOTES: At halftime of tonight’s game, Temple will present the 12th annual Craig Bukosky “Wildcat Heart” Memorial Scholarship to a 2008 Temple male graduate who participated in athletics. The scholarship honors the memory of Craig Bukosky, who lived in Temple and died in October 1995, just before his 12th birthday, after a long battle with leukemia.
gwille@temple-telegram.com
