Adrian Henderson turned it into a game-changing play.

"I was running. I saw a little crease and I had good blocking by T.J. (Sholars)," Henderson said of his 33-yard return that set the Tigers up at midfield with 1:44 to go before halftime. "It gave us momentum to punch one in and get momentum going into half."

Belton did just that, grabbing a 7-6 lead on Kevin Thornton's 21-yard touchdown reception. The defense did the rest, shutting out Temple and forcing four second-half turnovers - including Darrius White's game-clinching 49-yard fumble return - in a 17-6 win Thursday night at Wildcat Stadium.

The defense's sound effort helped Belton (8-1 overall, 5-1 District 12-5A) end a three-game losing streak to its rival, clinched the Tigers first playoff berth since 2003 and all but ended the Wildcats' playoff hopes.

"About time," said Belton three-year starting defensive lineman Zac Sakaria, who beat Temple for the first time in three tries. "It feels even better. You beat them. You get a chance to win district, and for sure playoffs for us."

Normally lined up on the strong side, Sakaria was switched to the weak side Thursday in hopes of slowing the Wildcats' tandem of Derrick Davis and Lache Seastrunk. The tactic worked well as Davis and Seastrunk combined for 208 yards on 48 carries (4.3 yards per carry), but Temple (3-6, 2-4) still controlled field possession throughout the first half.

Two weeks prior, Belton was faced with the same situation when it failed to control field position or force a turnover in a 10-0 loss to Copperas Cove.

"He wasn't too happy about no turnovers in the first half," Tigers junior linebacker Tyler Vail said of coach Rodney Southern.

cmeister@temple-telegram.com