Playoff trek starts today; Temple opens journey against upstart Willis

 

Both the Temple Wildcats and the Willis Wildkats know the pain of final-minute heartbreak.

Last December, fourth-ranked Temple led No. 1 Aledo 45-42 in the Class 5A Division I state championship game before a touchdown run with 47 seconds remaining lifted the Bearcats to a 49-45 victory that denied the Wildcats their first state title since 1992.

Six weeks before that, Willis owned a 13-10 lead against Huntsville in a District 18-5A finale with the league’s final playoff berth at stake, but the Hornets drove to score the go-ahead touchdown run — also with 47 seconds left — to seize a 17-13 win and stop the Wildkats’ season.

Now, No. 5 Temple must terminate Willis’ season on the same field at Sam Houston State’s Bowers Stadium in Huntsville to continue marching toward this year’s 5A Division I state title game at Houston’s NRG Stadium.

Click here to read the entire article in the Temple Daily Telegram