Nealy shines as lead running back for Temple

The ideal running back has good vision and patience, makes decisive cuts and possesses the strength to break tackles plus the top-end speed to pull away and score. Temple senior running back Cavalli Nealy displayed all of those attributes on one play against San Antonio Reagan two weeks ago at Wildcat Stadium. With the Wildcats trailing 17-13 in the second quarter and at their 41-yard line, the 6-foot, 195-pound Nealy took a handoff and ran past the first Rattlers defender. He cut inside the next one then bounced to the right and broke free from a would-be tackler grabbing at his ankles. Two more defenders tried to stop him near Temple’s sideline, but their attempts were futile as he sprinted for a 59-yard touchdown that sparked the Wildcats to a 40-33 win. “I want to say I broke three or four tackles. It was the weight room mixed with a little bit of heart,” recalled Nealy, who as a sophomore rushed for 1,845 yards and 22 touchdowns for Academy in 2023. “Every time I touch the ball I want to score, so I’m going to do whatever I can to score.” That gallop was one of Nealy’s many highlights against Reagan. His 273 yards on 20 carries included a 34-yard touchdown jaunt and a would-be 91-yard TD dash early in the fourth quarter that got reduced to 86 yards after he was penalized for celebrating before he reached the end zone. Described by first-year head coach Chad President as a football junkie, Nealy has rushed 62 times for 485 yards and four touchdowns in his first season as the primary running back for Temple (4-0), which begins District 12-6A competition against Killeen Shoemaker (4-0) at 7 tonight at Wildcat Stadium.

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Temple High School Athletics

NEALY SHINES AS LEAD RUNNING BACK FOR TEMPLE

GREG WILLE

Temple Daily Telegram | 9/25/2025