BRYAN — On the first play of the second half, Bryan senior running back Jevalen Wade bounced out of a pack of Temple defenders and raced away for a 66-yard touchdown as the winless Vikings cut the playoff-hungry Wildcats’ lead to 17-14.

As a testament to Bryan’s feisty play on a homecoming Friday night at breezy Merrill Green Stadium, the score remained 17-14 with less than 5 minutes left.

Threatened but not panicked, Temple turned to its best players to secure a must-have victory in District 12-6A.

Champ Mayo fired a 25-yard touchdown pass to Ramauhn Brown on fourth-and-15, Jamarion Carlton and the Wildcats defense forced a key turnover on downs before Cavalli Nealy’s 58-yard TD gallop punctuated his 243-yard performance as Temple staved off the Vikings to earn a 31-14 win.