Temple’s path to the playoffs started with simple conversations and basic relationship-building in the fall. It’s bloomed into a team brimming with confidence that is anxious to prove itself this spring.

The Wildcats (10-19-2) embark on their third straight postseason trip at 6:30 tonight when they tangle with Mesquite Horn (19-11) in the opener of a Class 6A Division I bi-district series with an aim to outshoot those recent excursions. Game 1 takes place in Whitney, with Game 2 set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Glen Rose. A third game, if needed, would be back in Whitney at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

“I know that was a really big goal of ours, was to get there and not just end in the first round,” said senior Champ Mayo, whose team gained new head coach Stacy Largent in the offseason, lost four starters, and returned a core group of upperclassmen hungry to leave their mark for a program that last advanced to the area round in 2017.