Even as the on-field losses mounted this season, Temple second-year head coach Chad President has steadfastly said the Wildcats are doing the right things and have a better team than their record indicates.

But when Temple traveled to Belton’s Tiger Field last Friday for its first-ever clash with emerging rival Lake Belton, the on-field result was an extremely important thing for a Wildcats squad that entered 1-6 overall and 0-3 in District 12-6A.

Temple didn’t take its first lead until the third quarter and didn’t grab the lead for good until the fourth, but the Wildcats got two rushing touchdowns from Eric Shelly in the final period while outscoring the Broncos 14-3 to earn a must-have 49-41 victory that significantly improved its prospects of advancing to the Class 6A Division I playoffs for the third straight season.

“Our guys were very excited and very happy for themselves and their teammates to get our first district win, especially coming against Lake Belton,” President said Monday. “And we talked about it last Thursday: ‘You get a chance to set the tone and send a message (in the inaugural game vs. Lake Belton). There’s a lot of guys before you, especially last year’s (senior) class, that would have loved to have gotten the chance to play Lake Belton. That’s what you’re representing.’ We talk a lot about having an impact on your community, and they just made it. It is important.”

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