Wildcats use big plays to ground Falcons
Hesse throws for 359 yards in 5A semifinal
SAN MARCOS — Foster made the deep ball a regular sight in 2016.
Halting the deep ball, however, is part of what halted Foster’s season.
Temple outlasted Foster for a 31-24 victory Saturday at Bobcat Stadium. It puts an end to Foster’s best campaign with 14 wins and a Class 5A Division I semifinal berth. Foster fell to Temple 27-7 in the regional semifinals a year ago.
Temple quarterback Reid Hesse collected 241 of his 359 passing yards in the second half. He had passes cover 40, 54 and 89 yards in the second half, too.
“They just big-played us,” Foster coach Shaun McDowell said. “They bigplayed us on defense. They hit us deep on some balls, busted coverages. That was the difference in the game.”
Foster (14-1) caught a break to open the second half when Christian Young forced a fumble that Demond Lemon recovered. It led to quarterback Alex Ramart’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Chandler Speights and a short-lived 17-10 lead.
Foster couldn’t do anything about limiting Temple’s big plays.
For example, Heese linked up with Zaccheus Johnson for the biggest play of the game just 26 seconds later — an 89-yard touchdown bomb. Limiting Lamb
Temple (12-3) quickly regained any momentum lost from that early thirdquarter fumble by forcing Foster to punt on its next drive and adding Anthony Jefferson’s 3-yard score for a 24-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Foster used star receiver Cedarian Lamb like he was playing in a video game against Dripping Springs in the 5A Division I Region IV title game last week.
But against Temple, Lamb acted more as a security blanket. When the Falcons absolutely needed a play, they called his number.
Lamb finished with 135 yards and one touchdown on nine catches a week after posting 225 yards and five touchdowns on nine catches.
“That kid plays with every fiber of his being,” Temple coach Scott Stewart said of Lamb, an Oklahoma pledge. “He plays the way champions play.
“He’s going to be special. He’s a Sunday kind of kid to me.”
But Lamb had a quiet second half with Temple paying extra attention to him.
Foster went to another receiver, junior Travis White, to stay in the hunt. He caught an 8-yarder from Ramart to tie the game at 24 with 11 minutes left. White had a 37-yard catch to keep that drive alive, too.
But it became a game of who would blink first. It ended up being Foster.
Temple carved Foster up again for Jefferson’s 2-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal. Temple’s Ben Norman picked off Ramart’s pass on the ensuing drive.
“When two amazing teams go against each other, it’s always a battle,” Ramart said. “People who make less mistakes come out on top. Today, Temple made less mistakes.”
Foster did get two big stops on defense down the stretch, giving its offense a chance to tie the game in the final seconds. Costly fumble at end
That final drive, which started with 1:31 left, was wild.
Ramart rediscovered Lamb on a few throws — the last one of the game being the most noteworthy. Ramart found Lamb for 13 yards to the Wildcats’ 3-yard line with five seconds remaining, but Temple’s Ashton Logan knocked the ball loose and Norman recovered.
Temple’s last three playoff wins might be as impressive as anyone’s.
The Wildcats beat a stout Port Arthur Memorial team and in consecutive weeks, topped arguably Houston’s two best Class 5A teams all year — Manvel and Foster.
Temple draws Highland Park in the 5A Division I title game.
All things considered, Foster heads into the offseason at its peak as a program. McDowell is 40-9 at the helm.
“Our plan is to be here next year and be around for a long time at Foster,” McDowell said.