Halftime stats provided a wake-up call. Most shocking was the difference in the time of possession.

North Garland had the ball for 19:37, compared to Lake Highlands, with just 4:43.

Meanwhile, the ‘Cats defense struggled to find their footing, having given up 209 first half yards to the one-trick pony of the Raider offense.

Fortunately for the Wildcats, football games are four quarters long.

Coach Smith and company went to the locker room trailing at halftime for the first time in seven weeks.

“The Raiders have paid you the ultimate compliment tonight,” Coach Smith expressed rather loudly to the entire team in the locker room.

“They’ve shown you some things on offense that we've never seen before, and that means they can’t beat us with what they’ve done all year,” Smith exclaimed.

“So consider it a compliment, make the adjustments and go out in the second half and take care of your business!”

The team clearly got the message.

The ‘Cats defense made the necessary adjustments and came out strong in the second half, stuffing McGhee and the Raider offense and forcing a quick three and out.

Without warning, the third quarter quickly turned into the Desmond Roland show.

Each of the next three Wildcat possessions would end with the junior running back scoring rushing touchdowns of 7, 3 and 8 yards, respectively. Roland would end the game with 4 TD’s and 157 total yards of offense - nearly all coming in the second half.

“Coach got into us pretty good at halftime, and we just needed to execute better,” said Roland after the game.

“The offensive line had some kind of beast inside of them during the second half. I had huge holes to run through, so I couldn’t help but score.”

The Raiders would score late in the fourth quarter to keep things interesting, but Zorn would quickly answer with his longest rushing TD of the year, a 51-yard run that all but sealed the deal on the ‘Cats win.

Just minutes after the game ended, the team received word that they’d be playing Tyler John Tyler in the second round.

Then came news that the game would be played at home, representing an unexpected return to the Boneyard for the Class of 2010.

Senior offensive lineman, Kurt Stadelman, was especially excited to hear the news.

“This a dream come true for us seniors,” said Stadelman. “I thought we had played our last game at the Boneyard, but I guess you never know. It's unbelievable!”

Zorn agreed with his senior classmate.

“It’s really awesome. We didn’t get that many games at home this year, so to be able to get back to the Boneyard for one more game, and to be playing a playoff game against a great team like Tyler John Tyler, is just incredible.”

So, Wildcat fans, this is your chance to see the 2010 Wildcats for the last time at the Boneyard. Come one, come all, and get your tickets early!

Game is set for Friday night at 7:30 p.m.

GO 'CATS!