No. 1 Aledo scored on every drive as the Bearcats chased off the Burleson Elks, 46-6, Friday night in a District 5-5A, Division II football game at Bearcat Stadium.
The win raises the Bearcats’ overall mark to 6-0 and 4-0 in district play. It was also the state-record 79th consecutive district win for Aledo.
Bearcats head coach Steve Wood was more than pleased with the AHS offense, which for the second week in a row did not need to punt. Aledo found the end zone on all seven possessions.
“I feel we came out and executed; I thought we played pretty well,” Wood said. “We were playing fast and executing on offense, and I would hate to be the defensive coordinator going against our offense.
“On defense we got after them. They had a couple of long drives, but we held them to field goals. They never scored a touchdown, and anytime you do those kind of things you have to be happy.”
After forcing Burleson on a three-and-out punt to begin the game, it took just five plays for Aledo to find the end zone. Jase McClellan carried three times for 20 yards on the drive, which he concluded with a sweep to the left side for a two-yard touchdown.
Harper Smith booted the extra point for a quick 7-0 lead.
After forcing another punt, the Bearcats went to the air to move toward their second touchdown in as many possessions. Quarterback Jake Bishop completed four passes in a nine-play drive that covered 68 yards.
Bishop started the drive with an 18-yard strike to receiver Jo Jo Earle that advanced the ball to the 50. Later in the drive two receptions of 15 and eight yards by Earle brought the Bearcats to the Burleson 10. On the next play, McClellan blasted off right tackle for 10 yards and a score with 3:04 remaining in the opening quarter.
Smith tacked on the extra point to increase the Aledo advantage to 14-0.
After forcing a third Elks’ punt, Aledo marched 61 yards on 10 plays, ending with a 14-yard TD run by McClellan. On the play, McClellan broke two tackles before running into a pile, but somehow escaped the clutches of the Burleson defenders and twisted into the end zone.
With 7:32 left in the quarter the extra point failed as Aledo led 20-0.
Burleson came back with a 14-play drive – converting a pair of third-down plays to keep the chains moving – before settling for a 23-yard field goal by Edgar Zaragoza to cut the hosts’ lead to 20-3 with 2:10 remaining in the half.
It was too much time to leave for Bishop and the ‘Cats.
On two impromptu scrambles, Bishop gained nine and three yards to move the pigskin to the Burleson 42. On the next play, Tre Owens – giving McClellan a breather – took a hand off of left tackle and broke two tackles before twisting and turning around three more would-be tacklers and sprinting into the end zone to complete a 42-yard touchdown run with 42 seconds left in the half.
Smith’s Pat gave Aledo a 27-3 lead, where it remained at the half.
McClellan rushed 14 times in the first half for 81 yards and three touchdowns. Bishop completed seven of 10 passes in the first half for 94 yards, and Earle led the Bearcats with three catches for 41 yards.
In the third quarter McClellan put the game away. On the second play of the period, the big junior sprinted through a big hole off right tackle, cut to the right sideline, broke a tackle and fled down the sideline, stiff-arming a would-be tackler at the BHS 5 before scoring his fourth touchdown of the game.
Smith added the PAT to extend the lead to 34-3.
On their ensuing possession the Elks almost reached the end zone late in the third quarter, using an 11-play drive to move 66 yards with the drive ending on an incomplete pass on fourth and goal from the AHS 3.
The Bearcats responded with another TD drive, sparked by a 47-yard run by McClellan, who broke five tackles on his way to the BHS 15. Two plays later, McClellan crossed the goal line for the fifth time on a three-yard blast up the middle with 1:03 left in the third quarter.
McClellan would finish with 20 carries for 213 yards and five TDs.
The PAT kick failed as Aledo enjoyed a 40-3 advantage.
Burleson, on its next possession, got the ball on its own 35 and followed with an 11-play drive that ended on a 27-yard field goal by Zaragoza that cut the Bearcats’ lead to 40-6.
Aledo closed the scoring on a 10-yard keeper by quarterback Hampton Fay, his first-ever high school varsity TD, to increase the lead to 46-6.
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