Bearcats end spring football with spirited Orange/White game

Aledo head football coach Tim Buchanan summed up the Bearcats' annual Orange/White Spring Game Friday morning at Bearcat Stadium when asked what he liked best about the scrimmage.

"Nobody got hurt," he said. "And that is most important."

The freshmen and junior varsity scrimmaged before the varsity, and in the varsity contest both offensive units moved the ball well. Two-year starting quarterback Jake Bishop and junior-to-be quarterback Hampton Fay split time with the No. 1 and No. 2 offensive units. Both directed a touchdown drive on their respective first series.

Starting with the No. 1 unit, Bishop used eight plays to drive 70 yards for a score. But the drive had a little drama. Faced with a third down and 10 at the Defense 29-yard line, Bishop fired a pass down the middle and hit streaking receiver Money Parks, who sprinted past two defenders and into the end zone.

Not to be outdone, Fay - also a returning starting wide receiver - directed a nine-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Fay throwing a 16-yard TD strike to receiver Kevin Andringa.

The next time the first-team offense hit the field, Fay was the quarterback, leading a 10-play TD drive that ended on a one-yard plunge off left tackle by all-state tailback Jase McClellan. The TD was set up by a three-yard sprint by Fay, who stretched for the pylon on the left sideline but was ruled out of bounds at the 1.

The final TD for the No. 2 unit came when tailback Matt Tague scored on a two-yard run that capped a seven-play drive.

The Bearcats Black Shirts also had their moments, ending two drives with interceptions, the latter by Weston Reese. The Bearcats' defense forced punts on three of the last four drives.

Buchanan feels it was a successful month of spring football.

“The big thing is,” he said, “was we got a lot better from April 23rd to May 24th. We got a lot better in all aspects. Our offensive line got better, and our defensive front got better. The guys are better football players then they were a month ago,”

Buchanan had personnel concerns coming into spring drills, but after the past month the coach has plugged all of the holes vacated by graduating starters.

“Those concerns now are not near as bad,” he said. “We will know a lot more when we watch the film."

For more coverage on the Orange/White Game see the May 31 issue of The Community News.