Aledo continues win streak in shutout of Sam Houston

Aledo safety Dylan Tillis saw a ball bounce in the air on a field goal attempt and knew he was destined to take it for a touchdown.

“I saw that ball bounce off of somebody’s helmet and it landed right in my hands, and I knew I was gonna be gone (for the touchdown),” Tillis said.

Tillis’ return for a touchdown on a blocked field goal was one of Aledo’s many touchdowns in its 61-0 win Friday, Oct. 30, over the Arlington Sam Houston Texans at Choctaw Stadium.

Aledo’s scoring started in the first quarter when quarterback Tre Williams connected with wide receiver Kane Lanier for a nine-yard touchdown pass with 9:02 left. Five minutes later, the Bearcats scored again when backup quarterback Elijah Pinnick threw a 16-yard pass to wide receiver Maddox Nurse to make the score 13-0.

It was Tillis’ turn next. With 1:36 left in the quarter, Aledo blocked a 36-yard field goal attempt that Tillis ran in to increasing the lead to 20-0.

The Texans faked a punt at their own 33 with 9:40 left in the second quarter, and Aledo’s defense stopped the play to force a turnover on downs. Two plays later running back Izzy Roberts scored from the 4 yard line to increase the lead to 27-0. On the Texans’ next drive, an interception by Aledo safety Cooper Hull in Texans territory gave the Bearcats good field position. Aledo capitalized when Williams threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Nurse with 4:52 to play.

“It was a big confidence boost,” Nurse said about his two-touchdown night. “It was great to connect with both quarterbacks.”

Williams threw his third touchdown pass of the game to tight end Colby Thompson for 22 yards with 1:43 left to increase the Bearcats’ lead to 41-0. Aledo took that lead into halftime.

The second half began with another defensive stop for Aledo, which led to a 37-yard touchdown run by running back Wyatt Dorsey. Following another forced turnover on downs, third-string quarterback Beau Hejny threw a 55-yard pass to wide receiver Mason McCadam to increase the lead to 55-0 with two minutes left in the third quarter. Aledo capped its scoring with 5:42 in the fourth quarter when running back Sky Bradford rushed in from the 2 yard line.

Aledo head coach Robby Jones praised the team for the win and aims to finish the regular season with a win next week.

“It feels good to get a win like that,” Jones said. “There were a lot of things that we can clean up, and it wasn’t a pretty win, in my opinion, but it was very effective and good to have leading into the playoffs. We just have to get one more next week and get on some type of playoff run.”