Bearcats fall to Longhorns in hard-fought game

By Melissa Winn
The Community News

Turnovers and mental mistakes cost the Bearcats a win Friday night, as Aledo fell to Cedar Hill, 27-17, at Bearcat Stadium.

An inauspicious start for the Bearcats led to an early deficit, but Aledo clawed its way back to just a 3-point deficit in the fourth quarter before an untimely interception ended the Bearcats’ chances at a comeback. 

“We’ve got to do a better job coaching our quarterback on how to be successful,” head coach Tim Buchanan said after the game. 

Fumbling the opening kickoff gave the Longhorns a short field. A few plays after taking over on the Aledo 26, Cedar Hill quarterback Kaidon Salter connected with wide receiver Julian Austin for an 8-yard touchdown to give the Longhorns a 7-0 lead. 

Aledo didn’t have much luck on its next drive, going three and out. But the defense stepped up and did their job and forced Cedar Hill to punt on its next drive. Aledo would then cut the lead to 7-3 on a 26-yard field goal by Clay Murador.

Less than five minutes later, a touchdown by the Longhorns’ Miquel Massey, Jr., a 6-foot-5 offensive lineman, on a tipped ball then gave them the lead back. 

Aledo took over on its own 36 and Demarco Roberts ran the ball 4 yards with 40 seconds left in the half to cut the Longhorns lead to 13-10. 

After having deferred when they won the coin toss to start the game, the Longhorns got the ball first in the second half and drove the ball 70 yards to extend their lead to 20-10.

The Bearcats gained momentum at the beginning of the fourth quarter when they were able to stop Cedar Hill on 4th-and-1 and get the ball on their own 40 yard-line. Two plays later Roberts rushed for a 26-yard touchdown. The point after made the game a 3-point affair with less than 10 minutes to go. 

On the Longhorns’ ensuing drive, the Aledo defense again was able to stop Cedar Hill, but the interception on the Bearcats’ next possession proved to be too much for them to overcome. The Longhorns would score once more and run out the clock to win 27-17.

Despite the loss, Buchanan said the team “played hard and learned a lot.”

“The kicking game was better and the defense held their own,” he said. “We had a chance to win the game but mental errors cost us.”

Aledo (2-1) takes on Everman next Friday in Everman.