Football

Aledo ends regular season with blowout win

Build 55 point halftime lead

Posted Saturday, November 9, 2024 8:17 pm

Kaydon Finley

Raycine Guillory

In their final regular season contest, the Aledo Bearcats, No. 1 in the state, hosted the Denton Broncos at Tim Buchanan Stadium on Friday, Nov. 8. Aledo saw plenty of players on the roster contribute to a resounding 62-0 victory before the Bearcats start the postseason quest for a third consecutive Class 5A Division I state championship.

“We’ve done that two weeks in a row now in getting off to fast starts, and that’s not something we’ve done in all of our games,” Bearcats head coach Robby Jones said. “We want to carry that over into the playoffs, continue to have fast starts and stay hot – let’s go on a roll.”

Utility junior Lincoln Tubbs got Aledo (9-1, 8-0 in District 3-5A Division I) on the board eight seconds into the action after he returned the opening kickoff 83 yards to the end zone. After that, the defense ushered the Broncos (2-8, 1-7) offense off the field in three plays on their next two possessions to set up the next two first-quarter scoring drives – 1-yard rushing touchdowns from Ben McElree and Brady Powell.

Then, Aledo got a big burst from its run game as senior Kaden Winkfield burst through the line of scrimmage untouched and raced for 42 yards untouched for the score with 3:03 left. Aledo then snuck in another first-quarter touchdown in the waning seconds as junior quarterback Gavin Beard found last week’s breakout star, Bayne Martin, from 20 yards out that gave Aledo 35 points in the opening frame.

Aledo went on to add three more touchdowns in the second quarter. First, star junior running back Raycine Guillory finished off a scoring drive with a 4-yard run. His touchdown was set up by a 56-yard aerial connection between Beard and standout junior wide receiver Kaydon Finley. Then, Finley got his turn for a house call from 60 yards out and the final first-half score came from the legs of AJ Staggs – a 3-yard rush with 3:58 left.

The Bearcat reserves outscored the Broncos 7-0 in the second half to hold on for the convincing win. That second half touchdown came from team and crowd favorite, Josh Johnson, who received a loud ovation from the sidelines and the seats alike after his score.

“We were able to get the ball in the hands of guys who haven’t been able to touch the ball yet,” Jones said. “One guy in particular, Josh Johnson, who got that last touchdown – everyone on the sidelines got so excited for him – he’s a program guy. He’s never been the top guy in the program but he is here every day and does everything you ask him to do.

“As a junior, he was running the scout team every day against the varsity while being a member of the JV team. The coaches nicknamed him ‘Timex’ because he would take a lick and keep on ticking. He’s just one of those great program guys who everybody loves. It was great to see him get a touchdown out there.”

Unofficially, Beard went 5-for-7 for 153 yards and three touchdowns while Winkfield was the leading rusher with 92 yards and a touchdown on four carries. Finley hauled in two long passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.

Now, top-ranked Aledo, the undefeated champions of District 3-5A Division I, has its sights set on the postseason with the expectations of another run at a record-extending 13th state championship and the program’s third in a row. This win also extended their national-record district winning streak to 127 games, dating to 2007.

Jacob Mcintire

Lincoln Tubbs

“It’s what we work for all year, to get to the playoffs and go on a long run, which is what we’re expecting to do,” Jones said. “We had a really tough district this year with two of the other teams (No. 3 Denton Ryan and No. 10 Richland) being top-five caliber teams, so it’s a good possibility that three of the best teams in the state are in our district. I think that’s going to prepare us for the playoff run, so we’re going to get in here, get healthy and – let’s go on a little run.”

The Bearcats will begin their quest to once again reach the pinnacle of the sport beginning with its bi-district bout. Aledo will face off against the Chisholm Trail Rangers (7-3), the fourth-place team from 4-5A Division I, Friday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at Buchanan Stadium.