Over the past decade and a half it's virtually impossible to be a player who has come through the Aledo Bearcats football program and not have won a state championship.
Yet, as the week began, that's the position wide receiver Trace Clarkson and defensive end Cooper Kohan, both seniors, found themselves in.
Though the Bearcats won a state title in 2022, both were on the sidelines watching with knee injuries that kept them out the entire season. And while they played part of the season as sophomores in 2021, that was one of the rare seasons the Bearcats did not win a championship.
Now, they can also tell their children and grandchildren what it feels like to win a state championship as a player as the Bearcats defeated Comal Smithson Valley 51-8 at AT&T Stadium on Friday, Dec. 15.
With 12 state championships, the Bearcats added to the state record they already owned as the program with the most state titles in Texas history.
"I had in my room a bunch of goals for this season, and at the end of the day, going 16-0 and winning state tops them all," Clarkson said.
"This is where I was born and raised. I'm always going to be proud to be an Aledo Bearcat."
Clarkson finished the game with four catches for 72 yards.
"It was tough watching last year," Kohan said. "Once I got hurt I realized what I lost and that I kinda loved it. This is what I've dreamed of since I was a kid, winning a state championship and a perfect season.
"This is everything I wished for. I'm gonna miss all these guys and it's so great to share this state championship with them."
Kohan ended the night with four tackles.
While he's celebrated winning state championships before, this is the first time Robby Jones has enjoyed one as a head coach. What's more, he accomplished something that's never been done before at Aledo.
Amidst the vast plethora of records the school holds, never before has a head coach gone undefeated in his first season at the helm of a Bearcats football program. With Friday's win, Jones guided Aledo to a 16-0 season, the fifth time in program history — all since 2009.
Interestingly, all five perfect seasons came after Jones was named offensive coordinator in 2009 — and, of course, head coach this season.
"It's special. My name is attached to it. Offensive coordinators don't have their name attached, so, yeah, this is really special, but I've enjoyed them and they've all been great," Jones said.
Jones has been with the Aledo program since 2000.
"I've been here longer than these kids have been alive," he said, recalling a special memory.
"I remember when they came up as seventh-graders in 7-on-7 they wore these really fancy uniforms, kind of a spandex," he said with a chuckle. "I could tell even then they were special, and they are."
At the game's beginning, the Bearcats struggled to get anything going as the Rangers took an 8-0 lead just past the midpoint of the first quarter.
A safety was followed by a 49-yard field goal by Clayton Amaya for a 5-0 Smithson Valley lead. The field goal was the longest ever by a player in a 5A championship game and the second longest at any level in a Texas high school title contest.
Then, after an interception and a subsequent facemask penalty against Aledo, the Rangers were set up at the Bearcats' 8 yard line. That's when the Bearcats defense stole back the momentum.
Even though the Rangers got a 30-yard field goal out of the possession, Aledo's defense forced them back five yards in three plays with tackles for loss by Carson Dempsey and Davhon Keys.
"It was important for us to go out and help the offense," Keys said. "They were struggling, but we knew it was just a matter of time before they got it going and it was our job to help them out."
After picking up no yards on their first three possessions, the Bearcats offense followed the momentum stolen by the defense. They went 75 yards in 11 plays, capped by the first of three touchdowns on the night by Hawk Patrick-Daniels, a 23-yard run.
"When our defense bowed their backs, that inspired us," said Aledo quarterback Hauss Hejny who threw for two TD and ran for another. "If they're going to make big stops like that, it's our job to do our part and take over on offense."
Daniels would score on a 7-yard run early in the second quarter for a 14-8 Aledo lead and add a 51-yard run in third as the Bearcats built their lead to 38-8.
Keys and Patrick-Daniels ended their Aledo careers in grand style, being named the Defensive and Offensive Players of the Game, respectively.
Keys, who has committed to play for LSU next season and is graduating early, posted 12 tackles, including two for a loss with a sack. His tackle for a loss midway through the first quarter helped turn the momentum in Aledo's favor and the Bearcats never surrendered it back.
Patrick-Daniels ended the night with 186 yards rushing on 16 carries and three touchdowns. Ironically, he was tackled in the end zone for a safety on his first carry and had minus 6 yards on his first two carries before becoming unstoppable for the rest of the game.
"I got mad, and when I get mad I play motivated," Patrick-Daniels said, adding about the defense, "Defense wins championships. They did their part and then we came back on offense and made them proud."
How dominant were the Bearcats in winning their 12th title? They outgained the Rangers 546 yards to 69.
The Aledo defense was so controlling that if Smithson Valley, which averaged 1.5 yards per play, ran six straight plays the Rangers would be facing a seventh down and 1. On the other hand, each time the Bearcats ran a play it was close to being a first down as they averaged 9.1 yards per play.
Even with their 11th state championship since 2009 (12th overall), Jones said it never gets old.
"I'm so happy for the kids, happy for the program. And the community and the school district has supported the heck out of what we do," he said. "It's great to win for them.
"It never gets old. It's always nice to win another one."
| Aledo | 7 | 17 | 20 | 7 | - | 51 |
| Smithson | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 8 |
SV - Safety
SV - Clayton Amaya 49 FG
SV - Amaya 40 FG
A - Hawk Patrick-Daniels 23 run (Cole Crawford kick)
A - Patrick-Daniels 7 run (Crawford kick)
A - Kaydon Finley 69 pass from Hauss Hejny (Crawford kick)
A - Crawford 35 FG
A - Colton McCoy 29 pass from Hejny (Crawford kick)
A - Patrick-Daniels 51 run (Crawford kick)
A - Hejny 10 run (kick failed)
A - RJ Blake (7 run (Logan DeFranzo kick)
First downs: Aledo 25, SV 6.
Rushes-yards: Aledo 42-337, SV 24-33.
Passing yards: Aledo 209, SV 36.
Caught-thrown-int.: Aledo 10-18-2, SV 10-25-0.
Punts-avg: Aledo 1-29.0, SV 8-40.4.
Fumbles-lost: Aledo 0-0, SV 0-0.
Penalties-yards: Aledo 4-39, SV 5-50.
Third-down conversions: Aledo 7-of-9, SV 3-15.
Fourth-down conversions: Aledo Aledo 1-1, SV 0-1.
Time of possession: Aledo 23:04, SV 24:56.
Rushing
Aledo: Patrick-Daniels 16 carries, 186 yards, 3 TD; Hejny 13-77, TD; Kaden Winkfield 6-31; RJ Blake 4-23; Ben Mcelree 2-12; Keys 1-8.
SV: Cade Spradling 13-25, Caleb Peagler 6-14.
Passing
Aledo: Hejny 9-of-17, 202 yards, 2 TD, 2 int.; Gavin Beard 1-1, 7 yards, 0 int.
SV: Ryland Walker 10-24-0, 36 yards.
Receiving
Aledo: Finley 3 catches, 89 yards, TD; Trace Clarkson 4-72; McCoy 2-41, TD; Tyson Timms 1-7.
SV: Freddie Dubose 7-31, Cole Freud 2-4.
Tackles
Aledo: Keys 12, Jaden Allen 6, Caden Atwood 6, Owen Henderson 4, Cooper Kohan 4.
SV: Jaxson Maynard 13, Spradling 10, P.K. Moeller 7, Owen Hack 7, Hudson Woods 5.
Tackles for loss
Aledo: Keys 2 (11 yards), Carson Dempsey 1 (3 yards), McElree 0.5 (1 yard), Chris Johnson 0.5 (1 yard).
SV: Hack 1 (1 yard), Woods 1 (5 yards).
Sacks
Aledo: Keys 1 (9 yards).
SV: None.
Interceptions
Aledo: None.
SV: Zach Gingrich 2 (14 yards).
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