Aledo and Abilene have been playing football for a long time, the Bearcats first taking the field in 1946 and Abilene going back well over a century, with their first state championship coming in 1923.
However, the teams have only played each other one time - last season, when the Bearcats won 56-21 in the regional final en route to their 12th state championship in program history. It was also their second straight.
The Eagles have seven state titles of their own, with most coming in their early years. Their most recent was in 2009, the same year Aledo began its dominant run of 11 titles since (the Bearcats also won one in 1998).
Part of the reason the teams have not met is because Abilene spent many years in a higher classification, dropping from 6A to 5A Division I in 2022.
“They’re a good solid football team with a great history,” Aledo head coach Robby Jones said. “They have four returning starters on the offensive line and any time you have that kind of experience on the line you’re going to be able to do things offensively.”
Like the Bearcats, the Eagles can run and throw the ball effectively.
The Bearcats reached this round by winning the District 3-5A Division I championship and defeating Saginaw Chisholm Trail 63-7 in bi-district. The Eagles finished as the No. 2 seed in District 2-5A Division I, sharing the title with Lubbock Monterrey, but losing the tiebreaker by virtue of a 31-17 loss in Lubbock, and defeating El Paso Parkland 84-0 in bi-district.
The Eagles lost their starting quarterback, senior Brayden Henry, to a knee injury late in the season. However, sophomore Tristan Beal has stepped in and looked impressive in the full-time role.
While not the runner Henry (792 yards, 11 TD) is, Beal is an accurate passer. He has completed 72% of his throws for 1,263 yards with 18 touchdowns and no interceptions.
“That’s a big difference with the change in quarterback, a lot less quarterback running,” Jones said. “That’s why you see (wide receiver Ryland) Bradford in the backfield more.”
Bradford is the Eagles’ go-to player offensively. He’s caught 49 passes for 1,034 yards and 13 touchdowns, along with rushing for 397 yards and eight more scores.
Running the Aledo offense in fluid style is junior Gavin Beard. He is completing 69% of his passes for 1,842 yards with 26 touchdowns and three interceptions - all despite missing two full games with an injury.
Beard's backup, sophomore Nash McElree, is completing 74% of his passes for 482 yards with seven TD and two interceptions.
“When you play deep into the playoffs, you’re going to have injuries,” Jones said. “Look at us last year with the offensive line in the state championship game.”
The Bearcats had to switch two starters in that game with reserves coming in to play key roles in a 51-8 victory against Smithson Valley.
As was the case last season, both teams bring explosive offensives into the contest. The Bearcats are outscoring their opponents by an average score of 54-15, while the Eagles are outscoring their foes 51-31.
The Bearcats have scored 30 or more points in all 11 games this season and 16 straight dating to 2023. Abilene has topped the 30-point mark in 10 games.
Abilene is coming off of an 84-0 bi-district victory against El Paso Parkland and has topped 60 points three other times, 50 points two other times and 40 points two more times.
The Bearcats' high score was in a 77-14 victory at Azle. They've topped 60 four other times, 50 twice more and 40 twice more.
A difference last season, however - and it could be again - is the Aledo defense. The Bearcats have three shutouts, held another opponent to a field goal and another two to a single touchdown. The Eagles posted their first shutout of the season last week and their previous best defensive performance was holding two opponents to 14 points.
In big games special teams can often make a difference. The Bearcats would appear to have the nod here as well. They have returned four kickoffs for touchdowns - two each by Adrian Fuller and Lincoln Tubbs - and the team as a whole is averaging 30 yards per kickoff return.
“We don’t like having our kickoff team out there. We only want it once a game,” Jones said with a chuckle. “But we’ve got some explosive guys.”
The Eagles have a big return weapon as well in Bradford, as Jones noted.
“Amarillo Tascosa took a safety thinking they were going to win the game. Then, they kicked off and Bradford returned it for a touchdown and Abilene won (31-29),” he said.
The Eagles do have one of the most accurate kickers around, though. Naim Segura is a perfect 57-for-57 on extra points and 4-of-4 on field goals, with a long of 30 yards.
The Bearcats' Cole Crawford is no slouch, either. He's 43-of-44 kicking extra points and 4-of-5 on field goals with a career long of 46 yards against Lancaster.
Crawford missed a little time with an injury, but his backup, Payton Shaffer is 33-of-34 on PAT kicks.
The Eagles have the advantage here statistically. Abilene has only turned the ball over five times (4 interceptions, 1 fumble) and has taken the ball away 17 times (7 interceptions, 10 fumbles).
The Bearcats have 11 turnovers (5 interceptions, 6 fumbles) and have taken the ball away 18 times (13 interceptions, 5 fumbles).
The Aledo pass defense, considered to be a question mark entering the season due to heavy graduation losses, has turned into a strong point. The Bearcats have picked off opposing quarterbacks 13 times this season, scattered among 10 players, led by two each by Owen Henderson, Adrian Fuller and Chase Wilburn.
“That’s getting experience they lacked at the beginning of the season, and that’s really good to see,” Jones said.
In their past three games, the Bearcats have three pick sixes. This past week Alex Patton returned an interception 51 yards for a score, while Wilburn and Kai Taylor each returned one for a TD against Azle.
On the other hand, the Bearcats’ defensive line was considered the strongest part of the team entering the season and they have lived up to expectations. Leading the charge when it comes to pass rushing, with solid help from a strong linebacking corps, Aledo has 59 tackles for loss and 15 sacks this season.
Abilene has 37 tackles for loss and a dozen sacks.
With their 63-7 bi-district victory against Saginaw Chisholm Trail, the Bearcats won first-round playoff game for a 29th consecutive season. In that same span they've enjoyed phenomenal second-round success as well, posting a 24-4 record in such games heading into this Friday.
Of course, that's what happens when you win state championships on a regular basis.
Aledo last lost in the second round in 2012 to Denton Guyer, 42-30. Guyer went on to win the 4A Division I state championship.
Between their districts (3-5A Division I for Aledo, 2-5A Division I for Abilene), seven of the eight teams that qualified for the playoffs are still playing. That will change this week, however.
Along with the Bearcats and Eagles facing off, Lubbock Monterrey (7-4, 2-5A champion) is playing Denton Ryan (10-1, 3-5A runner-up) and Amarillo (6-4, third in 2-5A) tangles with Richland (9-2, third in 3-5A).
The fourth-place team from 2-5A, Amarillo Tascosa (6-5) is taking on 4-5A champion Saginaw (11-0), which rallied for a 41-39 victory against District 3-5A fourth-place Azle (7-4) in bi-district.
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