Since the Aledo Bearcats began their run of state dominance in 2009, they have now reached the state championship game 11 times. In the 10 previous trips they brought home nine state titles.
The one time they came up short was five years ago against College Station in a 20-19 loss that ended a 31-game winning streak.
Now, the Bearcats (13-2) have a chance for some payback Saturday as they will once again meet the Cougars (13-2) in the Class 5A Division I state final Saturday at 11 a.m. at AT&T Stadium, the site of their first matchup.
“We had some things go wrong. Sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way and it didn’t that night, but that was a good game between two good football teams and this one will be also, just hopefully with a different outcome,” Aledo coach Tim Buchanan said.
This will actually be Buchanan’s first meeting as a head coach against College Station. He was the athletic director in 2017 and Steve Wood was the head coach.
It was one of the few blemishes on Wood’s record as leader of the Bearcats. From 2014-2018 he went 75-4 with three state championships and this runner-up finish.
The Bearcats bring a 13-game winning streak into the contest after starting 0-2 for the first time since before Tim Buchanan came to town in 1993. The Cougars have won seven consecutive.
Both teams have had a lot of players see action and produce this season:
Passing: Aledo has had three players throw passes season, with two throwing touchdown passes. College station has had five players throw a pass, including three who have at least two touchdowns.
Rushing: 16 different players have carried the ball at least once this season for the Bearcats with half of those scoring at least one TD. The Cougars have had 13 ball carriers with seven finding the end zone.
Receiving: 16 Bearcats have caught at least a single pass and five for touchdowns. For the Cougars, 14 have hauled in a reception and eight have a TD.
Tackles for loss: Aledo 90 by 22 players. College Station 109 by 17 players.
Sacks: Aledo 19 by 10 players. College Station 27 by 12 players.
Interceptions: Aledo 13 by 10 players. College station 10 by eight players.
Fumble recoveries: Aledo 12 by nine players. College station six by four players.
Davhon Keys (3) and Cap Mooney are in on a tackle against Longview. Photo by Breleigh Mayer.
Both the Bearcats and Cougars had key turning points in their regular seasons that propelled them to their successful playoff run. Both came after rough starts to the season.
For Aledo, it was actually a two-fold situation. First, they traveled to Burleson to face a Centennial team that was 6-0 and looking to end Aledo’s now 111-game district winning streak. The Bearcats left with a 64-21 rout that gave them a newfound boost of confidence.
The Spartans (12-2) only other loss all season was 42-21 to Aledo in the Region I final.
That first win at Burleson was followed the next week with a trip to Denton to take on another state power, Ryan. Much had been made about this game ever since the UIL put them in the same district in the February realignment. The game was much closer than the previous week, tied at 21 in the fourth quarter before the Bearcats scored twice to win 35-21 and clinch their 15th straight district championship.
The Bearcats had opened the season with back-to-back losses at Dallas Parish Episcopal (24-17) and at home to Denton Guyer (44-14). Episcopal won the TAPPS Division I championship and Guyer reached the Class 6A Division II semifinals.
College Station was humbled in its season opener by Lucas Lovejoy, 52-27, on a neutral site. Later in the season, the Cougars dropped a 49-38 decision to Georgetown, which they avenged with a 52-28 victory in the playoffs.
But it was their ninth game of the season, when they trailed A&M Consolidated 21-0 after the first quarter, that the Cougars came back for a 38-28 victory. A loss in that game would have made them the No. 3 seed in the district, whereas they ended up sharing the title with A&M Consolidated and Georgetown, all with 6-1 records, settling for the No. 2 seed in the postseason.
While the Bearcats have a lengthy history of having won at least one playoff game each season since 1996, the Cougars have a run of their own postseason success since opening in 2012.
The first two seasons College Station played a freelance schedule before beginning competition in the University Interscholastic League in 2014. Since then, however, they have reached the playoffs every season and in each one since 2015 they have also reached at least the second round.
This is Aledo’s 11th state final since 2009 and they have nine state championships in the previous 10 trips. College Station has one state title in 2017, but has also reached the finals for a third time now in six seasons with a runner-up finish last season.
So, while the intimidation of tradition does help programs such as Aledo, Buchanan doesn’t believe that will factor into Saturday’s game as College Station has established its own tradition in a short time.
“They’ve won one (state championship),” he said. “They believe they can beat us. They have beaten us.”
Hawk Patrick-Daniels opened the second half against Longview with a 60-yard touchdown run. Photo by Breleigh Mayer.
This season has seen a few connections between Buchanan and his past. He grew up in Killeen and was later an assistant coach there at Ellison. The Bearcats’ first-round playoff opponent was Killeen Shoemaker, whom Aledo had never played before.
Earlier in the season the Bearcats hosted and defeated The Colony. Buchanan was also an assistant coach there in the 1980s.
And now, there is another connection to the city the opponent is from. Buchanan was an assistant coach on the 1991 state champion A&M Consolidated program coached by his friend Ross Rogers — whose dad Gene was the athletic director in Killeen when Buchanan was still in high school.
“What Ross Rogers developed in College Station I tried to develop here,” Buchanan said. “If you look at our coaching manual it’s the same one we had at Killeen Ellison in 1985 and it was similar to the one Gene Rogers had at Killeen.
“One of the things we do here I learned from Ross, who learned from his dad: we want to be excited about football in November and December, not just August. It’s hard to do that, but we actually plan that way.”
Jake Gillespie (0) makes a tackle against Longview. Photo by Breleigh Mayer.
This will be the fifth time this season Buchanan will be competing as a head coach against a team for the first time. So far he is 3-1, with the loss coming 24-17 at Dallas Parish Episcopal to open the season.
Since then, the Bearcats defeated The Colony 52-7 at home and opened the playoffs with a 37-0 victory against Killeen Shoemaker at home.
And, last week, Aledo overcame a 14-3 halftime deficit to defeat No. 1 Longview 17-14, handing the Lobos their lone loss this season in 15 games.
While the Bearcats are playing for yet another title — which would be the 11th in team history — Buchanan said there is not a lot of talk about that with the players. Instead, the focus is on what got them to this level, and it’s been the same message week after week, he said.
One of Buchanan’s philosophies is handling your own business. You can’t control what your opponent is doing to prepare, but you can control yourself.
“Get your job done. Do your job,” Buchanan said. “The last thing I need to do is put pressure on them. They know exactly what they’re playing for.”
Aledo Bearcats (13-2) vs. College Station Cougars
When: Saturday, 11 a.m., AT&T Stadium
What: Class 5A Division I state final
How Aledo got here: Won District 3-5A Division I, defeated Killeen Shoemaker 37-0 in bi-district, Lubbock Cooper 45-21 in area, Midlothian 27-21 in the third round, defeated Burleson Centennial 42-21 in Region I final and downed Longview 17-14 in the state semifinals.
How College Station got here: Finished second in District 11-5A Division 1, defeated San Antonio Wagner 37-19 in bidistrict, defeated Angleton 27-20 in area, defeated Georgetown 52-28 in the third round, topped Smithson Valley 26-21 in Region III final and downed Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial 33-7 in state semifinals.
College Station offense: The Cougars average 37.8 points and have scored 40 or more points five times. Leaders are: QB Arrington Maiden, 1,961 yards, 14 TD, 3 interceptions passing; RB Aydan Martinez-Brown 283 carries, 1,909 yards, 20 TD; WR Jackson Verdugo 53 catches, 872 yards, 7 TD.
Aledo offense: The Bearcats are averaging 42.8 points and have scored 40 or more points nine times. Leaders include: QB Hauss Hejny 1,1,776 yards, 17 TD, 6 interceptions passing, 125 carries, 1,135 yards, 13 TD rushing; RB Hawk Patrick-Daniels 182 carries, 1,344 yards, 21 TD rushing, 10 catches, 96 yards, 1 TD receiving; Caleb Pope 89 carries, 520 yards, 13 TD rushing, 9 catches, 92 yards receiving; WR Jalen Pope 55 catches, 1,017 yards, 11 TD; WR Kaydon Finley 21 catches 396 yards, 6 TD; Tyson Timms 25 catches, 332 yards, 3 TD.
College Station defense: The Cougars surrender 21.6 points per game. They have one shutout and have held five opponents to a touchdown or less. Leaders are DB Harrison Robinson 140 tackles, 1 interception, 2 fumble recoveries; DB Tony Hamilton 113 tackles, 10 for loss, 3 interceptions; LB Jaydon Bellows 98 tackles; DE Korbin Johnson 18 tackles for loss.
Aledo defense: The Bearcats’ defense is surrendering 16.5 points with two shutouts. They’ve held five opponents to a TD or less. Leaders include: LB Dahvon Keys 99 tackles, 8.5 for loss, 1 interception (returned 73 yards for TD), 1 fumble recovery; DB Jake Gillespie 75 tackles, 6.5 loss, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery; DB Andrew Parkhurst 65 tackles, 11 for loss, 5 sacks; DB Boogie Owens 41.5 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 interception, 2 fumble recoveries; LB Cap Mooney 37 tackles, 3.5 for loss, 1 sack; DT Ansel Din-Mbuh 32 tackles, 15 for loss, 4 sacks; DB Jaden Allen 33 tackles, 1.5 for loss, 0.5 sacks, 3 interceptions.
College Station special teams note: A.J. Tisdell has returned one punt and one kickoff for a touchdown this season.
Aledo special teams note: The Bearcats are surrendering an average of nine yards per punt return and no touchdowns on punt or kickoff returns.
College station turnovers/takeaways: 13 turnovers (7 fumbles, 6 interceptions), 16 takeaways (6 fumbles, 10 interceptions).
Aledo turnovers/takeaways: 17 turnovers (7 fumbles, 10 interceptions), 25 takeaways (12 fumbles, 13 interceptions).
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