Local news from the heart of Parker County
Weather brought to you by:
Editor's note: This story was updated with official stats.
Old habits are hard to break.
The last time a team played the Aledo Bearcats to within a couple of touchdowns in a bi-district game, none of the players on the current team were even born. It was 2002, a 12-0 victory against Fort Worth Dunbar.
Some thought Killeen Shoemaker might pose the toughest challenge in two decades when they came to Bearcat Stadium Thursday night. After all, like the Bearcats, they brought an 8-2 record into the contest - and their two losses were by a combined eight points to fellow playoff teams Midlothian (No. 5 in the state) and Red Oak.
They were wrong.
In what has long been typical fashion, the Bearcats had little trouble disposing of the Grey Wolves 37-0. This is the 27th consecutive season in which Aledo has won its first-round postseason contest.
“That’s pretty neat,” Bearcats coach Tim Buchanan said of extending the streak, something he’s said he takes some of the greatest pride in among the program’s many state and national records.
“I wasted a lot of Pepto Bismol worrying about this one,” he added with a laugh.
The streak is also something the players take a lot of pride in.
“Every once in a while you stop and think about how long it’s been. Twenty seven years, wow!” said senior defensive tackle Bryon Wheeler.
“It means a lot as a tradition and it means a lot for us to be a part of that,” added senior Zach Reynolds.
Now the Bearcats, ranked No. 3 in the state and on a nine-game winning streak, advance to the second round where they will meet El Paso Bel Air (8-2) or Lubbock Cooper (8-2). Aledo has won nine consecutive second-round games since a 42-30 loss to eventual state champion Denton Guyer in 2012.
On paper Shoemaker looked to be a formidable foe. They came out of a tough district in which the top four teams had a combined regular-season record of 34-6, they featured a big-play offense and a defense that specializes in putting opponents in long-distance situations.
Instead, it was the Aledo defense that dominated. They held the Wolves to 61 total yards, including an eye-popping negative 28 rushing on 19 carries.
“That was the most impressive thing we did, not give up the big play,” Buchanan said. “Coach (Brad) McCone came up with a great game plan and the kids stuck to it.”
The Bearcats held the Wolves to zero or negative yardage on 10 running plays and two passing plays. They posted three sacks, including one in the end zone for a safety.
They also intercepted two passes, including one returned 40 yards to the Shoemaker 5-yard line by Aven Lawrence and another by Jaden Allen.
On offense, Brant Hayden got the start at quarterback after regular starter Hauss Hejny was out with a slight injury. Hayden managed the game well with no turnovers, completing seven of 14 passes for an unofficial 51 yards and rushing six times for 39 yards.
“Hauss could have played, but we didn’t need him,” Buchanan said. “Brant’s a good quarterback. He understands the game and he did what we needed him to do.”
All five Bearcat touchdowns were on the ground, with Hawk Patrick-Daniels scoring twice on runs of 72 and 10 yards. Caleb Pope also ran for scores of 5 and 6 yards.
Patrick-Daniels led all rushers with an unofficial 108 yards on a dozen carries. That put him over 1,000 yards on the season with 1,068 yards and 16 touchdowns, both of which lead the team.
The victory was the second shutout of the season for the Aledo defense and the fifth time they’ve held an opponent to a touchdown or less.
Aledo 37, Killeen Shoemaker 0
| Shoemaker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aledo | 7 | 21 | 7 | 2 | 37 |
A - Hawk Patrick-Daniels 72 run (Cole Crawford kick)
A - Caleb Pope 5 run (Crawford kick)
A - Patrick-Daniels 10 run (Crawford kick)
A - C. Pope 6 run (Crawford kick)
A - Dahvon Keys 2 run (Crawford kick)
A - Safety
First downs: Aledo 23, Shoemaker 7.
Rushes-yards: Aledo 48-271, Shoemaker 19-(-28).
Passing yards: Aledo 77, Shoemaker 89.
Caught-thrown-intercepted: Aledo 10-18-0, Shoemaker 12-27-2.
Punts-average: Aledo 2-31.0, Shoemaker 4-37.8.
Fumbles-lost: Aledo 0-0, Shoemaker 0-0.
Penalties-yards: Aledo 1-5, Shoemaker 2-15.
Third-down conversions: Aledo 6-11, Shoemaker 2-11.
Fourth-down conversions: Aledo 1-3, Shoemaker 1-4.
Time of possession: Aledo 27:24, Shoemaker 20:36.
Rushing
Shoemaker: Jamarius Stewart 5 carries, 9 yards.
Aledo: Patrick-Daniels 12-108, 2 TD; C. Pope 13-61, 2 TD; Ryan Cox 12-59; Brant Hayden 6-39; Jalen Pope 1-18; Keys 1-2, TD.
Passing
Shoemaker: Malachi Jerome 11-for-26, 75 yards, 2 interceptions.
Aledo: Hayden 7-14, 51 yards; Gavin Beard 3-for-4, 26 yards.
Receiving
Shoemaker: Maurice Starr 4 catches, 27 yards; Javante Carson 2-24.
Aledo:
C. Pope 4-27, Zach Reynolds 2-16, J. Pope 1-10, Tyson Timms 1-9, Patrick-Daniels 1-8, Kaydon Finley 1-7.
Interceptions
Aledo: Aven Lawrence (40-yard return), Jaden Allen.
Sacks
Shoemaker: Zavian Tibbs.
Aledo: Andrew Parkhurst 1
Tackles
Aledo: Jake Gillespie 7.5, Keys 5.
Tackles for loss
Aledo: Keys 1.5, Ansel Din-Mbuh 1.5, Parkhurst 1, Cap Mooney 1, Lawson Moore 1.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here