Bearcats pull away from Spartans to reach state semis

Aledo defensive tackle Bryon Wheeler could hardly contain himself following the Bearcats’ 42-21 victory against Burleson Centennial in their Class 5A Division I Region I final Saturday afternoon at the Ford Center in Frisco.

Not only are the senior and his Bearcat teammates one win away from playing for another state championship, his late-game interception helped pave the way.

Yes, you read correctly, a rally stopping interception by a defensive lineman.

“I was just thinking we’re going on!” said an excited Wheeler. “I felt my shoulder go back with the guard, then as I leaned forward I said to myself, ‘I gotta get this.’ It’s a lineman’s dream come true.”

The Bearcats (12-2), with their 12th consecutive victory, once again find themselves in the state semifinals for 12th time in 14 years. In nine of the previous 11 seasons they went on to win a state championship.

Next up for Aledo, which is ranked No. 3 in the state, is No. 1 Longview (14-0). The Lobos disposed of No. 2 Mansfield Timberview 37-21 in the Region 2 final.

This will be the first meeting ever between Aledo and Longview. The Lobos are themselves a perennial playoff power, including winning a 6A Division II state championship in 2018.

Wheeler’s interception came when Centennial (12-2) was attempting a last-gasp comeback in the final few minutes. It gave Aledo the ball at the Spartans’ 44 and three plays later quarterback Hauss Hejny connected with Jalen Pope for a 41-yard touchdown to put the finishing touches on the Bearcats’ second victory against Centennial this season.

Aledo won their District 3-5A Division I matchup in Burleson 64-21 on Oct. 14.

“There was a college coach looking at him the other day and I said he’s one of the most intuitive linemen I’ve ever seen,” Aledo coach Tim Buchanan said of Wheeler. “He showed it on that play.”

The game was more like three contests in one. Aledo jumped out to a 21-0 lead, scoring on its first three possessions, a 42-yard run by Hejny, a 1-yard run by Caleb Pope, and a 12-yard run by Hawk Patrick-Daniels.

Then, starting with little more than three minutes left in the first half, Centennial came roaring back with three consecutive scores of its own. Quarterback Phillip Hamilton had TD runs of 16 and 54 yards, followed by a 14-yard TD scamper by Aiden Hicks, and suddenly the runaway of before had become a 21-21 tie with a little more than a couple minutes into the second half.

In a yeoman effort, Hamilton finished the game with 231 yards rushing on 33 carries.

“Kyle Geller’s a really good football coach. He figured out a way to get his quarterback downfield,” Buchanan said. “It took a while for us to figure out how to adjust. They were in a heavy package and we were in man coverage.”

The Bearcats did adjust, however, just as they did in the earlier win in Burleson, which was tied 14-14 after the first quarter. And when they did, just like then, they took control.

With Centennial facing a second-and-9 at the Aledo 30 late in the third quarter, the Bearcats caught Hamilton for a 5-yard loss. Then, they forced him into back-to-back incompletions, taking over at their own 35.

Aledo went 65 yards in a little more than two minutes, regaining the lead for good on a fourth-and-5 touchdown pass of 28 yards from Hejny to Kaydon Finley. Then, after the Aledo defense forced a Centennial punt, Hejny found Finley for a 26-yard TD pass and a 35-21 lead with 10:50 to play, a score that was aided by a 15-yard penalty against the Spartans for a late hit out of bounds, Centennial’s lone penalty of the game.

One of Kaydon Finley's two touchdown receptions:

Hejny finished the game 15-of-20 passing for 279 yards. Nine of his completions went to Jalen Pope for 157 yards.

“We knew we were going to throw the ball, and Hauss knows how to throw,” Buchanan said. “We had to throw when we beat them down there.”

In two games against the Spartans, Hejny was 28-of-34 for 551 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions. He also rushed for 234 yards and three TD in those two games.

In those same two games, Pope caught 17 passes for 280 yards and three TD.

“Over the summer we built that connection,” Pope said of himself and Hejny. “He trusts me to make big plays and I trust him to make big plays.”

Centennial’s last real scoring opportunity was squelched midway through the fourth quarter. They drove from their own 25 to the Aledo 2, but on fourth-and-goal the Spartans were stopped for no gain.

While Centennial’s defense forced a punt on the Bearcats’ next possession, Clay Murador booted the ball 59 yards to put the Spartans at their own 31. They reached midfield before Wheeler’s takeaway.

Class 5A Division I Region I final

Aledo 42, Burleson Centennial 21

Unofficial team statistics

Unofficial individual leaders