The Aledo Bearcats, following their move up to Class 6A play, haven’t started off on the right foot this season. After their 28-21 loss to the Waco Midway Panthers in Week 2, the Bearcats now face an 0-3 start to the season.
Aledo hasn’t started 0-3 since 1991. They’ll head to Pennington Field in Week 3 to face the Euless Trinity Trojans (1-1).
“We’ve gotta put the two losses behind us; just focus on this week and what we can control,” Aledo head coach Robby Jones said. “We’re going up against a real quality opponent in Euless Trinity. They’re one of the top teams in the area in 6A, and they’re a really good football program as well.”
The Trojans defeated Berkner in Week 1 and lost to Austin Westlake in Week 2. They’re led by head coach Aaron Lineweaver, quarterback Mack Lineweaver, and a strong supporting cast offensively and defensively.
Make Lineweaver has thrown for 200 yards and three touchdowns through the first two weeks of the season. The Trojans’ rushing attack is headlined by seniors Marcus Turner and Trenton Turner, who have combined for 350 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Euless Trinity’s receiver room, led by senior Brendon Cary, has combined for 203 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, the Trojans have five tackles for loss through two games, along with 49 total tackles. Junior defensive end Simione Naupoto’s leads the Trojans with eight tackles per game.
Last week’s game vs. Waco Midway saw the Bearcats fall behind early, with a late attempt at a comeback falling short on the final possession. Jones lamented the mistakes that cost his team.
“We’ve gotta play smarter. We had a couple of instances where we did some things that were uncharacteristic of some of our kids that cost the team,” Jones said. “We had a penalty on the kickoff return, which was a penalty that we shouldn’t have got. We extended their game-winning drive with a personal foul on what would’ve been 4th and 18. We’ve gotta quit doing things that are gonna hurt our chances of winning football games.”
Aledo looks to start fast in this week’s game. The first two games of the year have seen the Bearcats go scoreless in the first quarter.
“We’ve gotta get an early start. That’s been the problem with us for these last two weeks – slow starts on offense,” Jones said. “We aren’t accustomed to having bad starts. We’re accustomed to going out that first drive and putting points on the board.”
While an 0-2 start to the season isn’t exactly ideal, Jones remains confident in the team’s abilities.
“We don’t need to hit the panic button yet. We’ve started 0-2 before and then things have worked out for us. We’re working out the kinks,” Jones said. “We’ve had some unfortunate injuries to key players, and their backups are going out. We just need to not panic and let these kids get a few games under their belts.”
Aledo will take on Euless Trinity at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, at Pennington Field.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here