Robby Jones is certainly no stranger to records and history. And now, as a head coach, he and his Aledo Bearcats are primed to add another chapter into the record books.
Jones is poised to become the first head coach in Aledo football history to finish his first season with a 16-0 record. He would join the now retired Steve Wood as the only coaches at the school to win a state championship in his first season at the helm.
Wood accomplished the feat in 2014.
“By the way, it would be my 11th state championship,” Jones said with a smile after the Bearcats (15-0) defeated Forney 43-7 to reach the championship game Friday, Dec. 15 against Smithson Valley (14-1) at 7 p.m. at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
The Rangers defeated Brownsville Veterans Memorial 49-21 to reach the final, a game they led at one time 49-0.
Jones, of course, is referring to having 10 championships after becoming the offensive coordinator in 2009. In fact, his 2013 team holds a distinct record as the only team ever at any level to score more than 1,000 points in a season.
“We started in January preparing for this game,” Jones said. “As we get deeper and deeper (in the playoffs) we put together complete games, be great in all three phases.
“I told the team ‘You’ve got one more game to be better than last week.’ We’ve got to finish off the good year we’ve had.”
As for what the Rangers bring to the table, Jones noted, “They’ve got a system in place and they run it to perfection. They have highly intelligent kids, lots of 4.0s and 3.8s. It’s almost like going against a Katy type offense, and that play action pass game they have is very dangerous.
“I also noticed how tall and long they looked. They have some seriously good athletes.”
As for the team, the Bearcats are going for a 12th state title. They already own the state record with 11 and the closest to them are Carthage, Katy, and Richland Springs with nine each.
The Bearcats won their first of eight state championships under Tim Buchanan in 1998, followed by titles in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2019, 2020 and 2022. Wood won championships in 2014, 2016 and 2018.
The Bearcats have won consecutive championships on three previous occasions, including being the only team in Texas history to three-peat twice. They won three in a row in 2009-11 and 2018-20, along with back-to-back in 2013-14.
In fact, since 2006, no freshman class at Aledo High School has graduated without celebrating a state championship.
The Bearcats have gone 16-0 four previous times, in 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2018. They are tied for third in the state and nation as the program with the most 16-0 seasons in their history, trailing only Southlake Carroll with eight and Celina with five.
Other programs that have gone 16-0 four times include Katy, Stephenville and Charlotte, N.C. Independence.
The Bearcats came close to already having a fifth perfect season in 2017 before dropping the state championship game to College Station 20-19.
While Jones is new as a head coach, there’s no questioning that he gained legendary status as an offensive coordinator. Six of his offenses rank among the top 62 highest scoring of all time nationally.
Smithson Valley is led by Larry Hill, a member of the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor - which also honored Buchanan this past summer. Hill has won more than 300 games in his career.
This will be Hill’s fourth time to lead the Rangers to a state final, though they’ve yet to win a state championship. In 2001 they lost the 4A Division I final to Denton Ryan, followed by losses in the 2002 and 2004 5A Division II final to Southlake Carroll.
“Larry Hill’s been here in Aledo. He talked with our coaches,” Jones said. “His kids are going to be well-coached and do things the right way.
“He’s in the Hall of Honor while he’s still coaching. That’s something special. I have lots of respect for him.”
The Bearcats are on the cusp of having yet another team move into the top 100 highest scoring offenses of all time. With 746 points through 15 games, they are averaging 50 points per game when rounded up.
If they match their season average, they will finish with 796 points, which would move them into a tie for 85th all-time. If they score 29 or more it will put them in the top 100 all-time.
The Bearcats’ offensive coordinator this season is Joe Ryan Williams.
“I had all the confidence in the world Joe would do a great job running the offense,” Jones said. “If I didn’t, I’d be head coach and offensive coordinator. “Joe’s done a great job and I figured he would.”
For the second time in three weeks the Bearcats will be facing an opponent they have never played in their history. Two weeks ago they disposed of Abilene in a first-time matchup, 56-21, which was also the first meeting ever between two teams that combined for 18 state titles.
The Bearcats are averaging 49.8 points per game overall this season and 46.6 in the postseason. Twice they have topped the 70-point mark, one other time they hit 60 and five other times they scored at least 50 in a game, including twice in the playoffs.
The Rangers are averaging 39.3 points overall and 33.4 in the postseason. They scored over 60 once and topped 50 points twice, but not in the playoffs.
The Bearcats are rushing for around 263 yards per game and passing for around 201. The Rangers are averaging about 158 passing yards and are capable of piling up yardage on the ground, as evidenced by picking up more than 275 in their 31-24 come-from-behind win over A&M Consolidated in the state quarterfinals.
Aledo is surrendering 16.4 points through all 15 games and 20.0 in its five playoff games. They have posted three shutouts and held six opponents to a touchdown or less - including twice in the postseason.
The Rangers are giving up an average of 13.4 points all season, but 21.6 per game in the playoffs. They have a pair of shutouts and have held five opponents to seven points or less, though they have yet to do so in the postseason.
The Bearcats are surrendering 112 yards per game rushing and 131 through the air. No defensive yardage stats were available for Smithson Valley.
Aledo quarterback Hauss Hejny is one passing yard and 51 rushing yards away from posting a 2,500-yard passing/1,000 rushing-yard season. It would be his second consecutive season to surpass 1,000 yards rushing as he finished with 1,276 and 15 TD in 2022, along with passing for 2,092 yards and 20 TD.
This season, Hejny has already accounted for more TD than last season with 37 total. He’s rushed for a dozen and thrown for 25.
With 891 yards receiving on 46 catches, Trace Clarkson has a chance to catch 50 passes and go over 1,000 yards receiving with a big game in the state final.
Defensively, linebacker Davhon Keys is one tackle away from posting 100 once again.
The Bearcats have won 29 straight games dating to the third game of the 2022 season. It is tied for the second longest streak in team history, only behind the 31 straight in 2016-17.
The Rangers are a pair of points from also being undefeated this season and have won 14 straight. They lost their season opener to San Antonio Reagan, 17-16, a squad that went on to finish 11-1.
Aledo has had anything but a close call in the playoffs, but the Bearcats did have a couple in the regular season. They rallied to win 48-45 at Class 6A playoff qualifier Denton Guyer and scored late to defeat district foe Denton Ryan, which reached the second round of the 5A Division I playoffs.
While they steamrolled most of their regular-season opponents, the Rangers have had three close calls in the playoffs. In the second round they escaped Magnolia West 20-17, then they defeated College Station 26-21 in the third round and rallied to top A&M Consolidated 31-24 in the Region III final.
Both Aledo and Smithson Valley will remain in Class 5A Division I, at least until 2026. AHS reported an enrollment of 2,267 students and SVHS turned in 2,075.
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