Tim Buchanan has never been one to back down from a challenge. Of course that is one of the reasons he is one of the most successful high school football coaches in America ever to walk the sidelines, with seven state championships and an average of 11 victories per season in 24 years.
So, on the heels of a 24-17 season-opening loss at Dallas Parish Episcopal, No. 9 in this week’s MaxPreps state rankings, the Bearcats return for their home opener against No. 3 Denton Guyer at at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bearcat Stadium.
Guyer, last season’s Class 6A Division II state runner-up, is coming off a 47-14 drubbing of Rockwall Heath to open the season.
“They’re better than they were last year. They look like they’re in Week 12 or 13, it didn’t look like the first week of the season. Their defense scored 21 points on Rockwall (Heath),” Buchanan said.
Of course, the Bearcats have lost season openers before under Buchanan and always rebounded well. A couple times they even went on to win a state championship, including 2019, Buchanan’s first season back as coach after five years as Aledo athletic director. Ironically, they lost 60-57 to Guyer before bouncing back to win their next 15 games.
“When you lose to a team like Parish Episcopal, if you learn from it, there’s no shame from that,” Buchanan said. “You ask yourself, ‘What can I do better?’ And then you work toward that.
“I hate to lose, but if you learn from it and it helps make you better, there’s no shame at all.”
It has been a long time, however, since the Bearcats began a season 0-2. Not since 1991, two years before Buchanan, have they dropped their first two games.
In reflecting on the Episcopal loss, Buchanan said, “We played really hard. Us losing was not from a lack of effort. We made some mental mistakes that cost us the game.”
The Bearcats had trouble with their red zone offense. The only touchdown they managed inside the 20-yard line was following a forced turnover by the defense that gave them the ball at the Episcopal half-yard line.
Buchanan praised several players as standouts, including cornerback Chris Johnson on defense and center Alex Arana on offense. Johnson returned an interception 52 yards and Arana anchored an offensive line that helped the offense accumulate 308 total yards, including 62 rushing by Cap Mooney and another 66 from quarterback Hauss Hejny.
“Last spring I thought he was going to be a JV player,” Buchanan said of Johnson, adding of Arana, “He’s the littlest guy on the offensive line.”
Mooney will miss this week’s game due to an injury, Buchanan said, but he expects him to return next week when the Bearcats travel to Justin Northwest for a Thursday contest.
Denton Guyer Wildcats (1-0) at Aledo Bearcats (0-1)
7:30 p.m. Friday, Bearcat Stadium
Last season: Aledo, 12-1, lost in third round of 5A Division II playoffs to eventual state champion Dallas South Oak Cliff. Guyer, 14-2, lost in 6A Division II state final to Austin Westlake, 40-21.
Last meeting: Guyer won 60-57 in Aledo to open the 2019 season. Aledo went on to finish 15-1 and won the 5A Division II state championship. Guyer went on to finish 14-2 and was the 6A Division II state runner-up, also losing in the finals to Westlake that season.
Last week: Aledo lost 24-17 at Dallas Parish Episcopal. Guyer defeated Rockwall Heath at home, 47-14.
Offense: Aledo 308 yards vs. Parish Episcopal (165 rushing, 143 passing), Guyer 374 yards vs. Heath (171 rushing, 203 passing).
Defense: Aledo surrendered 316 yards vs. Parish Episcopal (91 rushing, 225 passing), Guyer gave up 295 yards vs. Heath (148 rushing, 147 passing). The Guyer defense scored 21 points off of Heath turnovers, while the Aledo defense forced a turnover on the Parish Episcopal half-yard line that resulted in a TD.
Aledo offensive leaders: Rushing - Hauss Hejny, 10-66; Cap Mooney, 18-62. Passing - Hejny, 7-14, 127 yards, 1 TD, 2 int. Receiving - Jalen Pope 5-106, 1 TD, Tyson Timms 2-35.
Guyer offensive leaders: Rushing - Jackson Arnold 5-86, 1 TD; Ahmed Yusseff, 6-40. Passing - Arnold 12-18, 203 yards, 3 TD, 0 int. Receiving - Landon Sides, 2-86, 2 TD; Peyton Bowen, 3-34.
Aledo defensive leaders - Dahvon Keys, 9 tackles (5 solo); Andrew Parkhurst, 7 tackles (6 solo), 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss; Chris Johnson 1 interception returned 52 yards.
Guyer defensive stats not available.
Note: Aledo has not started a season 0-2 since 1991. The last time the Bearcats lost back-to-back games was 2007. Twice under coach Tim Buchanan the Bearcats have lost their season opener only to rebound and win a state championship (2011 and 2019).
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