Aledo closes regular season with win over Lamar

Toward the end of the second quarter, Aledo cornerback Blaine Fisher leaped into the air to intercept an Arlington Lamar pass and thwart a Vikings drive.

The interception was one of many plays that propelled Aledo to its 28-3 win Friday night, Nov. 6, at Tim Buchanan Stadium, closing out the regular season.

Aledo (7-3, 6-1) will face the Keller Central Chargers (8-2, 5-2) next week in the bi-district playoff round.

Aledo went three-and-out to start Friday’s game, but the defense forced a turnover on the Vikings’ opening drive. Lamar drove as deep as Aledo’s 3 yard line, but Aledo safety Dylan Tillis ended the Vikings’ threat with an interception.

The Bearcats got on the board first toward the end of the first quarter when running back Wyatt Dorsey rushed for a 3-yard touchdown with a minute to play.

The Vikings answered with a 30-yard field goal for their only points of the night at the 9:19 mark of the second quarter.

Aledo regained the lead when quarterback Elijah Pinnick connected with tight end Caden Palmquest for a 34-yard touchdown with 5:32 left.

Fisher’s interception on Lamar’s next drive closed out the first half with Aledo leading 14-3.

“It felt really good to get [the interception], but I’ve gotta give the credit to the front seven,” Fisher said. “They really put the pressure on [the quarterback] and got him to scramble. As he rolled out to throw that ball, the receiver stopped running a little bit and the ball got thrown really high, but I was able to come down with it.”

After the Aledo defense forced a three-and-out to start the second half, the offense went on a drive that culminated with a 1-yard touchdown by running back Izzy Roberts. The Bearcats’ defense forced another turnover on downs to end the third quarter, and the offense finished its scoring when Pinnick threw another touchdown to Palmquest from 3 yards out with 11:55 left in the fourth quarter.

Aledo head coach Robby Jones said his team will now turn its attention to the playoffs, with preparation being the key.

“We know it’s playoff time, and these guys that have been in the program for all of these years have been through it,” Jones said. “We just have to make sure that we’re prepared and ready to go into next week with guns ablazing.”