There's an old saying in football. It's hard to beat a team twice in the same season.
The Aledo Bearcats (12-1) are about to put that theory to a test again Saturday when they face the Denton Ryan Raiders (12-1) in the Class 5A Division I Region I final at 2 p.m. at the Crowley ISD Multii-Purpose Stadium.
The Bearcats have been in this scenario six times since 1996 and have won five of the encounters - the past five straight, to be exact. Of those, five have been in this same round and they are 4-1.
The only time the Bearcats did not pull off a sweep was in 1996. They defeated Ferris 40-13 in the regular season, but lost in the regional final 28-13. Other rematches over the years have included:
2009 vs. Stephenville: Won regular season 20-16, won in area round of playoffs 26-23.
2010 vs. Stephenville: Won 20-3 in regular season, won 18-10 in regional final.
2011 vs. Stephenville: Lost regular season 48-47, won regional 33-0.
2016 vs. Saginaw Boswell: Won regular season 49-24, won regional final 42-14.
2017 vs. Mansfield Legacy: Won regular season 24-3, won state semifinals 28-21.
2022 vs. Burleson Centennial: Won 64-21 in regular season, won regional final 42-21.
“Denton Ryan is extremely talented. You don’t have to be perfect, but near perfect to beat them,” Aledo head coach Robby Jones said. “They thrive on mistakes other teams make.”
Jones noted some instances in the Raiders’ 48-35 third-round win over another District 3-5A opponent, Richland. A couple of first-half turnovers gave the Raiders the ball deep in Royals territory, and a botched Richland punt in the second half resulted in another easy score.
“It’s a totally different game,” Jones said of the rematch. “We can’t allow them to have a quick start. They like to get on teams early.”
Likewise, the Bearcats have outscored their opponents 238-29 in the first quarter of games this season. However, the opposite was true in their earlier meeting with Ryan.
The Raiders jumped on top 6-5 after the first quarter and led 27-8 in the second quarter, taking a 27-14 halftime lead. In the third quarter, Aledo outscored Ryan 21-0, followed by 7-0 in the fourth.
Running back Raycine Guillory has rushed for 1,303 yards and scored 26 touchdowns this season. However, he left the Bearcats' 62-7 regional semifinal victory against Amarillo Tascosa with an ankle injury after carrying the ball only twice for 6 yards.
“We think he’s going to play,” Jones said, noting his status early in the week was about 50-50.
Guillory was tackled and twisted his ankle on the second play of the game against Tascosa.
In his absence, Kaden Winkfield had a sensational game, picking up 142 yards on 11 carries with three touchdowns, including scores of 56 and 57 yards. He also caught a pair of passes for 25 yards.
“That’s expected of Kaden. He’s a very good running back as well,” Jones said.
With 855 yards entering this game, Winkfield is looking to join Guillory in the 1,000-yard club this season.
Both runners were key factors in the first meeting against Ryan. Guillory carried 26 times for 161 yards and a pair of TD, along with catching three passes for 43 yards and another score. Winkfield carries a dozen times for 86 yards.
The last time Aledo QB Gavin Beard threw an interception was against Ryan. Since then, Beard has completed 87 of 114 passes for 19 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.
Over the past five games, Beard is a near-perfect 56-of-65. In fact, he has twice had perfect completion games in that span, going 15-for-15 against Tascosa and 11-for-11 against Azle.
Overall for the season, despite missing two full games with an injury, Beard has thrown for 34 touchdowns opposite just three interceptions.
“He’s having a fantastic season and he’s going to have to have one of his better games this year, especially if Ray is limited,” Jones said.
The Bearcats have yet to punt in the postseason. In fact, they've only punted 16 times all season, with the last time coming in the regular-season final against Denton.
They also did not punt in the first meeting with Ryan, while the Raiders punted three times.
Great teams are typically great in all aspects. This includes special teams, a key component that was big in kick-starting the Bearcats' comeback in the earlier matchup with Ryan.
Trailing 27-8 with time running out in the first half, Aledo's Adrian Fuller returned a kickoff 99 yards to make the score 27-14 at the half.
In all, the Bearcats have returned four kickoffs for touchdowns this season, two by Fuller and two by Lincoln Tubbs. Ryan has also returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns.
The Bearcats are a plus-8 in the turnover-takeaway department. Surprisingly, the Raiders are minus-2. The strength of each team in this department is their pass defense, with both squads having 14 interceptions.
When the teams met the first time, Aledo won the turnover battle 2-1, all interceptions. Owen Henderson and Kamron Hall each picked off a pass for the Bearcats.
Aledo leads the all-time series 3-2, having won the past three after falling 34-27 in 2002 and 17-0 in 2003. Those first two meetings were in regional finals, and the latter score was the last time Aledo has been shut out.
The past three meetings have all been in the regular season and in district play, with the Raiders having hopes of ending Aledo's national-record district winning streak. The streak is still intact at 127 as Aledo won 35-21 in Denton in 2022 and 25-19 in Aledo in 2023 before this season's win.
The 2023 game saw Ryan rally from 17-0 down to take a late lead. However, Bearcats quarterback Hauss Hejny - now at TCU - broke free for a game-winning TD run of more than 50 yards on fourth down.
Following three of the four previous meetings the winner has gone on to win a state championship. Ryan took the crown in 2002, with Aledo winning in 2022 and 2023.
Though they did not play, both won a state title in 2020.
“It’s starting to be a rivalry with Ryan since they are in our district now,” Jones said.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here