When Aledo Bearcats head coach Robby Jones looks at his team’s season-opening opponent, the Denton Guyer Wildcats, he sees similarities to his own team.
“They kind of remind me of us. They have a really good defensive line - two who have committed to go play somewhere (sophomore Zane Rowe to Oklahoma and senior Zavier Ukponu to Wisconsin) - good linebacking corps and a young secondary,” Jones said. “Same with us.
“When you look at us pre-game you’ll see the difference between 5A and 6A, the difference in size. They’re huge on the offensive line. They outweigh our kids by 20-30 pounds on average.”
However, that has not been a problem with the Bearcats throughout their history as they’ve conquered numerous foes who on paper had an advantage.
“We’ve played teams bigger, we’ve played teams faster, we play harder than they do,” Jones said.
The Bearcats visit Guyer Friday, Aug. 30, to open the season with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Guyer returns five offensive and two defensive starters from a 7-4 season that saw the Wildcats extend their playoff streak to 16 seasons with a 6A Division II bi-district appearance. Aledo brings back three offensive and four defensive starters from a 16-0 Class 5A Division II state champion.
The bi-district exit was out of line with what the Wildcats and their fans have become accustomed to. In 2019 and 2021 they reached the Class 6A Division II state final, with semifinal appearances in 2020 and 2022.
However, Jones sees the 2024 Wildcats as a team ready to bounce back to greatness. The school opened in 2005 and every year since 2007 has reached the postseason, advancing 14 times with two state championships (2012, 2013).
“I think they’re on the verge of being a very good football team again,” Jones said.
Jones should know. He’s been a part of 11 of the Bearcats’ state-record state championships. From 2009-22 he was the offensive coordinator, and last year he led the Bearcats to their fifth 16-0 season in his first season ever as a head coach.
Junior running back Ray Guillory and senior offensive lineman Payton Williams should see playing time this week. Jones said both have been cleared by their doctors after recovering from injuries, Guillory’s knee and Williams a broken fibula.
However, that action will be limited, the coach noted.
“Ray says he feels great. I think structurally the knee is fine, it’s a matter of conditioning,” Jones said. “We’re not going to leave him on the field if he’s tired.
“Same with Payton. He will roll in with other linemen. We’ve got to have our leaders on the field at the right time and that means we have to make sure we don’t overuse them at other times.”
Guillory saw action in the scrimmage at Mansfield Timberview on Aug. 22, carrying the ball a handful of times. Williams did not participate in the scrimmage.
Despite missing several games, including the state semifinals and finals, Guillory rushed for 1,207 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2023, along with catching 10 passes for 175 yards and four TD.
Bearcats starting quarterback Gavin Beard has started a game before, but as Jones puts it, “It’s his first game as ‘Hey, I’m the man. I’m not Hauss’ (Hejny) backup any more.”
Hejny, who guided the Bearcats to state titles in 2022 and 2023, is now playing at TCU.
Beard, a junior, looked solid as a backup, completing 45 of 62 pass attempts (73%) for 517 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. In his lone start at Brewer, a 59-13 win, he was 19-of-23 for 223 yards with a TD and no interceptions.
On the other side, Guyer welcomes senior transfer Kevin Sperry, an Oklahoma commit. He led Carl Albert of Midwest City, Oklahoma to its sixth state championship in seven seasons in 2023, throwing for over 2,500 yards with 31 TD and 4 interceptions, along with rushing for over 550 yards and 11 TD.
Jones said none of that is bothering his new starting QB.
“He’s always kind of a calm, cool character. He’s an extraordinarily confident kid,” Jones said.
Again, the quarterbacks factor in. If Aledo’s defensive line can pressure Sperry consistently, it will greatly help the young Bearcats’ secondary. Also, if the Aledo offensive line can protect Beard, he could take advantage of Guyer’s inexperienced secondary.
“They have a big-time receiver (junior Corbin Glasco, 43 catches, 488 yards, 6 TD in 2023) and so do we (junior Kaydon Finley, 39 catches, 602 yards, 6 TD in 2023). When Ray is on the field, I feel we have an advantage at running back,” Jones said. “I think it could come down to how well our secondary holds up against their quarterback and how well our defensive line puts pressure on him.”
Perhaps for the first time ever, the Bearcats will have two juniors as part of the team captain crew. When Tim Buchanan became the head coach in 1993, he set aside that honor for a pair of seniors.
Then, in 2022, players and coaches were allowed to add juniors to their nominations. As a result, Hejny was named a captain.
This year, the offensive captains are Beard and Finley. The defensive captains are senior linebackers Owen Henderson and Ben McElree.
Captains are determined by a vote of teammates and coaches.
“Owen has emerged as a vocal leader and Ben was an obvious choice. Your quarterback, naturally, should be one of the leaders, and Kaydon’s been the guy in his class who’s looked to as ‘the guy,’ and he’s taken that role on,” Jones said. “These are the guys others look to for leadership on the field and in the locker room.”
Very few teams have an advantage against Aledo in their all-time series together, but Guyer is one. The Wildcats lead 3-2.
Their first meeting was in the 2012 Class 4A Division I playoffs. The Wildcats won 42-30 and went on to win their first state championship.
Ironically, the Bearcats finished 10-2 that season with both losses to state champions. They also lost 41-28 to Stephenville in pre-district, with the Yellowjackets later capturing the 4A Division II title.
Also, both teams are undefeated on the road in the series. Aledo’s two wins were in Denton, 40-0 in 2018 and 48-45 on a last-minute field goal in 2023, while Guyer won 60-57 in 2019 and 44-14 in 2022, both in Aledo.
Along with the regular-season meetings, Jones noted the teams also scrimmaged each season from 2010-13.
“We’ve got a pretty good history with these guys,” Jones said. “I don’t know if it’s a rivalry, but we have great mutual respect for each other.”
In each season the Bearcats and Guyer have played, one or both teams have gone on to win state.
Thursday, Aug. 29
Friday, Aug. 30
Aledo Bearcats (0-0) at Denton Guyer Wildcats (0-0)
When: 7 p.m. Friday, C.H. Collins Stadium, Denton.
Returning starters: Aledo 3 offense/4 defense, Guyer 5 offense/2 defense.
Aledo players to watch: QB Gavin Beard, entering first season as starting signal caller (45-of-62, 517 yards, 2 TD, 2 int. in 2023), WR Kaydon Finley (39 catches, 602 yards, 6 TD in 2023).
Guyer offensive players to watch: QB Kevin Sperry (31 TD, 4 int. 2,564 passing yards; 563 yards, 11 TD rushing in 2023), led Carl Albert of Midwest City to sixth Oklahoma state championship in seven seasons; WR Corbin Glasco (43 catches, 488 yards, 6 TD in 2023).
Aledo defensive players to watch: LB Ben McElree (42 tackles, 8.5 for loss, 2 forced fumbles, sack in 2023); DL Decker Sanders (30 tackles, 2 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss in 2023).
Guyer defensive players to watch: DL Xavier Ukponu (31 tackles, 6 for loss, sack in 2023), committed to Wisconsin; DL Zane Rowe (23 tackles, 4 for loss, 2 sacks), committed to Oklahoma.
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