Bearcats seek to avoid Granbury trap

Robby Jones had a simple message for his Aledo Bearcats football team on Monday.

Don’t be Alabama.

“Actually, what I said was, ‘Don’t let Granbury be Vanderbilt,’” he said with a smile.

Coaches, of course, are always leery of what is known as a “trap game.” It’s a contest against a team they are supposed to beat and against whom almost everyone believes it would take the ultimate disaster to lose.

However, as Vanderbilt reminded folks this past weekend with its 40-35 shocking upset of No. 1 Alabama in Nashville, such stunners do happen.

And you can bet Jones was watching. His Bearcats (5-1, 4-0 in District 3-5A Division I) are traveling to Granbury Friday, Oct. 11 to take on the Pirates (1-4, 0-3) at 7 p.m.

Two teams could not be going in opposite directions any more than the Bearcats and Pirates. In Week 1 Aledo fell 35-30 at Denton Guyer and has since won five straight. Granbury won its season opener 3-0 against Waco and is now on a four-game losing streak.

“I told them (the team), ‘Look at Alabama last week. They got the big win over Georgia, go to Vanderbilt and look what happened,’” Jones said. “We’re in that same situation and we don’t want that to happen to us.”

New head coach

The Pirates are under the guidance of Bobby Allison, who came to Granbury after spending the past 10 seasons at Justin Northwest, where he was defensive coordinator, assistant head coach, and recruiting coordinator. In only one season, he was instrumental in turning the Texans around from 1-9 in 2015 to 10-2 in 2016.

At Sharpstown, where he was co-defensive coordinator, he helped the Bobcats win 10 games for the first time in 20 seasons and advance to the playoffs. At San Angelo Central, he helped end a 29-game losing streak with a 6-4 record in his first season.

“He’s a good coach and I think he can do some good there,” Jones said in praise of Allison. “He’s proven he knows how to turn programs around.”

Jones, in his second season at the helm of Aledo, is 21-1 with a state championship. He was offensive coordinator for 10 state championships since 2009 since taking over for the retired Tim Buchanan last season.

Taking on top teams

For a second straight game the Pirates will be facing the No. 1 team in the state. Before having a bye last week they lost 63-20 at Denton Ryan, which held the top spot before losing to the Bearcats 42-27 last week in Aledo.

Fuller to the house

For the second time in as many games, senior Adrian Fuller returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the Bearcats. His return for 100 yards turned the game around in last week’s 42-27 win over Denton Ryan, a game the Bearcats trailed 27-8 at the time.

The previous week he returned a kickoff 82 yards for a score in a 63-3 win over Fossil Ridge.

Also this season, junior Lincoln Tubbs brought back a kickoff 78 yards for a score.

All-time series

The Bearcats lead the series against the Pirates 7-4. Aledo has won the past seven after the Pirates jumped out with the first four wins, including 26-6 in 1950.

When the teams last met, Aledo won 68-0 in Granbury in 2015.

Subvarsity

The Aledo subvarsity teams once again swept their opponents, in this case Ryan. JV Orange won 21-7 and JV Black won 21-0. Freshmen Orange won 49-0, Black won 50-14 and C team won 12-0.

Rankings

To the surprise of pretty much no one, Aledo returned to the top of the Class 5A Division I rankings in Texas. Ryan, which was No. 1, slipped to No. 4.

Nationally, the Bearcats are No. 88 among all classifications by MaxPreps.

Another showdown, but first bye

Coming to town on Oct. 25 to face the Bearcats is Richland. The Royals are No. 5 in the state and are playing at Ryan on Friday, Oct. 11.

Meanwhile, the Bearcats have a bye on Oct. 18 to prepare for their second big showdown in less than a month.

“It’ll be good to have a recharge. We’ll still practice in the mornings,” Jones said. “There’ll be a little less than they’re used to, but we’re still going to practice.

“We’ve got some big games still to play, not just Richland, but we also have to take Azle into consideration”

Last week’s results
Aledo 42, Ryan 27
Brewer 60, Denton 7
Richland 57, Fossil Ridge 14
Azle 48, Birdville 43
Granbury bye

This week’s games (all at 7 p.m.)