A few weeks ago this matchup seemed unlikely. In fact, one of the teams didn’t even appear to be on the way to the postseason. However, the Aledo Bearcats (11-1) find themselves facing the surprising Amarillo Tascosa Rebels (7-5) in the third round of the Class 5A Division I playoffs Friday at 1 p.m. in Snyder.
For Aledo, being in this round is as common as, well, turkey being served at Thanksgiving. Tascosa, no stranger to third-round appearances themselves over the years, looked to be anything but a deep playoff participant just a month ago.
On Oct. 25, Tascosa was 3-5 overall and 2-2 in District 2-5A Division I, coming off a heartbreaking 31-29 loss at Abilene. Since then, the Rebels have reeled off four straight wins, including last week’s 35-13 humbling of previously unbeaten District 4-5A Division I champion Saginaw (11-1).
Meanwhile, the Bearcats won their 11th straight game since dropping a 35-30 contest at Denton Guyer, defeating Abilene (8-4) 59-14, moving a step closer to another state championship three-peat. They accomplished the feat twice before in 2009-11 and 2018-2020.
The Bearcats defense will face a Flexbone offense for the first time in 2024. The option-oriented offense is geared toward a lot of running, but Tascosa isn’t shy about throwing the ball out of the formation.
“They’re gonna run, but they throw more than most Flexbone teams,” Aledo head coach Robby Jones said. “It’s gonna be something different than what we’ve seen this season, but we saw it with Burleson Centennial the last couple of years.
‘Our guys just have to know their assignments and make sure they contain them.”
In fact, the Bearcats faced the Spartans and the Flexbone three times in that span, winning all three. In 2022 Aledo won 64-21 in Burleson in the regular season and 42-21 in the Region I final at The Star in Frisco. Last season the Bearcats won 42-0 in Aledo.
Still, Tascosa is averaging around 270 yards per game rushing compared to just over 80 through the air. The Aledo defense has been stingy against the run this season, surrendering less than 100 yards per game.
The Bearcats are the much more balanced of the two offenses, averaging around 240 on the ground and just under 225 passing. Scoring-wise, they are outsourcing their opponents by an average of 55-15, compared to 33-24 for Tascosa.
This will be the first ever meeting in the history of the Bearcats and Rebels. Throughout the history of the Aledo program, dating to 1946, when the Bearcats meet a team for the first time, it’s usually a successful outcome.
In 60 first-time meetings, Aledo is 46-14. That’s a win percentage of 77 percent.
This is the 12th consecutive season in which the Bearcats have advanced to at least the third round of the playoffs. They are 10-1 in the previous 11, the only loss being 33-28 to Dallas South Oak Cliff in 2021.
The Bears would go on to win the first of back-to-back 5A Division II state championships.
Since Aledo began its nearly three decades of dominance in 1996, this will be the 25th time they’ve reached this round. They are 22-2 in the previous 24.
The Bearcats have a decided advantage in this statistical category. Aledo is plus 11 and Tascosa is minus two.
While the Bearcats have turned the ball over 11 times (5 interceptions, 6 fumbles), they have 22 takeaways (16 interceptions, 6 fumbles). Four of these have been pick-six interceptions in their past four games.
The Rebels don’t turn the ball over much, with only six all season (2 interceptions, 4 fumbles), but they also don’t take it away much. They only have four takeaways, all interceptions.
If the Bearcats get past Tascosa, they will be facing a district opponent anxious to get a second chance against them. Denton Ryan (11-1) and Richland (10-2) were both in position to end Aledo’s national-record district winning streak, which now sets at 117.
Both teams had big leads in games played in Aledo. Ryan led 27-8 late in the first half before the Bearcats stormed back for a 42-27 victory. Richland had leads of 28-14 and 25-21, but ultimately fell 49-42 in overtime, a game in which Aledo’s Raycine Guillory scored six touchdowns.
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