Through a 2-0 start to the season, the Aledo offense was virtually unstoppable. In a 38-13 District 3-5A Division I opening win against Justin Northwest on Friday, Sept. 8 it was the defense that took center stage — along with the ball three times via takeaways — each resulting in a touchdown. Two, in fact, were returned for scores.
The result was Aledo's 112th consecutive district victory dating to 2007, a national record.
"Defense led the way tonight," Bearcats coach Robby Jones said. "Two defensive touchdowns, that's a big positive."
With the Bearcats (3-0 overall) leading 24-6 and the Texans (2-1 overall) driving, Aledo safety Boogie Owens scooped up a fumble. He then raced 52 yards in the other direction for a touchdown to squelch the threat and turn what might have been a close contest into an insurmountable lead.
Owens also had a first-half interception after Northwest had driven to the Bearcats' 49-yard line. Four plays later quarterback Hauss Hejny connected with tight end Tyson Timms for a 41-yard touchdown that gave Aledo a 17-6 halftime advantage.
"Boogie had a great game. That's the kind of game all of our best players are capable of, and he came through tonight," Jones said.
Then, to erase any thought of a miracle comeback by the Texans, Aledo defensive end Cooper Cyphers snatched an interception on fourth-down-and-2 at the Northwest 49. He alertly scampered all the way to the end zone for the game's final score midway through the final quarter.
The Northwest defense, meanwhile, thwarted the Aledo offense early, forcing the Bearcats to settle for a Cole Crawford 32-yard field goal on their first possession. Hejny added a 13-yard touchdown run for a 10-0 lead after the opening quarter.
Northwest pulled to within 10-6 on a 1-yard run by Nate Jean early in the second quarter. After holding the Bearcats 2 yards short on fourth-and-9 at the Texans' 37, Northwest was in position to take the lead before Owens' interception.
The Bearcats took the second half kickoff and proceeded to to go 69 yards in 10 plays. Ray Guillory's 1-yard run made the score 24-6.
Aledo travels to Azle Friday while Northwest looks to rebound against Brewer at home. Both games have 7 p.m. start times.
| Northwest | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | - | 13 |
| Aledo | 10 | 7 | 14 | 7 | - | 38 |
A - Cole Crawford 32 FG
A - Hauss Hejny 13 run (Crawford kick)
NW - Nate Jean 1 run (kick failed)
A - Tyson Timms 41 pass from Hejny (Crawford kick)
A - Ray Guillory 1 run (Crawford kick)
A - Boogie Owens 52 fumble return (Crawford kick)
NW - Ife Durodoye 56 run (Ulices Urtiz kick)
A - Cooper Cyphers 49 interception return (Crawford kick)
Team
First downs: Northwest 16, Aledo 18.
Rushes-yards: Northwest 32-195, Aledo 43-227.
Passing yards: Northwest 96, Aledo 97.
Caught-thrown-intercepted: Northwest 12-19-2, Aledo 7-13-0.
Fumbles-lost: Northwest 2-1, Aledo 2-0.
Punts-average: Northwest 4-27.3, Aledo 2-34.0.
Penalties-yards: Northwest 3-25, Aledo 5-45.
Third-down conversions: Northwest 3-9, Aledo 6-11.
Fourth-down conversions: Northwest 0-1, Aledo 0-1.
Time of possession: Northwest 25:03, Aledo 22:57.
Individual - Offense
Rushing:
Northwest: Durodoye 15-128 yards, 1 TD; Jean 9-35, 1 TD; Leddie Thompson 8-32.
Aledo: Guillory 24-122, 1 TD; Hejny 7-61, 1 TD; RJ Blake 7-27; Hawk Patrick-Daniels 4-26; Gavin Beard 1-(-9).
Passing
Northwest: Thompson 12-19-2, 96 yards.
Aledo: Hejny 7-13-0, 97 yards.
Receiving
Northwest: Cooper McComas 2-35, Adam Thurston 3-20, Gage Moore 1-18, Jean 2-17, Kobey Wall 1-8, Terry Duncan 1-1, Jonah Walters 1-0, Durodoye 1-(-3).
Aledo: Timms 2-42, 1 TD; Trace Clarkson 2-32; Patrick-Daniels 3-23.
Defense
Interceptions
Aledo: Cyphers 1, TD; Owens 1.
Fumble recovery
Aledo: Owens 1, TD.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here