Football: Five Bearcats named TSWA All-State

Kaydon Finley had one of the top receiving seasons in Aledo Bearcats history in 2024. It caught the eyes of football followers throughout the state, including members of the Texas Sports Writers Association, many of whom saw the junior play this past season.

Finley is one of five Bearcats who were honored with a selection on the TSWA Class 5A All-State Football Team released recently. The wide receiver was named to the first team offense.

Joining him are third team offensive selections and fellow juniors Payton Williams (6-3, 305 pounds) at guard and Raycine Guillory at running back. Honorable mentions are senior defensive lineman Cooper Cyphers (6-1, 230), a junior, and senior linebacker Owen Henderson (6-1, 210).

“Always happy for some of our players to get the all-state honors. I’m pretty partial to our kids and think that we have more that are deserving of recognition, but it’s good to have five kids honored and three of them are returning next season,” Bearcats’ coach Robby Jones said.

The quintet helped Jones win a Class 5A Division I state championship in his first season at the helm, going 16-0 in 2023. They also helped the Bearcats to a 12-2 record in 2024, which included a berth in the Class 5A Division I state quarterfinals.

They were also a part of Aledo's 17th consecutive district championship dating to 2008 and helped the team continue its national-record 127-game district winning streak that also goes back to 2008.

This is the third all-state honor for Finley this off-season. He was also chosen for the Padilla Poll and Texas High School Coaches Association accolades, the elite team for the THSCA.

In his best season to date, Finley caught 81 passes for 1,429 yards and 21 touchdowns this past season. He averaged 17.6 yards per catch with a long catch of 92 yards for a score. He was targeted 115 times and only had four drops.

Guillory rushed for 1,322 yards and 25 touchdowns, along with having 180 receiving yards and two more TD.

Guillory announced during the playoffs that he is graduating early. He signed a letter-of-intent to play for the University of Utah next season. In two seasons with Aledo, Guillory accumulated more than 2,900 yards of offense and scored 48 touchdowns. He moved to Aledo following his freshman season at Mansfield Lake Ridge, where he was also the leading rusher as a freshman.

Williams was an anchor on the offensive line that led the way for Finley and Guillory to post such numbers.

Cyphers tied for the Bearcats’ team lead in tackles for loss with 10.5 and led the squad with 16 quarterback hurries. He posted 43 tackles in all, including 4.5 sacks, and had a team-best three forced fumbles.

Henderson, who has signed a letter-of-intent to play for Angelo State, led Aledo with 58.5 tackles, including two for a loss and a sack. He also had two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and six quarterback hurries.