Football

No. 2 Aledo dominates Fossil Ridge

Bearcats win big ahead of mammoth matchup with Denton Ryan

Posted Friday, September 27, 2024 2:17 pm

After losing their first game of the season to Denton Guyer, the No. 2 Aledo Bearcats have continued to leave that loss in the rearview mirror with impressive victories in each game since. The Bearcats continued to cruise through District 3-5A Division I play Thursday, Sept. 26 at the Keller ISD Sports Complex Stadium against the Fossil Ridge Panthers.

Aledo allowed its first points in district play in its 63-3 win, but the Bearcats have now outscored their three district foes by a combined total of 183-3 for the program’s 122nd consecutive league victory dating to 2007.

“It’s a part of the program. These guys have been a part of the program, they know how to handle business and they did that tonight,” Bearcats head coach Robby Jones said. “We had a short week of preparation, and they did a really good job of handling that. A lot of times on a short week, if you have one bad day, it puts you behind the eight ball. They did a really good job Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and they came out ready to play tonight.”

The Bearcats were coming off a 56-0 home win over Birdville on Sept. 20.

Thanks to a combination of stalwart defense, explosive offense, big plays from junior quarterback Gavin Beard and a sprinkle of playmaking on special teams, Aledo ran away with the win as it scored early and often despite the short week of preparation.

“We got off to a hot start tonight,” said Beard, who unofficially completed all but two pass attempts for 207 yards and four touchdowns. “Of course, the pick was frustrating and we definitely have some things to work on, but I thought we did well tonight.”

Aside from his one interception late in the first quarter, Beard was nearly flawless in his overall performance. He tossed a 36-yard touchdown to junior wideout Kaydon Finley to open up scoring at the 9:18 mark of the first quarter. After that, he threw a 12-yard pass to Finley that set up a 1-yard run by Brady Powell that doubled the lead with 7:57 remaining.

Aledo’s stingy defense did not allow Fossil Ridge into the red zone even after the interception was returned to the Aledo 21. Eventually, the Panthers had to settle for a 39-yard field goal that trimmed the deficit to 21-3 with 11:09 left before halftime.

Then, Aledo got right back to work.

Adrian Fuller gave the Bearcats both a big boost on special teams and a brilliant response to Fossil Ridge’s only points of the night. On the ensuing kickoff, Fuller caught the ball at his own 20-yard line and proceeded to race 80 yards for a house call just 12 seconds after the Panthers’ field goal.

Later in the quarter, Beard connected with Finley for the third time, this time a 39-yard score that elevated Aledo’s advantage to 35-3 with 3:19 remaining before intermission. After another three-and-out forced by the Aledo defense, Beard launched a 45-yard bomb to junior wideout Jamal Hollister in the end zone with 2:04 to go. Hollister’s touchdown allowed Aledo to enter halftime with a 42-3 lead.

Not only was Beard productive in the first half, but running back Guillory also showed some familiar glimmer Aledo fans have seen in his game. The star junior, who has more than 30 Division I college offers, needed only five carries to produce 105 yards and a touchdown. Guillory’s production, coupled with Beard’s arm, displayed their progress in rebounding from their respective injuries.

“They’re coming back from those injuries, and Ray still has a little ways to go,” Jones said. “He still has that explosiveness in him, but he doesn’t have that final gear that allows him to run away from the defense right now. That will come as the season progresses. Gavin is Gavin and he feels good. He feels 100 percent tonight and it showed with the way he played.”

Aledo opened the second half with more offensive fireworks. Fossil Ridge actually forced Aledo into negative plays on consecutive snaps but, on third-and-long, Beard hit Finley deep down the right sideline for a 63-yard catch-and-run score. Impressively, Finley kept his balance after contact, broke through a pair of defenders and raced around two more until he found the end zone for a 49-3 lead with 10:21 left in the third.

“He’s definitely a big voice in the receiving room and the locker room in general,” Beard said of Finley. “We’ve had that connection since we were in fourth grade just throwing the ball. I’ve got a lot of love for my bro, and he’s for sure a big leader for us in the locker room.”

Finley, who unofficially caught four passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns, showed leadership and produced at a high level just as the Bearcat defense did. Aledo’s defense allowed only two first downs and 77 total yards in the first half. Additionally, the Bearcat reserves did not take their feet off the gas in a second half that featured a running clock, as Kayden Winkfield and Powell took turns finding the end zone following Finley’s third score.

Now, Aledo’s sights are set on its biggest game of the season thus far as No. 1 Denton Ryan (4-0, 2-0 in district) meets No. 2 Aledo in a district showdown with high levels of anticipation on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. in Tim Buchanan Stadium.

“It’s big to have home field advantage – we don’t lose a lot of games on the field the kids are now calling ‘The Buc,’” Jones said. “They (Denton Ryan) have to come into ‘The Buc’ and take the win from us. They were almost able to pull it off last year, but it’s going to be a heck of a football game. There’s a reason why Dave Campbell’s had us at No. 1 and them in second at the beginning of the season. Now, they have the top spot in the rankings, and we’d like to take it back.”

Last season, the Bearcats turned a 19-17 deficit into a 25-19 victory behind last-minute heroics from former quarterback Hauss Hejny, now at TCU, and a late stand from the Bearcat defense. “Big for us. It was a close game last year, and we probably got away with one just winning that game,” Beard said. “We are going to prepare and hopefully come out with the dub next week.”