No. 3 Frisco Lone Star stuns No. 1 Aledo in state semifinal

The world balances itself in cruel yet beautiful, poetic yet cryptic, and invigorating yet painful ways – whether it is in the classroom, the working world, or at home. This also applies to the football field, where the No. 1 Aledo Bearcats faced a bitter end to a remarkable season following their most invigorating victory of the season.

After eliminating rival Denton Ryan to claim the Class 5A Division I, Region I crown, the Bearcats faced off against No. 3 Frisco Lone Star, led by star sophomore quarterback Trey Wright, Friday night at Vernon Newsom Stadium in Mansfield with the winner advancing to the state championship game. Aledo controlled the game for three and-a-half quarters, but ultimately stumbled late as Lone Star pulled off an improbable comeback – fueled by 28 fourth-quarter points – to upend Aledo 56-52 and scrapped its plans for a potential 13th state championship.

“It was a great effort by our guys. It’s been a long time since we’ve had to play four quarters, so we got a little bit gassed,” Bearcats head coach Robby Jones said. “It’s heartbreaking for these kids, because I know how hard they’ve worked. I know they just busted their tails for this program, and to go and try and win another state championship and come up short. This is a special group of kids. They all are, but this particular one, they really love one another and care for one another. They put themselves on the line tonight to try to make it to the state championship, and I hate it for them that they fell short.”

While the pressure was on for Aledo to deliver another championship-game berth, the team looked like one playing loose and without worries in the early going. In an almost formulaic way, Aledo stuck to its playoff principles of scoring early and suffocating the opposition with its ironclad defense. Aledo raced out to an early 21-7 lead behind the power of its running game. Senior running back Brady Powell finished off Aledo’s opening scoring drive with a 23-yard run while senior running mate Kaden Winkfield added touchdown runs from three yards out and a yard out that produced a 14-point lead with 1:52 left in the opening quarter. However, Lone Star’s big-play ability kept the Rangers in the contest, as Wright heaved a 68-yard touchdown pass just 18 seconds of game time later to stay within 21-14.

The teams exchanged turnovers before Lone Star tied the score at 21-all, capping off a 6-play, 67-yard drive in the process. After that, Aledo responded with a big play of its own – a 50-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Lincoln Tubbs to star senior wideout Kaydon Finley that pushed Aledo in front 28-21 at the 2:40 mark of the second quarter. Lone Star missed a 24-yard field goal wide right with nine seconds left before halftime as Aledo entered the locker room with a 28-21 advantage.

Aledo came out of the gates strong to start the third quarter with two more huge plays – a 54-yard scoring pass from Tubbs to Finley and a 51-yard touchdown run by Tubbs – to give Aledo a 42-21 lead with 8:47 left in the third. While Lone Star began establishing better offensive rhythm following Aledo’s two third-quarter scores, the Bearcats were able to keep the Rangers at bay – entering the fourth quarter with a 45-28 lead.

Then, Wright managed to splice the Aledo defense with his legs for a 39-yard scoring run that trimmed the deficit to 45-35 with 10:37 left in regulation. However, Aledo responded once again as Finley got a hat trick of touchdowns. Aledo faced 3rd-and-14 from the Lone Star 42 when Tubbs found Finley open over the middle for a reception, and the Notre Dame-commit ran more than 70 yards, evading Lone Star defenders along the way, to complete the 42-yard score. Finley’s third touchdown catch gave Aledo a 52-35 advantage with 8:09 left.

Then, as Aledo began to cool, the Wright-led Rangers heated up.

“We were able to get to him early, and then late, we gave him some running lanes,” Jones said. “Then, he’s chucking the ball deep and his guys were going and getting it. It’s tough.”

Wright tossed a 44-yard touchdown that cut the deficit to 52-45 with 4:50 remaining and, after forcing Aledo to punt for the first time in the contest, led a 99-yard scoring drive that began with 3:01 left. A deep pass by Wright put the Rangers at midfield and called his own number from 19 yards out moments later to cut the deficit to three.

Wright, who faced a bevy of pressure led by an impressive effort from Cooper Cyphers, orchestrated the talented Lone Star offense with wizard-like prowess and smooth athleticism. He delivered the dagger with a 5-yard run after Lone Star improbably recovered an onside kick while trailing 52-49 with 1:48 to go.

“We didn’t do our job of continuing to move the football and score, and they got the opportunities, the onside kick – if we recover that onside kick, we’re going to have a different outcome,” Jones said. “You’ve got to give credit to them (Lone Star), they made the plays when they needed to.”

Tubbs led the way, finishing with 180 rushing yards and a score on 20 carries to go with 289 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air. Finley was the leading receiver with his best effort of the season with nine receptions for 257 yards and a touchdown. Powell was strong with 23 carries for 139 yards and a touchdown while Winkfield added two rushing scores. Cyphers led the defense with five sacks in a dominant individual effort.

The Bearcats (14-1, 8-0) see their season come to an end while Lone Star (15-0, 8-0) will face Smithson Valley (14-1, 7-0) in the Class 5A Division I state championship game at 7 p.m. Friday at AT&T Stadium.