In an unintentional homage to one of the most famous NFL games ever played, the Aledo Bearcats defeated visiting Killeen Shoemaker 27-6 on Thursday, Nov. 9, at Tim Buchanan Stadium.
Because of a consistent rain and a temperature in the low 50s, many players wore long sleeved cold weather shirts under their jerseys. The only problem, while they are warm, they are also slick.
As a result, the Bearcats (11-0) fumbled the ball five times in the opening two-plus minutes, two of which were recovered by the Grey Wolves (8-3).
However, by cutting the sleeves off, all of sudden the problem was solved. The Bearcats took command of the contest and won a bidistrict game for the 28th consecutive season
“It was affecting ball control. They’re meant for cold weather, but not for holding on a football,” said first-year head coach Robby Jones, who garnered his first playoff victory at the helm of a team.
With the win, Aledo moves on to the area round and will face Lubbock Cooper (8-3) Friday, Nov. 17, at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls. Game time is tentatively set for 7 p.m.
The Pirates defeated El Paso Parkland 67-7 in bidistrict.
Tight end Tyson Timms is one of the players who made the sleeve adjustment. He said, “No matter how cold it gets, I’m wearing short sleeves.”
The Bearcats’ second fumble gave Shoemaker the ball at the Aledo 27-yard line. However, third-and-7 Aledo’s Chris Johnson intercepted a pass at the 8 and returned it to the 35-yard line.
From there, now able to hold onto the football, the Bearcats went 65 yards in 12 plays, using almost five minutes off the clock before Davhon Keys scored from a yard out.
The Bearcats went on to outgain the Grey Wolves by over 200 total yards and by halftime had a 21-0 lead. They would add three more rushing touchdowns, two by quarterback Hauss Hejny on runs of 8 and 13 yards, along with a 6-yard score from running back Hawk Patrick-Daniels.
Daniels’ touchdown was set up after Aledo’s Boogie Owens recovered a pooch kick to give the Bearcats the ball at the Shoemaker 30.
Aledo led 27-0 before the Grey Wolves got on the board late, ironically after another turnover, but this time an interception of a pass that was deflected high in the air.
After rushing for over 1,400 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2022 as the Bearcats’ premier running back, Patrick-Daniels made a move to wide receiver this season, with the understanding that he would still see some time at his old position.
With starting running back Ray Guillory missing a second straight game with a knee sprain, Patrick-Daniels carried the brunt of the rushing load against Shoemaker. He responded by rushing 23 times for 137 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.
“It felt good. It was cold, but we got warmed up,” Patrick-Daniels said. “But I couldn’t have done it without my O-line.”
Offensive lineman Djay Williams said it was great seeing his teammate have a night reminiscent of when he played the position last year.
“He had an amazing night. He hit the holes and didn’t try to cut outside when he didn’t have to, but when he did cut he was fantastic,” he said.
“Me, personally, I like the rain, but we couldn’t pass as much and had to run more. But that didn’t matter the way Hawk was running.”
One has to go back to 1988 to find the last time the Bearcats lost a first-round playoff game. They fell 38-22 to Decatur.
The Bearcats would not return to the playoffs until 1996. They defeated Clifton 24-14 and started a streak that is now 28 seasons long.
“It’s an amazing feeling, carrying on a legacy,” Patrick-Daniels said.
“It’s kind of the standard around here. It’s amazing to be a part of a tradition like this,” Timms said.
As for second-round games, the Bearcats have quite an impressive record in those since 1996 as well, posting a 23-4 record heading into the game against Cooper.
In a game that was played long before probably even most of the grandparents of players on the Aledo Bearcats football roster were born, the New York Giants defeated the Chicago Bears in the famous Sneakers Game.
Before the game, played at The Polo Grounds in New York in 1934, rain made the field icy. Giants tight end Ray Flaherty remarked to head coach Steve Owen that sneakers would work better on the slippery surface, and that’s exactly what they did - changed to sneakers, scoring 27 points in the fourth quarter for a come-from-behind win.
Owen sent a friend to Manhattan College to borrow some sneakers from the basketball team. When they arrived the Giants trailed 10-3 before scoring what is still an NFL record for fourth-quarter points in a championship game and winning 30-13.
The defending champion Bears came into the game 13-0 and riding an 18-game winning streak. The Giants finished 9-5 after the legendary win.
Shoemaker 0 0 0 6 - 6
Aledo 7 14 6 0 - 27
A - Davhon Keys 1 run (Cole Crawford kick)
A - Hauss Hejny 8 run (Crawford kick)
A - Hawk Patrick-Daniels 6 run (Crawford kick)
A - Hejny 13 run (kick failed)
S - Jerrod Hicks 12 run (kick failed)
A - Davhon Keys 1 run (Cole Crawford kick)
A - Hauss Hejny 8 run (Crawford kick)
A - Hawk Patrick-Daniels 6 run (Crawford kick)
A - Hejny 13 run (kick failed)
S - Jerrod Hicks 12 run (kick failed)
First downs: Shoemaker 9, Aledo 23.
Rushes-yards: Shoemaker 30-101, Aledo 52-263.
Passing yards: Shoemaker 56, Aledo 96.
Caught-thrown-intercepted: Shoemaker 7-21-1, Aledo 10-15-1.
Fumbles-lost: Shoemaker 1-0, Aledo 5-3.
Punts-average: Shoemaker 6-22.8, Aledo 1-65.
Penalties-yards: Shoemaker 5-53, Aledo 9-90.
Third-down conversions: Shoemaker 2-9, Aledo 3-8.
Rushing
Shoemaker: HIcks 9 carries, 44 yards, TD; Tyrieke Wade 11-34; Anderson Beasley 1-7; Dequinton Lynn-Huey 3-6; X’Zavion Smith 4-5; Isaiah Butler-Tanner 1-3; Johnathan Pompey 1-2.
Aledo: Patrick-Daniels 23-137, TD; Hejny 5-37, 2 TD; Keys 6-34; Kaden Winkfield 8-31; RJ Blake 9-25; Blake Burdine 1-(-1).
Passing
Shoemaker: Wade 7-21-1, 56 yards.
Aledo: Hejny 10-14-0, 96 yards; Gavin Beard 0-1-1.
Receiving
Shoemaker: Maurice Starr 2-26, Johnathan Lahmann 2-18, Brandon Brown Jr. 2-10, Hicks 1-2, Butler-Tanner 1-0.
Aledo: Kaydon Finley 3-48, Tyson Timms 3-17, Trace Clarkson 2-16, Patrick-Daniels 1-8, Burdine 1-7.
Aledo interception: Chris Johnson 1, returned 29 yards.
Aledo sack: Keys.
Aledo tackle leaders: Keys 9, Jake Gillespie 7.
Aledo tackle for loss: Keys 3, Gillespie 1, Carson Dempsey 1, Jaxon Richter 0.5.
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