Aledo taking pride in carrying on football tradition
By Ryan Osborne -
rosborne@star-telegram.com
Steve Wood sat behind his desk and paused for 10 seconds, searching for an answer that most coaches know about their team by now.
What makes his Aledo Bearcats tick? What’s their identity?
“I’m going to have to think about that one,” Wood said. “I don’t know if they’re truly unique from others. But they’re Bearcats, and they take pride in upholding the tradition that’s been built here.”
Last year's 1,000-point offense and superstar Johnathan Gray’s 2009-11 titles are in the past. Even the coach who orchestrated it all is gone. Tim Buchanan stepped down in July.
But yet, as mid-December nears, the Bearcats (13-1) are still playing football. They face Tyler John Tyler (12-2) at 2 p.m. Saturday in a Class 5A Division I semifinal at Hanby Stadium in Mesquite.
Aledo will be trying to reach a state championship game for the second straight year, coming off last year’s dominating 16-0 run to a Class 4A Division II title. Last year’s team earned a spot in school lore next to the three-peat teams of Gray, who won the Gatorade National Player of the Year as a senior in 2011.
The 2013 team set a national single-season scoring record with 1,023 points.
“It’s not fair to measure up against last year’s team, to me,” said Wood, who was Aledo’s defensive coordinator before taking over for Buchanan. “I don’t think that’s real. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime team.”
But despite losing 10 starters on defense and their top two wide receivers, the Bearcats have done their part to continue the roll the program has been on for six years.
Since the start of the 2009 season, Aledo is 84-6 overall and 29-1 in the playoffs. The lone postseason loss was to eventual state champion Denton Guyer in the 2012 area round.
Last year’s team had little trouble winning the school’s fifth state championship.
Aledo beat Brenham 38-10 in the title game after pulling away for a 29-6 win over Ennis in the semifinals.
Great expectations
“I don’t really consider it pressure. I consider it expectations,” senior quarterback Luke Bishop said. “We expect to win state. That’s it.”
But two roadblocks stood in Aledo’s way of matching last year’s dominance.
First, UIL realignment moved the school away from the Fort Worth-heavy District 7-4A into District 8-5A. Aledo outscored Fort Worth teams 461-53 in six district games last year.
Secondly, graduation hit the Bearcats’ defense hard.
The unit that allowed 14 points or fewer in 15 games in 2013 returned only one starter, senior cornerback Johnathan Durham.
On offense Bishop, running back Jess Anders and receiver Ryan Newsome returned, along with a powerful offensive line. But Anders has been hampered by injuries all season, while Bishop has had to adjust to losing his two top targets in Taco Anderson and John Whatley.
So, as expected, 2014 hasn’t been as easy as the 2013 team made it look.
Aledo edged Cedar Park to open the season before losing 42-7 at home to Bishop Amat, a school from California.
From there, the Bearcats shut out Monterrey Prepa Tec 49-0 and then navigated an undefeated District 8-5A slate.
Aledo won comfortably in 8-5A against playoff teams such as Everman (38-17), Burleson Centennial (55-27) and Burleson (73-7).
But the 66-point victories were more of an anomaly rather than the norm of 2013 when the Bearcats won by scores like 91-0, 84-7 (twice), 72-6 and 76-6.
Back again
Still, here they are again, two wins from repeating as state champions.
Last week, they trailed Canyon Randall 21-13 at halftime. Then the defense stiffened and the offense caught fire.
Bishop hit Newsome for two long touchdown passes, and Isaiah Mallory powered his way to 220 yards rushing. Aledo won 47-29.
“Once we get rolling, it’s hard to stop,” Bishop said. “Coming off of a season like last season, it’s tough to top. Highest scoring team in the nation. We’re a different team, but we’re a good team, and we can do it again.”
Said Durham, “To see my defense and the offense come together to produce a win, it’s pretty special.”
With or without a clear identity, this year’s team has grown comfortable with what it’s become, Wood said.
“[The 2013 team] just doesn’t happen all the time. We knew they were going to be good when they were little,” Wood said. “And not that these guys aren’t [good] also. I’m not trying to shortchange them, but this is this year’s team. And I’m proud of this year’s team.”
Ryan Osborne, 817-390-7760
Twitter: @ryanosbornefwst
Aledo, by the numbers
29-1 Aledo’s record in the playoffs dating to 2009. The Bearcats are 84-6 overall in the last six years,
including 13-1 this season.
31.9 Average margin of
victory for Aledo this season. The Bearcats outscored opponents by 55.2 points per game last season.
677 Points scored by Aledo. Last year, the Bearcats scored 1,023
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