ALEDO — The Aledo Bearcats scored the first 35 points in the game as they rolled over District 8-5A opponent Burleson Centennial 49-21, improving to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in District play. The Bearcat homecoming win was their 56th consecutive district win.

Aledo head coach Steve Wood was the master of understatement when he commented after the game that the Bearcats had a lot of playmakers and they wanted to be balanced on offense.

Junior QB Dillon Davis was near perfect, completing 12 of 14 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns, as well as bouncing and hurdling 19-yards into the end zone at the 7:15 mark of the first quarter to put the Bearcats up 7-0 on the Spartans.

Eight different Bearcats caught passes, including Ryan Mullins who pulled in touchdowns of 43 and 32 yards, Hunter Rosson who nabbed four balls for 73 yards, and Preston Jeffries who caught one pass for 26 yards and a touchdown.

Donnie Evans and Caleb Primera garnered the majority of the Bearcat rushing duties; Evans rushing seven times for 84 yards and two touchdowns, of 40 and 8 yards, and Primera picking up 83 yards on 13 carries, and a 5 yard touchdown.

Defensively, Bearcat head coach Steve Woods stressed assignment football to control the Spartan’s flex-bone offense, and his team responded. 285 pound Sophomore DT James Williams plugged the middle of the middle of the Centennial line quite effectively and disrupted many Spartan plays from his what seemed normal position in the Spartan backfield.

Aledo took the opening kickoff and marched down the field to score at the 7:15 mark of the first quarter, overcoming a variety of penalties in the process. On Centennial’s first possession Spartan RB Tristan Townley took a quick hitter up the middle for 56 yards. Bearcat Senior DB Patrick Peek, probably the only player on the field who could do so, ran down Townley at the Aledo 12-yard line, preventing a sure touchdown.

Two plays later, fortunes turned on the Spartans as the Bearcat defense forced a fumble, bringing Aledo’s offense back on the field. The ensuing drive was textbook perfect, with a mixture of receptions and rushes, including a 33-yard dash by Primera before Evans’ 8-yard TD run, and Aledo was up 14-0 with 2:03 remaining in the first quarter.

Centennial held the ball only briefly before the Spartan punt was partially blocked, setting up Aledo on their 46-yard line. The Bearcat offense took only two plays to score again; a 28-yard run by Primera, followed by a 26-yard TD catch by Junior WR Preston Jeffries, and Aledo was ahead 21-0 at the 10:21 mark of the second quarter.