Aledo routs Burleson Centennial in district opener

No. 9 Burleson Centennial racked up nearly 500 total yards, but the No. 1 Aledo Bearcats took advantage of three Spartan turnovers to open district play with a 63-30 win Friday at Bearcat Stadium. It was the 84th consecutive win in district play for Aledo as the Bearcats improved to 4-0 all-time versus Burleson Centennial. The Spartans rushed for 385 yards and added another 114 through the air as Burleson Centennial’s offense accumulated 27 first downs and found plenty of success against the Bearcat defense, but three lost fumbles, a dropped snap on third down and two turnovers on downs were more than enough mishaps for Aledo to cash in on. The Bearcats scored 21 points off three Centennial turnovers, which ended up being the big difference. Aledo Head Coach Tim Buchanan said his team’s defense did well using their physicality to stifle a capable Spartan offense. “Their offense was extremely talented.,” Buchanan said. “Three really good running backs, not to mention their quarterback was a good runner. We knew to have a good game, we were gonna have to create turnovers, and I felt like our defense did a great job of really being physical with them and creating those turnovers. It wasn’t like they just dropped the ball on the ground. We hit them pretty hard and forced them.” The Bearcats held a 28-9 lead at halftime and Aledo pushed that advantage up to 42-9 late in the third quarter before the Spartans made things a little interesting. On third-and-23, Centennial quarterback Hank Meyer connected with Chris Mosley for a 69-yard touchdown pass. After Aledo star running back Jase McClellan scored on a 33-yard run, the Bearcats took a 49-16 lead into the fourth quarter. Centennial started the final frame strong as Meyer scored on a four-yard run, then the Spartans recovered an onside kick. Less than 40 seconds later, Centennial scored on an eight-yard run by Jeff Kirven, and the deficit was only 19 points. But from there, Aledo closed it out with two touchdowns in the final 7:07. In addition to the turnovers being the primary difference in the game, the Spartan defense also had trouble slowing down Aledo’s standout skill position weapons and their big-play ability. Bearcat quarterback Jake Bishop threw for 295 yards and five touchdowns on just 15 completions while receiver Money Parks was on the receiving end of four of those touchdowns as he finished with six catches for 106 yards. Aledo star receiver Jojo Earle had 163 receiving yards and one touchdown on seven receptions with 57 rushing yards on three touches for 220 yards from scrimmage on 10 touches (22 yards per touch), while McClellan, an Oklahoma commit, rushed for 183 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries. Buchanan said he and his coaching staff knew heading into the district matchup with the Spartans that Aledo needed to jump out ahead early. “To beat those guys, we had to score and score often,” Buchanan said. “Coach Jones had a really good game plan and our kids did a good job executing it.” Buchanan added that the strong play of the Bearcats’ offensive line was a major factor in the offense’s overall success Friday. “Our offensive line is ahead of where I thought they could be at this point,” Buchanan said. “We’ve got two sophomores who never played varsity football, and then we’ve got three seniors who have very little experience at the varsity level, and Coach [] Bishop and Coach [] Wheeler have done a great job of getting those guys ready to play. “It’s really been pretty amazing what our offensive line has been able to do against some really good football teams.” Jaylon Jackson led Centennial with 140 rushing yards on 13 carries while Mosley added 70 rushing yards on six carries and 67 receiving yards on five catches. Meyer completed 11-of-15 passes for 114 yards and added 80 tough rushing yards on 13 carries. The game’s first score came after Centennial’s first turnover as Aledo forced a fumble on a sack of Meyer on third-and-11, and Bearcat defensive lineman Logan Thurman recovered the loose ball. On the next play, Bishop hit Earle for a 48-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead with 2:01 left in the first quarter. The Spartans’ sloppiness with the ball set them back again on the next drive as the snap exchange wasn’t clean on third-and-5, and Meyer had to fight to recover the loose ball, resulting in a punt. After a 58-yard punt, the Bearcats moved the ball 88 yards on seven plays, highlighted by a 49-yard run by Earle and finished off with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Bishop to Parks for a 14-0 lead with 8:37 left in the second. Then disaster struck for Centennial again as the Spartans fumbled on the ensuing kick return, with the Bearcats’ Sam Forman recovering. Five plays later, on fourth-and-goal from inside the 1, McClellan scored for a 21-0 advantage — with 14 of those points coming off Centennial turnovers. The Spartans, after moving the ball across midfield on two previous possessions, answered back and finished an 84-yard, 12-play drive with a five-yard touchdown run by Jackson. Aledo took over at its own 34 with 1:14 left, and the Bearcats’ big-play ability was on display as Aledo covered 66 yards on just four plays, including a nine-yard touchdown toss from Bishop to Parks with 44 seconds left for a 28-6 lead. The Spartans added 3 points as time expired on a 31-yard field goal by Josh Garcia, which was set up by a 40-yard run by Jackson, to make the score 28-9 at the break. Aledo enters its bye week, before returning to action against the Everman Bulldogs Sept. 27 on the road.

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ALEDO ROUTS BURLESON CENTENNIAL IN DISTRICT OPENER

AJ CRISP

Weatherford Democrat | 9/14/2019

PHOTO CREDIT: Heidi Dutcher