The Aledo Bearcats (7-3, 6-1) finished off the regular season Friday, Nov. 6, with a 28-3 defeat of the Arlington Lamar Vikings.
Awaiting Aledo in the Class 6A-Division 2 bi-district playoff are the Keller Central Chargers. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at Knights Stadium on the campus of Eagle Mountain High School in Fort Worth.
Aledo won five consecutive games from Week 6 to Week 10, averaging 49.2 points per game and allowing only 10.4 points per game.
Aledo head coach Robby Jones emphasized consistency, establishing the run, and getting a healthy defensive line for the playoffs.
“We just have to stay consistent with what we’re doing,” Jones said. “We’ve got to make sure that we’re able to run the football this week. Getting our defensive line back last week was big. We got them a week of work after they’ve been off from injuries, and we’ve got them revved up and ready to go for the playoffs.”
The Chargers, led by head coach Eric Vance and star twin brothers Isaiah and Jeremiah Taylor, finished 8-2 overall and 5-2 in their district.
Central averages 42.7 points per game and averages 25.2 points given up on defense. Versatility is one of the Chargers’ strengths. Four-star recruit Isaiah Taylor has thrown for 1,100 yards and six touchdowns, rushed for 503 yards and three touchdowns, and is the No. 1-rated cornerback recruit in the country. Jeremiah Taylor has 20 receptions, 375 yards, and one touchdown while having 25 tackles on defense.
The Chargers have also received contributions from running back Spencer Martin and wide receiver Braylen Dixon. Both players lead the team in their respective stats, with Martin rushing for 621 yards and five touchdowns and Dixon having 23 receptions, 453 receiving yards, and two touchdowns.
Jones discussed the challenges that will come from facing the Chargers’ offensive group.
“The biggest challenge is stopping [Central’s] offense,” Jones said. “Their offense is one of the most explosive offenses that we’ve seen. They’ve got two really good quarterbacks, but [Isaiah Taylor] is really dynamic. He’s got a twin brother who’s their top receiver. They were the state seven-on-seven champions, so that means that they’ve got some good skill guys. They’re going to be really good in the pass game and in pass defense.”
On defense, Chargers linebacker Mykel Wells leads the team in total tackles this season with 34. Wells also leads the Chargers in sacks with two. The Chargers have forced five turnovers this season, intercepting three passes and forcing two fumbles.
Jones focused on winning at the line of scrimmage as a key path to Aledo’s offense doing well against Central’s defense.
“We just have to win at the line of scrimmage, that’s something we’ve struggled with at times this year,” Jones said. “If we can win at the line of scrimmage and get some push and run lanes, we can go make first downs, eat up some clock, and go put some points on the board. We have to go have consistent drives where we aren’t punting the football, and turning first downs into points.”
Jones described the team’s mindset heading into the the playoffs as one game at a time and not looking ahead.
“These guys have been on long playoff runs, and they’re expecting to do the same thing, even if we’re in 6A,” Jones said. “We just have to make sure that we’re focused on ourselves and that we take care of business each and every single week, and not look ahead or any of that.”
Lamar 0 3 0 0 - 3
Aledo 7 7 7 7 - 28
SCORING SUMMARY:
First Quarter
AL-Dorsey 2 rush (Parks kick), 0:59
Second Quarter
ARLM-Rather 30 kick, 9:19
AL-Palmquest 34 pass from Pinnick (Parks kick), 5:32
Third Quarter
AL-Roberts 1 rush (Parks kick), 6:40
Fourth Quarter
AL-Palmquest 3 pass from Pinnick (Parks kick), 11:55
INDIVIDUAL STATS:
RUSHING - Aledo, W. Dorsey 11-30-1, I. Roberts 9-15-1, E. Pinnick 7-86, S. Bradford 4-26.
PASSING - Aledo, T. Williams 2-3-5, B. Hejny 2-3-12, E. Pinnick 10-11-2.
RECEIVING - Aledo, C. Palmquest 2-45-2, K. Lanier 4-21, M. Nurse 4-18, W. Dorsey 2-17, I. Roberts 2-18.
SPECIAL TEAMS - Aledo, H. Parks 4-4 (XP).
DEFENSE - Aledo, A. Hebel 4 tck-1 TFL, J. Hall 6 tck, C. Cox 8 tck-3 TFL-1 SACK, M. Forman 5 tck-3 TFL-2 SACK, B. Fisher 3 tck-1 INT, C. Hull 7 tck, D. Tillis 1 tck-1 INT, J. Cash 3 tck-3 TFL-1 SACK, J. Cooper 2 tck-1 TFL-1 SACK, K. Evans 4 tck, O. Din-mbuh 2 tck, S. Scott 1 tck, T. Meeks 3 tck-1 TFL, L. Roach 1 tck
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