Late interception seals Aledo victory over Colleyville Heritage

Aledo entered the season ranked the No. 1 team in Class 5A, but coach Joe Willis and Colleyville Heritage nearly completed the upset on Friday night.

The Panthers countered each time Aledo scored, but couldn’t land the final punch as Logan Childs’ interception with 20 seconds left sealed Aledo’s 41-36 victory over Heritage at Mustang-Panther Stadium.

Needing just six points for the win, Heritage began the potential game-winning drive at the Aledo 49 and 1:18 left to play.

Heritage quarterback Cam Roane, a San Diego State commit, hit Connor Cole for 13 yards and Kam Brown for 21 to get to the 19, but just two plays later, Childs intercepted a pass sealed the Aledo win with an interception at the 15-yard line.

“We competed, but we’ve got some young guys in key places that need to grow up,” Aledo coach Steve Wood said.

The teams traded the lead three times in the fourth quarter, the final on Dillon Davis’ 9-yard TD pass to Jeffery Carter with 1:24 left.

The Bearcats score came under a minute after Heritage took a 36-35 lead on Ke’Von Ahmad’s 15-yard touchdown pass from Roane.

Ahmad and Roane hooked up on a 31-yard touchdown pass late in the third to go up 30-29.

Heritage was poised to increase the lead to start the fourth with a 12-play drive, but failed to convert on fourth down at the Aledo 19 with eight minutes to go.

The Bearcats answered two plays later on Preston Jefferis’ 79-yard catch and run for the 35-30 advantage.

Davis threw for 325 yards on 21 of 32 passing and four touchdowns. Jefferis finished with 103 yards receiving. Carter added 48 yards and two scores. Hunter Rosson had six catches for 86 yards.

“Dillon Davis was unbelievable and we made some plays at the receiver position,” Wood said.

Aledo began the game quick, traveling 79 yards in six plays on its first possession. Davis hit Carter for a 14-yard touchdown with 9:30 left in the first quarter.

Heritage knew it could hang with the Bearcats, matching their score with an 8-yard touchdown three minutes later. Roane found Ahmad, a 6A all state nod last season, wide open in the end zone.

Aledo regained the 14-7 lead on the ensuing drive, going 73 yards in 8 plays as Michael Jordan scored on a 13-yard run.

Roane, who finished with 268 yards passing, hit Mario Ortiz on a 17-yard touchdown to take their first lead at 17-14 with 6:11 left in the second. Ahmad finished with 107 yards receiving and three touchdowns.

Defensive lineman and TCU commit Wes Harris caught a 2-yard score to give Aledo a 21-17 lead three minutes later.

Aledo had 505 yards of offense while Heritage had 468 yards.

This story was originally published August 26, 2016 at 11:28 PM with the headline "Late interception seals Aledo victory over Colleyville Heritage."