Aledo survives scare from Timberview to extend district win streak to 100 games
October 5th, 2007.
It’s the last time Aledo lost a district football game.
There haven’t been many close calls to snapping the Bearcats’ winning streak - only two in 14 years have been by single digits - but Friday night’s showdown with Mansfield Timberview was one of those moments.
Trailing 21-20 midway through the fourth quarter, Aledo running back Ryan Williams scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 5:47 left and the Bearcats survived a scare from Timberview to win 35-21 - extending their national record district winning streak to a cool 100 games.
“We knew how talented Timberview was, they’re a well coached football team and they had a great plan,” Aledo coach Tim Buchanan said. “Our kids did a great job at halftime regrouping and slowing down their run game while our offense was improving our run game. It was about who wants it the most and that’s what we told them at half.”
Oklahoma committed tight end Jason Llewellyn caught a one-handed 16-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-8 with 31 seconds left for the final score.
“Growing up in Aledo my whole life and playing pee wee football, and going to games on Friday night...all you wanted to do was get out here and be a Bearcat,” said Llewellyn, who caught three passes for 58 yards. “We’ve had success in previous years, winning state championships, but this is another cool thing to be a part of. We carry on that legacy.”
Added senior offensive lineman Jurrien Loftin, “Growing up here, watching these guys and idolizing them growing up...now coming out here and playing with them and winning as a team, it’s a brotherhood and we love each other and it really showed tonight.”
Aledo (7-0, 4-0 in Class 5A D2), No. 1 in the area and state rankings, started to click on its second drive of the game, going 80 yards in six plays, capped off with an 8-yard touchdown pass and catch from quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi to Jalen Pope at the 3:47 mark of the first quarter. Fowler-Nicolosi hit Hauss Hejny for a 64-yard gain to the Timberview 24.
After Timberview (3-4, 2-2) punted for a second time, Aledo extended its lead to 14-0 with 8:44 left in the second quarter when Davhon Keys’ 2-yard run capped off a 93-yard drive.
Fowler-Nicolosi hit Hejny for a 39-yard gain then Llewellyn for 28 yards that pushed the ball to the Wolves’ 9.
“Pretty awesome and that feat alone is incredible to think about. All those years of hard work and all the people that went into it,” said Fowler-Nicolosi, who moved to Aledo from California last year. “Super special to be a part of and I’m going to enjoy the win, work on next week and make it 101.”
But Timberview wasn’t going down without a fight.
The Wolves, No. 10 in the area 5A rankings, scored on the ensuing possession when quarterback Jaeden Marshall and Titus Evans connected on fourth-and-6 for a 24-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 14-7 midway through the second quarter.
Marshall hit Cemarion Chambliss for 46 yards on the first play of the drive.
There was only one turnover in the first half and Timberview benefited from it. Toddrick Dixon slipped on an Aledo pass attempt, but the football bounced out of a receiver’s hands and Dixon was there to catch it for the Wolves’ interception.
Timberview turned it into points and a tie four plays later.
The Wolves were about to cross the goal line, but a fumble caused the ball to nearly go out of the end zone for a touchback. However, Chambliss recovered for six and after the extra point, the contest was tied at 14 with 22 seconds before intermission.
Aledo would regain the lead in the third quarter on a Hejny 20-yard run out of the wildcat formation, but the snap was bad on the extra point, leaving the Bearcats with a 20-14 advantage.
Timberview caught a pair of breaks on the ensuing drive when Aledo was called for two defensive pass interference penalties that extended the possession.
The Wolves capitalized on an 11-yard touchdown run from Jarvis Reed and the extra point gave them their first lead at 21-20 with 3:47 left in the third quarter.
Aledo had a chance to take the lead back, but an 11-play drive was ended on a fumble that Timberview recovered at its own 6. The Wolves would go three-and-out and punted with 9:37 to play. The Bearcats would start at the Timberview 32 and seven plays later, scored the go-ahead touchdown.
“Offensively, we were consistent in the first half. We just couldn’t flip the field on them in the second half. Also our inability to get a couple of first downs that we needed,” Timberview coach James Brown said. “The one at 21-20, if we get a first down there, who knows how it ends up.”
Fowler-Nicolosi threw to Llewellyn on the two-point attempt to push the Aledo lead to 28-21.
“They did a great job mixing it up with a lot of looks. They kept us on our toes, but we did a great job picking up those little cues in the second half,” said Fowler-Nicolosi, a Nevada commit.
“Going into the game and during the week of practice, we knew Timberview was a good football team, a playoff team, and we know they were going to come out here and give us some trouble,” Llewellyn added. “But we had to play four quarters. You can’t play a quarter or a half, you have to play all four so we kept grinding. We stuck together as a team, no one got down on each other and we finished the game in a really good matter.”
Aledo gained 181 yards rushing, led by Williams’ 94 on 17 carries. Fowler-Nicolosi threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns. Hejny caught three passes for 111 yards.
Timberview was held to 242 yards of total offense. Javeon Madison had a team-high 64 yards on 16 carries. Chambliss and Evans combined for nine catches and 128 yards receiving.
“Defensively, we play really physical and get after the ball. If we can eliminate some of the big plays on third and longs...shut some of that stuff down, I think we’ll be in better shape,” Brown said. “We’re really young. We lost 41 seniors from last year and we were down five or six starters tonight who were out with some injuries, but the resiliency of this group and who they are...getting better each week, I’m proud of them for that.”
Said Loftin, “At halftime, we screwed our heads on straight, came out and played a great second half. We started running the ball and knocking some guys off the line, so it was great night.”
This story was originally published October 15, 2021 at 9:25 PM.
