Aledo extends district win streak as Bearcats meet Denton Ryan for first time in 20 years
Aledo waltzed into Friday night boasting a 109-game district winning streak dating to 2007.
But despite all those wins, playoff appearances and a UIL record 10 state titles, the one thing the Bearcats hadn’t claimed yet was a win over Denton Ryan.
They can now check that one off the old to-do list and claim an inside track to the District 3-5A Division 1 title. Quarterback Hauss Hejny threw for 149 yards, added 132 more on the ground, and accounted for three touchdowns — including an electrifying 86-yard touchdown run with 3:52 remaining — as Aledo pulled away for a 35-21 win at Collins Athletic Complex.
Aledo (7-2, 7-0), No. 4 in the Class 5A D1 state rankings, saw its 21-7 halftime lead evaporate as Ryan pulled even with 10:37 left in regulation. The Bearcats scored twice down the stretch, while the Raiders turned the ball over on an interception and a muffed kickoff.
The Bearcats’ streak now stands at 110 consecutive district games. Friday was also the first meeting between Aledo and Ryan since the 2002 and 2003 postseasons, with Ryan having won both of those playoff meetings.
“It has been a long time since we played, and that’s the first time we’ve ever beaten them. [Former Ryan coach Joey] Florence still says I’ve never beaten him; that’s the reason he left to become an AD. I consider it beating Joey tonight, too, by the way,” Aledo coach Tim Buchanan said in jest. “These are really good football programs, and it’s great to get to play again. I’m afraid we’re going to get to play again here in a few weeks if we both take care of business.”
Ryan coach Dave Henigan praised his team for not backing down in a game that appeared to be going south in a hurry. “I’m not happy with the result, but that’s one of the best teams in the state,” Henigan said of Aledo. “We could have checked it in down 21-7, and we didn’t. We came out after halftime, made great adjustments, and got ourselves back into the game.
“The game swung on three, four, or five plays. If it swings the other direction, it could have been a different result.”
Ryan (4-3, 4-2) looked like a well-oiled machine as it marched down the field on its opening drive of the game and scored on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Khalon Davis to Da’Marqis Lewis. But for the rest of the half, it was all Aledo. The Bearcats scored on three consecutive 10-play drives, starting with a 9-yard run by Caleb Pope with 4:03 left in the first quarter.
Hejny added a 9-yard run of his own with 9:06 left in the half, then engineered another methodical scoring drive that was capped by a 6-yard run by Davhon Keys.
Ryan trimmed the deficit to seven to open the third quarter on a 50-yard touchdown catch by Jordyn Bailey. Bailey eventually tied the game a few minutes into the fourth quarter on a 5-yard catch. But the comeback fell short as Hejny found Jalen Pope for a 24-yard touchdown and added his big run to ice the game.
“Ryan took it to us, and we answered and got a lead on them. They came back in the second half like a good football team and tied it up,” Buchanan said. “Our kids really made some big plays. They are a bunch of Bearcats. That’s what we hang our hat on — play hard till the very end and never give up.”
This story was originally published October 21, 2022 at 11:17 PM.