Aledo returns to title game, but ‘it wasn’t easy’ against Mansfield Legacy
On a chilly and wet Saturday afternoon at Pennington Field, it appeared Aledo’s season might end in the state semifinals.
A successful run for any team, but not by Aledo standards. The Bearcats have won six UIL state football titles the past eight years — and seven overall.
Aledo and Mansfield Legacy were tied 21-21 late in the fourth quarter. The defenses were slugging it out and overtime appeared eminent. In OT, nerves are taught, coin flips can be fateful, anything can happen.
But like champions do, Aledo handled the adversity and rallied to a 28-21 victory.
“We got the ball in the end zone enough times to win, but it wasn’t easy,” Aledo coach Steve Wood said. “Through it all, we persevered. The kids hung in there, never panicked and got it done when it mattered.”
Sophomore running back and Oklahoma commit Jase McClellan broke the stalemate with a 46-yard touchdown run with 1:48 to go. He finished with 207 yards rushing and three scores.
“Our coaches said I needed to make a play, so I did,” said McClellan, last year’s title-game offensive MVP. “Feels great going to the state final for the second year in a row. Just hope we come out with another win.”
The Bearcats (15-0) meet College Station (13-2) for the Class 5A Division II state title Saturday at 11 a.m. at AT&T Stadium.
“We’ll have to play better than we did, especially on special teams, if we’re going to do it again,” Wood said. “We’ll enjoy this one for a while and worry about them in the morning.”
Aledo trailed Legacy by as many as 14 points, its largest deficit this season, but the Bearcats are undefeated for a reason.
With a win Saturday, Aledo will tie the all-time UIL state record with eight football championships.
“Every team has its own identity and wants to leave their mark,” Wood said. “These seniors want to go out and hopefully get their name on one of those stones in front of the stadium, so I couldn’t be any more happy for them. Only one team can be happy when it’s all said and done, and we have an opportunity to be one of those teams.”
This story was originally published December 17, 2017 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Aledo returns to title game, but ‘it wasn’t easy’ against Mansfield Legacy."