McClellan rushes for 203 yards and three TDs as Aledo stays undefeated; AT&T Stadium next

For folks in Aledo it just wouldn’t be the holiday season if the Bearcats weren’t competing for a state football championship this late in the season.

And once again the Bearcats are close to giving their faithful that gift as they are back in the state semifinals following Saturday’s 26-16 Class 5A Division II quarterfinals win over Frisco Reedy at Northwest ISD Stadium.

This is the ninth time since 2009 that Aledo has reached at least the state semifinals. Seven of the previous eight times they went on to play for a state title, and six times they came away with a championship.

In all, Aledo improved to 50-3 in the postseason in that span.

“I don’t want to find out what that feels like,” Aledo coach Steve Wood said when asked about not playing at this point in the season. Then, he added with a laugh, “My wife does all of our Christmas shopping.”

The Bearcats (14-0) will face surprising Wichita Falls Rider (9-5) in the state semifinals late next week. The Raiders have won seven straight after starting the season 2-5. They avenged their last loss before the streak began, a 27-7 setback to Lubbock Cooper, by upsetting the Pirates (13-1) 38-35 in the quarterfinals.

Wood said the game will likely be played Friday at AT&T Stadium with a time to be announced.

“Obviously they’ve gotten a whole lot better as the season has gone on,” Wood said of Rider, whose roster has a plethora of sophomores. “But anybody who’s still playing at this point in the season is really good.”

Reedy, which is in just its third year of play after the school opened in 2015, finished the season 13-1.

Saturday’s game was played in temperatures in the upper 30s at kickoff that dropped to the lower 30s by game’s end. The wind chill was about five degrees colder.

Aledo running back Jase McClellan continued his tear through the postseason with 203 yards and three touchdowns of 43, 1 and 6 yards. He now has 41 touchdowns on the season and is closing in on 2,000 yards rushing with 1,809.

McClellan scored first his first two touchdowns in the second quarter, giving Aledo a 13-3 halftime lead after Reedy’s Will Harbour had kicked a 46-yard field goal. Then, after Bearcats kicker Harper Smith had field goals of 26 and 24 yards, McClellan found the end zone again for his final TD of the night to put the Bearcats up 26-9 late in the fourth quarter.

“We’ve got to keep him healthy,” Wood said of McClellan. “And our offensive line is playing well.”

Reedy took the opening kickoff and drove to the Aledo 11 before a 15-yard penalty moved them back. Then, the Bearcats’ Jo Jo Earle intercepted a pass in the end zone to thwart the drive.

At one point in the first half Reedy was 5-for-6 on third downs. Then, the Bearcats defense stiffened and held them to just three conversions on their next eight attempts.

Aledo had the ball for a total of 9:53 in the first half. In the third quarter they kept it for 10:57 on two drives.

Game was over when: Jase McClellan scored his third touchdown of the night, a 6-yard run. It came with 2:41 left in the game after Reedy had pulled to within 19-9 on its previous possession.

Play of the game: Facing a third-and-one at the Reedy 10 with just over three minutes to play, McClellan rushed for 3 yards and a first down. Had the Reedy defense held and forced the Bearcats to kick a field goal, it would have been a two-possession game.

Offensive player of the game: McClellan finished with 203 yards rushing on 29 carries, scoring touchdowns of 43, 1 and 6 yards.

Defensive player of the game: Aledo’s Jo Jo Earle intercepted a pass in the end zone on Reedy’s opening possession to stop a would-be scoring drive after the Lions had used up over five minutes and 14 plays. It gave the Bearcats momentum they would never relinquish.

Unsung hero of the game: Harper Smith, whose two field goals of 26 and 24 yards, were critical in keeping Reedy at bay after a pair of long Aledo drives stalled deep in Lions territory.

What’s next: Aledo will face Wichita Falls Rider, tentatively Friday at AT&T Stadium, Time TBA.

This story was originally published December 8, 2018 at 7:47 PM.