Aledo shuts down high-scoring Red Oak offense to advance to state quarterfinals
Staring at the stat sheet all week long, Aledo could see Red Oak came into Friday night’s meeting loaded on offense.
The Hawks averaged nearly 57 points and 500 yards per game through the first 13 weeks of the season.
But games aren’t won on paper.
Aledo, the defending UIL state champ and top-ranked team in Class 5A Division 2, held Red Oak scoreless in the first half on its way to a 34-14 victory in a regional-round game at AT&T Stadium.
The Bearcats (12-1) advance to the state quarterfinals for the seventh straight season to take on Ennis (12-1), which beat Frisco, at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Ford Center in Frisco.
“Red Oak is a team that’s pretty much as explosive as Denton Guyer, and our kids went out and played their tails off,” said Aledo coach Tim Buchanan. “On defense, it’s about kids not quitting and coaches not quitting on the kids. Our kids worked really hard and are trying to improve every night, and they have.”
Following a scoreless first quarter, Aledo exploded for three touchdowns in the second.
Aledo stopped Red Oak on downs during its second possession and the Bearcats scored four plays into the ensuing drive on a 62-yard touchdown run from 4-star running back and Oklahoma commit Jase McClellan.
Red Oak’s four first-half drives included a missed field goal, turnover on downs, a bad snap on a punt attempt and an interception. The Hawks went 11 plays on their first drive and had a first-and-goal at the 1, but Keenan Hess sacked quarterback Joshua Ervin for a 12-yard loss. Red Oak would miss a 37-yard field goal.
Aledo’s Logan Thurman picked up a sack on the Hawks’ third drive, and the ensuing snap went over the punter’s head. After an attempt to run with it, the ball hit the turf, and BJ Allen scooped and scored from the 10 for a 14-0 lead midway through the period.
“Coach always says to just do your job and communicate,” Allen said. “If you communicate then things will work out, but if you don’t communicate, it’ll turn into a touchdown. And that’s what we did tonight as a team.”
Nathen Fingar gave the Bearcats the ball back on the next Red Oak possession when he intercepted a pass attempt.
“We weren’t worried too much about their run game. They had a good running back, but we focused more all week on trying to keep the ball in front of us and working behind it,” Fingar said. “We were going to let them throw the ball as long as it was in front of us. We’re were just trying not to give up the big plays.”
The Bearcats began their drive at the 14 and drove 86 yards on 11 plays, capped off with a 1-yard TD run from McClellan, his 114th career rushing touchdown.
Quarterback Jake Bishop hit JoJo Earle for a 23-yard gain to the 1 on fourth-and-11 to keep the drive alive.
Bishop hit Earle on a 6-yard TD pass to give Aledo a 28-0 lead with 3:40 left in the third quarter, and Jeremiah James added a 19-yard scoring run in the fourth.
Red Oak’s two TDs came with a 14-yard pass from Ervin to Coby Cavil in the third, and a 2-yard run from RB CJ Palmer late in the fourth. The Hawks (11-2) had its deepest playoff run since 2012 and won at least 10 games for the first time since 2007.
Aledo held Red Oak to 291 yards of total offense. Cavil led the Hawks with 11 catches, 119 yards and one TD. McClellan rushed 20 times for 179 yards and two TDs. Earle made five catches for 60 yards and one score.
“I told Coach Chris Ross that no one has ever thought about Red Oak being a football school,” Buchanan said. “Our kids knew that they’re one of the best 5A football teams in the state. Our kids did not take them lightly, I promise you.”
This story was originally published November 29, 2019 at 10:36 PM.
