Jake Bishop’s game winner in overtime sends Aledo past Ennis and into state semifinals
It wasn’t going to be Jake Bishop’s final high school football game.
Not on Friday night, not at the Ford Center.
Instead, the senior quarterback took it into his owns hands in one of the best playoff games in Aledo history.
The Bearcats (13-1), who are the defending Class 5A Division II state champs, called a boot-leg to the right, but when Bishop didn’t see anything he liked, he scrambled to the left and saw open field.
Bishop scored on the game-winning 17-yard touchdown in overtime and Aledo held off Ennis, 43-36 in a 5A DII state quarterfinal. Aledo is the Region II champ and advances to the state semifinals.
“I didn’t see anything I liked to the right so I took off left and kicked it into gear, and took it to the house,” said Bishop, who rushed 15 times for 115 yards and two TDs. “Made the big play at the right time.”
Needing a touchdown on its turn in overtime, Ennis, in the quarterfinal round for the first time since 2014, went from the 25 to the 15 on quarterback Collin Drake’s 10-yard run.
But the Lions (12-2) gained just two more yards and faced a fourth-and-8 at the 13.
Drake dropped back to pass and threw to a receiver down the middle when Aledo’s JoJo Earle was there to make the stop.
“They ran a slant and he kind of beat me, but I used my speed to hurry up and make a play on the ball,” said Earle, who led all receivers with nine catches and 131 yards. “It was a do-or-die play.”
“JoJo is a great football player whether he’s on offense, defense or special teams and there was no doubt in my mind he was going to come up with the big play,” Aledo coach Tim Buchanan added.
Aledo will play Lubbock-Cooper in the semis at 3 p.m. Saturday Dec. 14 at Abilene Christian University. Cooper knocked off Wichita Falls Rider, 38-17.
“Ennis is a really good football team and extremely well-coached, and for our kids to come back and win was really special,” Buchanan said.
The game went into overtime when Ennis scored with 1:05 left in regulation. The Lions went on a 10-play, 65-yard drive that ate up over 3 1/2 minutes. Drake and Skylan Simmons connected for the second time of the game, from 11 yards.
Leading 26-21 after three quarters, Micco Little kicked a 21-yard field goal to give the Bearcats an 8-point lead.
But Drake threw a 48-yard TD pass to Simmons and connected with Clayton Jenkins for the game-tying 2-point conversion. The game was tied at 29 with 9:22 left to play.
Bishop ran in a TD from the 4 that put Aledo ahead 36-29 with 4:55 to go.
“He’s a pretty good dang football player,” Buchanan said. “He’s a competitor and wanted to win.”
The Bearcats opened up the scoring in the first quarter when they marched 90 yards in 10 plays. Four-star Oklahoma commit Jase McClellan scored from the 2 midway through the first quarter.
Aledo recovered the ensuing kickoff thanks to Gatlin Johnson and used a 7-play, 41-yard drive to go up 12-0 after its first extra point kick was blocked and a 2-point pass attempt was picked off in the end zone.
McClellan scored his second TD, from the 5, with 2:57 left in the period.
Ennis found its groove with a responding 9-play, 85-yard drive. Drake threw a 41-yard pass to Karon Smith and two plays later, hit Laylon Spencer with an 11-yard TD early in the second.
But McClellan rushed for a third TD on as many drives as his 3-yard run gave the Bearcats a 19-7 lead with 7:07 left in the half.
“Great experience for us,” said McClellan, who had a game-high 41 carries for 218 yards and three TDs. “Great challenge to see how we’d face adversity.”
The Bearcats fumbled in Ennis territory on their next possession when Jarveon Williams forced the fumble and Devion Beasley scooped and scored 72 yards later to pull Ennis within 19-14 with 2:33 to go until intermission.
Aledo went into the locker room with a 26-14 lead when on the ensuing drive, Bishop found Utah commit Money Parks on a 13-yard scoring pass.
“This place was rocking and rolling and everyone was on their feet, and it was one of the funnest games I’ve played,” said Bishop, who also threw for 238 yards and a TD. “Ennis is a good football team and they put up a great fight, but I’m thankful we came out on top.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 11:29 PM.
