Aledo headed back to state championship game after beating down Wichita Falls Rider
When Wichita Falls Rider ate up half of the third-quarter clock and scored to pull within 21-14, it appeared for the second straight week Aledo’s game was going down to the wire.
But Aledo and its championship pedigree went to work.
Rider made too many key mistakes and Aledo took advantage every time.
Running back DeMarco Roberts scored four touchdowns for the third week in a row and the Bearcats beat the Raiders, 55-28, in a Class 5A Division 2 state semifinal Friday night at UNT’s Apogee Stadium.
“How the kids capitalized on their mistakes was the difference in the football game,” Aledo coach Tim Buchanan said. “Defense did a great job and the offense and special teams put up points on the board. We’ll have to keep it up for another week.”
Aledo (12-1), No. 2 in the 5A D2 state rankings, advances to the state championship for the fifth straight season. The Bearcats will play Crosby (12-3) at 1 p.m. next Friday at AT&T Stadium.
The Bearcats are two-time defending champs and have won a UIL state record nine football titles. It’s the 10th time in 12 years Aledo will play for the championship.
“It’s been a long year, but glad we have one more week,” Buchanan said. “We’ll try to stay safe and healthy and finish this deal.”
“We wanted to be overly prepared this week. We came out here with the championship on the line. We wanted this really bad and everybody was all in and did their job. We played as a team and made big plays,” added junior tight end Jason Llewellyn, who had three catches for 74 yards.
Rider (11-3), No. 9, marched the second-half kickoff 76 yards on 13 plays and got a 1-yard TD run from Virginia signee Jacob Rodriguez to make it 21-14 with 5:46 left in the third quarter.
Aledo responded with 20 unanswered points.
Roberts scored on a 6-yard run to push the lead to 28-14 on the ensuing drive. The next two Rider plays on offense helped the Bearcats put the game out of reach.
On the next snap from scrimmage, Rodriguez’s throw went backwards and into the end zone and Keenan Hess recovered to make Aledo’s lead 34-14. Then Sammy Steffe intercepted the next Rider play to put the ball at the Rider 23.
Six plays later and Roberts scored from 14 yards out, his fourth rushing TD, to make it 41-14 with 9:57 left to play in the game.
Rider, in the semis for the second time in three years and looking for its first championship berth, scored on a 20-yard pass from Rodriguez to Nick Darcus less than a minute later.
But the Raiders went for the onside and Llewellyn recovered and sprinted 50 yards for the score and a 48-21 lead. Jeremiah James added a rushing TD for the Bearcats following Llewellyn’s 44-yard catch from Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi.
“It came straight to me. It hugged the ground right until it got in front of me,” said Llewellyn. “My momentum was taking me forward. I made one guy miss and just saw green grass.”
“I just wanted him to recover it then he took off. It was a pretty big moment not only for the Bearcats, but for Jason Llewellyn. He’s a good football player. He’s a great blocker and receiver and does great on special teams,” Buchanan added.
Roberts, who rushed 25 times for 159 yards, scored on runs from 23 and 10 yards in the first half. JoJo Earle (Alabama) added a 45-yard scoring run. Aledo led 21-7 at intermission.
Rodriguez scored on an 8-yard TD run to tie the game at 7. He threw for 267 yards, ran for 47 and accounted for all four Rider scores.
“Defense made some key stops, big shoutout to them tonight,” Roberts said. “We got another week to prepare for a different team. The goal is the same. Make history, get 10 rings and make coach Buc proud.”
This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 9:22 PM.
