Aledo wins state record 10th football championship behind Roberts’ MVP performance
Aledo added to its legacy on Friday at AT&T Stadium, and the Bearcats did it with one of the best state championship performances in Texas high school football history.
Running back DeMarco Roberts ran for six touchdowns and the Bearcats captured their 10th state title with a 56-21 victory over Crosby in the Class 5A Division 2 championship.
No other team has won 10 rings in football as Aledo broke a tie with six-man school Richland Springs for state supremacy. It was the program’s third consecutive title and ninth in the past 12 years.
“Biggest thing is it didn’t start tonight, it started back in 1993,” Aledo coach Tim Buchanan said. “You look at all the people who created this foundation. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”
Roberts, who finished with 31 carries for 254 yards, was voted offensive game MVP. Aledo’s Cap Mooney, who had two tackles and a first-half interception, was voted defensive MVP.
Crosby came out blazing with touchdowns on its first two drives.
Then Roberts and Aledo displayed their championship experience.
Roberts, who came in averaging 205 yards rushing and 18 total touchdowns during this year’s playoff run, didn’t cool off at all with four of his six scores coming in the first half.
Aledo led 35-14 at intermission.
“Kids got used to the speed of the game. It’s hard to simulate guys running like Crosby running,” Buchanan said. “They’re good football players and a good football team. We made a few adjustments and it worked, and we shut them down.”
The Bearcats tied the game at 14 with a 32-yard run by Roberts at the 2:43 mark of the first quarter.
It appeared Crosby had forced Aledo into a punt attempt deep inside its own territory on its next drive, but the Bearcats called on Clay Murador’s number on a fake punt during a fourth-and-12 play.
Murador made one man miss and picked up 21 yards.
“They had blocked several punts so we knew they’d come after Clay,” Buchanan said. “No one realizes this, but Clay is the fastest kid in Aledo. As a freshman, he could outrun anyone we threw at him. They didn’t expect it. It was the play that changed the game.”
The drive continued and Aledo took the lead for good at 21-14 with Roberts’ 5-yard run early in the second quarter. Another big play on the possession came when Roberts picked up 34 yards on a first-and-25.
Roberts was far from done as he scored on runs of 25 and 20 yards to cap off the opening half.
Aledo continued its run to 35 straight points when the Bearcats capped off a 13-play, 75-drive on Roberts’ 1-yard run with seven minutes to go in the third. Aledo quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi hit Brian Fleming on a 20-yard scoring pass to make it 42 unanswered and 49-14 with 11:12 remaining in the game.
Roberts added his sixth score from 54 yards out to push the lead to 56-21 with 8:56 to play in the fourth quarter. His 254 yards are fourth most in 5A state championship history. His six rushing TDs are second most in a championship game in the second-largest classification, only behind fellow Bearcat Johnathan Gray, who had eight TDs in 2010 against LaMarque.
“He was disappointed in me because he wanted to go after Johnathan Gray’s state record,” Buchanan chuckled. “DeMarco knows number one that this doesn’t happen without the offensive line. Those six guys really did a great job at helping DeMarco find ways to the second level.”
The Bearcats had trouble during Crosby’s first two drives.
Crosby’s E’Monte Wilson picked up 21 yards to the Aledo 26 and Deniquez Dunn rushed for 20 yards to the 4. Dunn capped off the 11-play, 75-yard drive with a 9-yard toss to Jaylen Herman for a 7-0 lead exactly three minutes into the contest.
Crosby’s defense stopped Aledo on its first two plays from scrimmage, but on third-and-10, Fowler-Nicolosi hit 4-star Alabama bound JoJo Earle on a short gain and Earle did the rest.
Earle made three defenders miss and scored 74 yards later to tie the game at 7 with 7:31 on the clock.
Aledo made a stop on Crosby’s second drive, but the Bearcats were called for roughing the kicker on the punt attempt to keep the possession alive. The Cougars took advantage with a Reggie Branch 2-yard TD run to make it 14-7 with 5:02 to play in the opening period.
Crosby got a late 7-yard TD run from Dunn, who led the Cougars with 268 yards and two TDs.
Aledo out-gained Crosby 615-361 in total yards. The 615 yards were fifth most in a 5A state title game. Fowler-Nicolosi threw 15 of 19 passes for 216 yards and two scores. Earle made six catches for 133 yards and a TD, and added 91 yards rushing on 12 attempts. Aledo made two sacks on defense and linebacker Ryan Williams had a team-high seven tackles.
This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 4:07 PM.
