It didn’t matter that most Aledo fans needed a program to find out who was playing quarterback for the Bearcats in Friday’s District 5-5A Division II Zone playoff game against Mansfield Timberview.
In a showdown of two teams ranked in the Top 10, the Bearcats rolled to a 44-28 victory to secure the district’s top playoff spot as junior quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi made his first varsity start for Aledo.
Fowler-Nicolosi threw for 161 yards and two touchdowns, while running back DeMarco Roberts rushed for 193 yards and two touchdowns as Aledo kept it’s district winning streak alive. Aledo has not lost a district game since Oct. 5, 2007. The Bearcats have now gone 94-0 in district district games during the winning streak.
Roberts also had a key defensive play to force a turnover on what looked like a sure pick six by Timberview. Roberts chased down the Wolves defensive back Preston Starks and hit him inside the 5, causing a fumble that rolled out of the back of the end zone. That touch back gave the ball back to Aledo and helped the Bearcats hold off a late Timberview rally.
Because of Covid 19, Aledo had not played a game since Oct. 30, and its starting quarterback and strating kicker are still in quarantine.
Fowler-Nicolosi moved to Aledo with his family in early October, but it took awhile for the paperwork and the UIL to approve him to begin playing at Aledo. Prior to Friday’s game, he played in one JV game for the Bearcats.
However, Fowler-Nicolosi was the starting quarterback as a sophomore at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego as a sophomore.
“I thought he managed the game really well for a kid who got thrown into the fire,” Aledo coach Tim Buchanan said. “He did a great job.”
Early in the game Aledo looked like a team that hadn’t played in three weeks.
The offense went three-and-out on its opening possession, then Timberview went 66 yards seven plays and a two point conversion gave the Wolves an 8-0 lead. However, falling behind looked to serve as a wake-up call for the Bearcats.
Aledo scored the next three touchdowns to take the lead for good.
JoJo Earle had 146 combined yards and three Aledo touchdowns, two on short runs out of the Wildcat formation. He also had a 45-yard TD reception.
Earle’s three scores were the first three touchdowns for Aledo and gave the Bearcats a 22-8 lead early in the second quarter. Earle carried the ball 15 times while playing as the Wildcat formation quarterback, including 5 times on Aledo’s first scoring drive. Earle finished the 69-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run.
He then had a 2 yard TD run and tight end Jason Llewellyn caught a 2-point conversion pass to make it 15-8 with 1:32 left in the first quarter.
Junior safety Bryan Allen played several downs at receiver and came up with two huge receptions for 52 yards.
His first reception went for 24 yards and he had to come down with the ball as a Timberview defensive back also got a hand on the ball and it help set up Aledo’s first score. He also had a 28-yard touchdown that came on a fourth-and-16 play.
Aledo plays at 1 p.m. at Cleburne on Black Friday.
Scoring summary:
MT – Simeon Evans 3 run. (Deuce Jones pass from Evans)
A – Jo Jo Earle 3 run (Ryan Teichman kick)
A – Earle 2 run (Fowler-Nicolosi pass to Jason Llewellyn)
A – Earle 45 pass from Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi (Teichman kick)
MT – Evans 5 run (Kick failed)
A – Bryan Allen 28 pass from Fowler-Nicolosi (Teichman kick)
MT – Raam Stevenson 25 pass from Evans (kick failed)
A – Demarco Roberts 1 run. (Earle run)
MT – Evans 9 run (Evans pass to Deuce Jones)
A – Roberts 77 run (Teichman kick)
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