Aledo went full throttle against College Station and won in dominate fashion, 52-14, Saturday in the UIL 5A Division I State Championship game, Aledo’s state record 11th football state championship.
There weren’t enough MVP awards to recognize all the Aledo players who played outstanding in the title game.
Quarterback Hauss Hejny was named the game’s Offensive MVP. The Aledo junior rushed 10 times for 143 yards and two touchdowns, while passing 11-15 for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Jake Gillespie was named the game’s Defensive MVP. The junior safety had five tackles, a forced fumble, an interception and several big punt returns.
Linebacker Davhon Keys and receiver Jalen Pope also had huge games for Aledo.
Keys had five tackles, a fumble recovery on College Station’s first possession, and he ran for two touchdowns out of the wildcat formation. Pope set a championship game record with eight receptions for 228 yards and three touchdowns.
“When you have to commit guys to the box to stop the run, you end up with single coverage on the receivers,” College Station coach Stoney Pryor said during the post game press conference. Pope feasted on the single coverage. He had touchdown receptions of 7, 51 and 76 yards.
Aledo won the toss, took the ball and quickly jumped on top of College Station.
The Bearcats got a big kickoff return from Gavin Olenjack to the Cougars’ 49. On the fifth play of the drive, Henjy kept the ball for a 30-yard TD run and Aledo led 7-0 with 10:13 left in the first quarter.
The Aledo defense showed it was up t0 the title game in the opening possession as well. On College Station’s fifth offense play, Gillespie hit the College Station running back to force a fumble, which Keys recovered at the Cougars 37.
Aledo went deep to Pope on the first play after the turnover and the senior receiver brought the ball in at the College Station 6. Three plays later Keys ran the ball out of the wildcat and scored from the three to make it 14-0 with 7:32 left in the first quarter.
On the Cougars next possession, Aledo got a sack by Lawson Moore and Christian Hillman that helped force a punt. Gillespie returned the punt 51 yards back to the College Station 15 to give Aledo another short field. Keys finished the 7-play drive with a 1-yard run to make it 21-0 with 3:42 left in the first quarter. The Bearcats had scored more points in the opening quarter than they did in the entire game in the 2017 title game loss to College Station. But they weren’t done.
The defense forced a three and out, Gillespie had a 15 yard punt return and the Bearcats set up at the 44 on their fourth possession of the game. Hejny tossed a 7-yard TD pass to cap the 11-play, 56-yard drive to make it 28-0 with 10:00 left in the first half.
On Aledo’s fifth drive of the half, Hejny hit Pope over the middle on a short crossing route and he then outraced the defense for a 51-yard TD to make it 35-0 with 6:50 left in the first half.
Aledo outgained College Station 274 to 72 in the opening half and the Cougars did not get into Aledo territory until early in the third quarter.
Aledo stretched the lead to 45-0 by the end of the third quarter. Henjy, like he did to open the game, had a long TD run on Aledo’s first possession of the second half. This time the score went for 58 yards to give the Bearcats a 42-0 lead with 7:16 left in the third quarter.
Clay Murador tacked on a 37-yard field goal with 2:50 left in the third quarter to make it 45-0.
Aledo put in backup quarterback Brant Hayden at the start of the fourth quarter and he quickly found Jalen Pope open over the middle for a 76-yard TD pass to make it 52-0.
College Station scored a couple of meaningless touchdowns in the final two minutes before the Aledo players and huge Aledo crowd began celebrating another Bearcats state championship.
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