San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
STATE FINAL
not disappointed in them.”
Smithson Valley missed the presence of junior Brad Sowersby, the Rangers’ leading rusher with nearly 1,187 yards and 18 touchdowns, who sat out after getting injured in the state semifinal against Brownsville Veterans Memorial. That forced junior Cade Spradling into double duty as starting linebacker and running back. Spradling finished with 25 yards on 13 carries and had 10 tackles, second on the team to senior linebacker Jaxson Maynard’s 13.
The Rangers tried working the ball to senior receiver Freddie Dubose, a Texas pledge, but he was limited to seven catches (on 12 targets) for 31 yards.
“We made a good run, but it didn’t end the way we hoped it would, but I’m glad to be a part of this team,” Spradling said. “We trust each other, and we go out there and try to execute for one another and that leads you to give your best on every play.”
Aledo (16-0) captured its 11th championship in the last 15 years and 12th in program history. The Bearkats extended their winning streak to 30 games, dating back to 2022 following an 0-2 start to the season.
Smithson Valley (14-2), in search of its first title, reached the state final for the first time since 2004 and for the fourth time overall.
There weren’t a lot of bright spots for the Rangers, but senior
Clayton Amaya set a Class 5A title game record with a 49-yard field goal, and senior cornerback Zach Gingrich had two interceptions to finish with a team-best eight this season.
Smithson Valley had a promising beginning when junior safety Diego Davila tackled PatrickDaniels in the end zone for a safety and 2-0 lead early in the first quarter.
The Rangers made it 5-0 on the
following drive when Amaya nailed the 49-yarder that was also the second-longest field goal for all classes (53 yards, Charlie Barnett, Austin Westlake, 2001).
Gingrich picked off Hejny on the next drive and set up the Rangers on Aledo’s 9-yard-line following a face mask on the play. However, the Rangers were unable to reach the end zone and settled for Amaya’s 30-yard field goal, which made it 8-0 with 1:21
left in the first quarter.
Smithson Valley held the Bearkats to zero total yards on their first three possessions, but that didn’t last long as Aledo burst out for 216 yards and three touchdowns on their next three drives.
Patrick-Daniels reached the end zone on runs of 23 and 7 yards to give the Bearkats a 14-8 lead early in the second quarter. Hejny then connected with Kaydon Finley for a 69-yard score and a 21-8 advantage with 1:27 before halftime. Cole Crawford tacked on a 35-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to extend Aledo’s lead to 24-8.
Aledo added three touchdowns in the third quarter for a 44-8 lead with Colton McCoy’s 29-yard catch, Patrick-Daniels’ 51-yard run and Hejny’s 10-yard keeper. The Bearkats capped the scoring in the fourth with Roderick Blake’s 7-yard TD run.
“Obviously, it’s not the outcome we wanted, but it’s just a blessing to even be here,” Gingrich said. “The margin of error was really small for us tonight, and clearly we fell over the line we needed to not fall over, but that’s just how the cookie crumbles.”