ARLINGTON — Aledo High School won its second consecutive 5A Division I state football championship with a 51-8 victory over Comal Smithson Valley at AT&T Stadium on Friday night, expanding its state record to 12 overall titles.
The Bearcats fell behind early but used a 51-point outburst over the game’s final three quarters to pull away as its defense held Smithson Valley to just 69 yards of offense.
Smithson Valley’s defense set the tone early, forcing a three-and-out to open the game and stuffing Aledo running back Hawk Patrick-Daniels in his own end zone for a safety and the game’s first score.
After adding a field goal to increase its lead to 5-0, Smithson Valley defensive back Zach Gingrich intercepted Aledo’s Hauss Hejny and gave the Rangers the ball again at the Aledo 16-yard line. Aledo’s defense still would not budge, forcing another field goal and keeping the deficit to single digits.
That allowed Aledo’s offense to find its footing, roaring back with 24 unanswered points to take a 24-8 lead at the half, outgaining Smithson Valley 292-55. Patrick-Daniels got the Bearcats on the board with a 23-yard touchdown, and they took a 14-8 lead as he scored again a few minutes later.
The Aledo defense came up with a huge fourth-down stop as Smithson Valley reached the 27-yard line while trying to stay in the game, and Hejny, a TCU commit, connected with wide receiver Kaydon Finley on a 69-yard touchdown pass.
After forcing a three-and-out from Smithson Valley to start the second half, Hejny found Colton McCoy for another touchdown, and  Patrick-Daniels and Hejny later added rushing touchdowns as the Bearcats rolled to another title with 546 yards of offense on the night.
Patrick-Daniels was the game’s offensive MVP after rushing for 186 yards and three touchdowns, while linebacker and LSU commit Davhon Keys earned the defensive MVP honors. Hejny finished with 202 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in the air, with an additional 77 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
The championship is the first for Aledo head coach Robby Jones, who took over the program from Tim Buchanan, one of the state’s all-time winningest coaches, in the offseason.
