Aledo defeats Dallas Parish Episcopal in battle of high school football state champions
The new era of Aledo high school football is here.
In Robby Jones’ first game as the Bearcat’s head coach, Aledo cruised to a 50-35 victory against Dallas Parish Episcopal on Friday at Bearcat Stadium, leading from start to finish.
Jones, previously an offensive coordinator, kept the same mentality on the field that he’s always had.
“I’ve had a lot of time to think about it,” Jones said. “I’ve been in some big games as an offensive coordinator. It has helped me get ready for this.”
Aledo lost to Dallas Parish Episcopal to open the 2022 season. Both teams moved forward and won state championships; the Bearcats claimed the gold in Class-5A D1 and the Panthers did the same in TAPPS D1.
Aledo quarterback Hauss Hejny, the Star-Telegram’s Offensive Player of the Year, called the loss a fluke and said the Bearcats would make a statement. He delivered on his promise, throwing for 185 yards and two touchdowns.
Jones said Hejny, a TCU commit, didn’t have his best game but managed the offense well.
“He made plays when he needed to,” Jones said. We tried not to use him with his legs a whole lot tonight.”
Jones said the team played well overall for most of the contest. Penalties kept them from turning the game into a blowout.
“There were times when we didn’t play as well as we needed to,” Jones said. “Way too many penalties. We’ve got to clean up the penalties.”
Setting the tone for the season
Senior quarterback Hauss Hejny set the tone in the first play of the opening drive, tossing a 75-yard touchdown to sophomore running back Raycine Guillory, a transfer from Mansfield Lake Ridge.
“I think we came out firing and hot,” Hejny said. “We came out with a purpose that we were going to put some points on the board and stop them defensively. We executed well. There were some rough bumps and penalties that were unneeded. We’ll learn from it.”
Guillory continued to have a monster performance, tallying 198 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns.
Jones said they expected Guillory to be productive given his performance in the spring.
“He showcased that tonight,” Jones said. “He let everyone know he’s pretty good.”
Senior linebacker and LSU commit Davhon Keys, the Star-Telegram’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, intercepted two passes, taking one all the way to the endzone.
“Davhon is going to make plays,” Jones said. “He had a heck of a night. Davhon is our leader in the middle of that defense. When he is having a good game, our defense will have a good game.”
Hejny said Keys has proved he’s “a dog” on the field time and time again.
“He’s a playmaker all around the field, and he’s versatile,” Hejny said.
Even with the two takeaways, Keys wasn’t satisfied with his performance and said he was frustrated he missed a tackle.
“It happens,” Keys said. “It’s the first game. I’m really proud of this first game. There’s always improvement. Overall we did a really great job.”
Notable performances
Dallas Parish Episcopal quarterback Sawyer Anderson had a solid game, throwing for 278 yards on 27 of 39 passing. He had three touchdowns but also two interceptions.
For the majority of the contest, Anderson played his part in keeping the Panthers in the ballgame.
Hutch Crow and Carson Darby led the Panther receiver room with 182 and 81-yards, respectively. Both players had a touchdown.
Aledo wide receiver Trace Clarkson had a strong showing with 81-yards and a touchdown on five receptions. Running back Hawk Patrick-Daniels did as well, gaining 85-yards and notching two touchdowns.
