A new era: How will Aledo football fare with head coach Robby Jones at the helm?

Aledo High School football is a premier program in Texas and has claimed 11 state championships since 1998. With legendary head coach Tim Buchanan announcing his retirement after the 2022-2023 Class 5A D1 state championship run, the Bearcats have a new leader: Robby Jones.

Jones is well acquainted with Aledo’s storied success; he won 10 state championships since 2000, when he became the Bearcats’ offensive coordinator. He called taking over as head coach a “whirlwind.”

Aledo has won 111 consecutive district games since 2007, the longest district win streak in the nation. Fans have the same high expectations for the present and future of the program.

With the standard set by Buchanan, there’s pressure to win, but Jones hasn’t felt it yet. Even with the role change, the longtime offensive coordinator is used to coaching Bearcat football.

“I’m sure once the season gets started, there is gonna be a little bit more pressure,” Jones said. “As far as the pressure of the program, I’m going into my 24th year, so I’ve been around it before.”

During the last five months, Jones has fully taken over the responsibilities of Buchanan, a 2023 Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor inductee. In retirement, Buchanan “pops in every once in a while.”

“[Buchanan] will sit down and talk to me about some things, and if I have any questions, I’ll ask him,” Jones said. “He’s been very helpful with things that I’m not used to doing. He tells me and gets me pointed in the right direction.”

Jones and Buchanan have worked together for 24 years. Still, the past and present Bearcat coaches have different styles; Jones said Buchanan is more outgoing.

“I’m a pretty reserved person,” Jones said. “I don’t go out and seek conversations. I’ve tried to do a little bit better job of that.”

Regardless of the differences, both coaches know how to win championships. In preparation for the season opener on Aug 26 against Dallas Parish Episcopal, Jones has emphasized the importance of coming together as a team and doing a job to the best of one’s ability.

“We’ve got a lot of really good individuals, but we got to come together as a team,” Jones said. “We got to create that bond together, like we did last year, and work as one unit like we did last year, and things are gonna work out well for us.”

In 2022, Aledo lost 27-24 to Parish Episcopal and 44-14 to Denton Guyer in what Jones called a wake up call. After, Buchanan and Co. won 14 consecutive games and a 5A Division 1 state championship.

Jones said playing quality opponents early in the season “exposes weakness.” He mentioned the Bearcats will have a “really good chance” to come out victorious in non-district play if the players come into the first week of the season in the best shape of their lives.

2023 outlook

The Bearcats are returning 12 starters, many of whom have elite speed due to participation in track and field, a program led by Jones.

“[Track] is a big development for us because of the fact that we develop team speed,” Jones said. “And that’s big for us.”

Quarterback Hauss Hejny, a TCU commit, ran track in preparation for his senior season, posting a team high 10.9 second 100-yard dash. In 2022, Hejny was a dual threat, throwing for 2,094 yards and 22 touchdowns while rushing for 1,277 yards and 15 touchdowns; according to the 247Sports composite, Hejny, a four star, is the No. 15 quarterback in the class of 2024.

Jones called Hejny a vocal leader, adding it’s common to see the quarterback call out athletes who don’t put in full effort during training.

“[Hejny] has been more of a vocal leader,” Jones said. “He’s always been a great example of what to do, as far as work is concerned. He’s one of the hardest working kids we have.”

On the defensive side, the Bearcats have a lockdown secondary with two elite cornerbacks: Arizona State commit Chris Johnson Jr. and Arkansas commit Jaden Allen. Both are top 100 recruits in Texas, according to 247Sports.

Jones called having two elite corners a “great luxury” and added senior safety Aven Lawrence, a great athlete, would normally start at cornerback most years.

Leading the defense is linebacker Davhon Keys, an LSU commit. In 2022, Keys tallied 123 total tackles and one interception; on the other side of the ball, Keys rushed for 13 touchdowns.

Jones said Keys, an undisputed team captain, often works too hard.

“[Keys] is one of the hardest working guys we have,” Jones said. “[The work ethic] is gonna carry over to the team and make you a pretty good football team, which we hope to be.”

The Bearcats have talent, but they need to address the offensive and defensive lines before the season starts.

“So as far as the offensive line is concerned, we don’t have to move around as much,” Jones said. “The defensive line, though, that’s a different story. We’re going through summer workouts still looking for the guys that are going to contribute the most for us on the defensive front.”

Jones said the team has talented defensive players, but most of them need experience.

“It’s just a lot of [the defensive linemen] are really young,” Jones said “So we’re trying to get all that organized and straightened out.”

Jones said he anticipates the players to put in the required work to maintain the Bearcat standard of excellence. The new era of Aledo football is here, and Jones is spearheading the charge.