‘We have weapons all over’: Aledo Bearcats defeat The Colony, continue dominant season

THE COLONY -- Quarterback Hauss Hejny ran for three touchdowns and passed for another in just over two quarters of play as the 11-time state champion Aledo Bearcats trounced The Colony Cougars 60-14 in a District 3-5A D1 matchup at Tommy Briggs Stadium on Friday.

Hejny, a TCU commit and the Star-Telegram’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, scored his third rushing TD on a 20-yard keeper in the third quarter that pushed the Bearcats lead to 39-7. He sat out the remainder of the contest.

“This is the first game in a while where I have used my legs in running the ball more,” said Hejny, who was a receiver his sophomore season at Aledo. “We came out with confidence. It was a district win. We knew The Colony was coming off a big win last week, and had to be prepared for a tough game.”

Backup running back Kaden Winkfield had third-quarter TD runs of 7 and 27 yards, as Aledo led 53-7 heading into the final period. Following a TD by The Colony, Cole Chumbley added a three-yard TD run to round out the scoring for the Bearcats.

Sophomore Ray Guillory, a transfer from Mansfield Lake Ridge, capped a six-play 60-yard drive on the game’s opening possession with a 10-yard TD run to give the Bearcats a quick 6-0 lead.

On Aledo’s next series, a bad snap on a punt attempt gave the ball to The Colony at the Bearcats’ 29 yard line. That led to a 22-yard TD pass from Carson Cox to Xavier Green, which left Aledo with an early 7-6 deficit.

Aledo quickly erased the one-point Cougar lead as Aven Lawrence returned the ensuing kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown to forge a 12-7 Bearcat advantage. From this point, they never relinquished the lead.

Hejny took over in the second quarter, connecting on an 85-yard TD strike to Trace Clarkson early in the period. He then registered TD runs of 11 and 22 yards, the latter set up by an interception by Arizona State cornerback commit Chris Johnson Jr.

Aledo held a commanding 32-7 lead at intermission.

Senior linebacker and LSU pledge Davhon Keys, the Star-Telegram’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, said the defense knew it had to play well.

“They were coming off a big win, and we knew we had to make some stops,” said Keys, who had a pair of interceptions in the team’s season-opening win over Parish Episcopal. “And let our offense do the rest.”

Keys, prior to this game, had recorded a team-high 55 tackles in five wins, 7.5 tackles for losss, two sacks, one blocked field goal attempt. Offensively, he has rushed three times for 26 yards and a touchdown.

Head coach Robby Jones, in his first year at the helm of Aledo after being offensive coordinator and assistant head coach to the retiring legend Tim Buchanan, was pleased with his team’s performance.

“We executed well,” said Jones. “We try and be a balanced team offensively, and I think we did that.”

The Bearcats finished with 278 yards rushing and 242 passing yards in the game.

“We have weapons all over, so we try and utilize those,” Jones added. “We have some things to work on, but you have to be satisfied with a 60-14 win.”

Aledo, the top-ranked 5A D1 team in the state, won its 20th consecutive game, reeling off 14 straight wins a year ago after an 0-2 start enroute to its state title. The Bearcats are now 6-0 in their quest to add to the championship dynasty.

Standout Performances

Hejny rushed for a game-high 80 yards on just six carries and three TDs, while passing for another 167 yards and a score. Guillory, all in the first half, recorded 78 rushing yards on 10 carries, and one TD.

Backup RB Kaden Winkfield had 66 rushing yards on seven attempts and two TDs.

WR Trace Clarkson registered a game-leading 116 yards on three catches and one TD.

“The touchdown was a third and long,” said Clarkson, of his 85-yard TD reception from Hejny. “We wanted to make a big play, and I was able to take it all the way.”

Sophomore Kaydon Finley, a top recruit in the class of 2026, had a pair of receptions for 29 yards. Reserve QB Gavin Beard completed all six of his passes for 75 yards.

The Colony QB Carson Cox finished with 189 passing yards and one TD while Rodney Gould led the Cougars in rushing with 65 yards on 15 carries.

Cougar RB Kendrick McClodden, who had 122 rushing yards and one TD in the win over Denton Ryan, was held to 11 rushing yards on eight attempts by the stout Bearcat defense.

Up Next

Aledo (6-0, 4-0) will face Fort Worth South Hills (0-5, 0-3), on the road Thursday night with a 7 p.m. CT slated kickoff.

In an away matchup, The Colony (2-4, 2-2) will square off against Fort Worth Brewer (2-3, 2-1) Friday night at 7 p.m. CT.