Football Preview: Aledo Bearcats vs. Ryan Raiders
Aledo is 3-0 against Ryan since October of 2022, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The Aledo Bearcats will challenge the Ryan Raiders at 2:00 p.m. Aledo knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 31 points or more in their past 12 matchups -- so hopefully Ryan likes a good challenge.
Aledo is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They claimed a resounding 62-7 win over Tascosa. The Bearcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine contests by 45 points or more this season.
Aledo relied on the efforts of Kaden Winkfield, who rushed for 142 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries, and Gavin Beard, who threw for 276 yards and four touchdowns on perfect 15-for-15 passing. Winkfield's longest rush was for an impressive 57 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Brady Powell was another major influence, as he rushed for 74 yards and ran in a TD.
Aledo was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 246 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 171 rushing yards in 12 consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Ryan entered their tilt with Richland on Saturday with seven consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with eight. They came out on top against the Royals by a score of 48-35. That's two games straight that the Raiders have won by exactly 13 points.
Ryan's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Quin Henigan, who threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes. The dominant performance also gave Henigan a new career-high in rushing yards (ten). Tre'Vaughn Reynolds also helped with two touchdowns in total.
Ryan didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Byran Simmons and Jaxson Dozier. Kharom Freeman-Wade was another major factor on D, picking up a sack, making eight total tackles, and defending a pass.
Aledo pushed their record up to 12-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those victories were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 6.2 points per game. As for Ryan, their record is now 12-1.
Saturday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Aledo has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 231.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Ryan struggles in that department as they've been averaging 202.5. It's looking like Saturday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Aledo strolled past Ryan in their previous meeting back in October by a score of 42-27. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Ryan's Braeden Mussett, who picked up 94 receiving yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 58 yards and a touchdown. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Aledo still be able to contain Mussett? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
