The Arlington Heights Yellowjackets will face off against the Aledo Bearcats at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Arlington Heights comes in on five and Aledo on 12.
Arlington Heights is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They strolled past Monterey with points to spare, taking the game 56-41. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Yellowjackets' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 151st, while the Plainsmen are ranked 380th).
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Carson James and Darron Moore. James had a great game and rushed for 222 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.4 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Moore was balling out in the loss, rushing for 118 yards and a pair of TDs.
Arlington Heights didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Isaiah Schuman and Antonio Johnson. Arlington Heights got some further help from Jaheim Marshall: he picked up a sack, forced one fumble, and made 11 total tackles.
Meanwhile, Aledo got themselves on the board against Tascosa on Friday, but Tascosa never followed suit. They blew past the Rebels, posting a 42-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Bearcats, who have now won nine matchups by 42 points or more so far this season.
Arlington Heights better keep an eye on Lincoln Tubbs. He was instrumental in Aledo's win, rushing for 163 yards and one score on only eight carries, while also throwing for 104 yards and one touchdown. Those 163 rushing yards gave Tubbs a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Brady Powell, who rushed for 82 yards and a pair of TDs on only eight carries.
Aledo was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 292 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 168 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Aledo's victory bumped their record up to 12-0. As for Arlington Heights, their win bumped their record up to 11-1.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Arlington Heights has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 269 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Aledo struggles in that department as they've been averaging 246.1 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Arlington Heights was dealt a bruising 64-0 defeat at the hands of Aledo in their previous matchup back in September of 2021. Thankfully for the Yellowjackets, Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi (who threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns while completing 83.3% of his passes) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
