Aledo (Texas) vs. Manvel (Texas)There is more on the line Saturday than just a third consecutive
Texas 4A-II state title shot for Aledo and its all-world senior running back
Johnathan Gray. The University of Texas commit needs only one more touchdown
to break the national career record of 204 and needs only two to eclipse the single-season record (69) for touchdowns. In addition, Gray conceivably could
break the longstanding record for career rushing yards (11,232) held by Sugar Land (Texas) legend Ken Hall, but he'd need to gain 382 yards to do it. Aledo, which started the year 1-2, has played its best football of the season during the playoffs. The Bearcats avenged an earlier loss to Stephenville, 33-0 in the quarterfinals, and blasted Corsicana last week, 68-28.
Despite entering the game with a perfect 15-0 record, Manvel is a decided underdog against Aledo. The Mavericks
slipped past Calallen (Corpus Christi), 31-28, in a semifinal game at the Alamodome thanks to a 25-yard field goal by
Josh Martinez as time expired. This is the first state finals appearance for Manvel, a school that opened its doors in 2006. It had never even reached the playoffs prior to last season.
Mitch Stephens: Aledo 48, Manvel 28
Steve Montoya: Aledo 28, Manvel 20
Stephen Spiewak: Aledo 44, Manvel 30
Kevin Askeland: Aledo 55, Manvel 48
Jamie DeMoney: Aledo 49, Manvel 21
Johnathan Gray is chasing prestigious records, and at the least, a state championship.
Photo by Kyle Dantzler
