ARLINGTON – Well, it ain’t called Losertown. 

Aledo weathered the early Smithson Valley storm, and like Novocain, it was only a matter of time before the Bearkats won out in the Class 5A Division I state championship game, 51-8. The championship was the 12th overall for the program and 11th since 2009. They’ve won 11 of the last 15 and five of the last six. It was the program’s 14th trip to a state championship game. 

"I'd say the people up in those stands," said quarterback Hauss Henjy about the secret to Aledo's success. "They pour into this program, whether it is donations or to allow us to have the best coaching possible, which we do. Our coaches spend endless hours preparing us. There are plenty of teams with more talent than us, but we're better coached and have more discipline." 

But this wasn’t the same script. Former head coach Tim Buchanan won eight championships in his time at Titletown, including last year. Steve Wood won three in his five seasons as head coach from 2014 through 2018. The 41st of the “48 Laws of Power” tells us to avoid stepping into a great man’s shoes. First-year head coach Robby Jones skipped that part of the book. And proved it wrong. 

An outsider would be forgiven for assuming the Aledo success is inevitable. The Bearkats haven’t lost more than two games in a season since 2007. They’ve won at least 12 games every year since 2012. The last single-digit win total was an 8-6 season in 2005 – only the second time that’s happened since 1997. 

Aledo sets the pace. The rest of the state tries to keep up. Usually, unsuccessfully and in a rout. 

The Bearkats were wounded early. Smithson Valley forced a safety and then took the ensuing kickoff into Aledo territory before connecting on a 49-yard field goal. Aledo threw an interception that was returned inside its own 10 as the Rangers smelt blood. 

Then the muscle memory kicked in for Aledo. The defense held strong to force a field goal and keep their team within one possession. The next drive, the Bearkats went 75 yards on 11 plays and suddenly trailed by only one point despite a bad first quarter of football. By halftime it was 24-8. By the midway part of the third quarter, it was over. 

Jones will be without star quarterback Hauss Henjy, receiver Trace Clarkson, and running back Hawk Patrick-Daniels on offense next year. Davhon Keys and Jaden Allen leave the defense. The temptation is to believe the Bearkats are headed towards a rebuilding year, but that feels like false hope for the rest of the state. Aledo reloads, not rebuilds. Jones knows that. He might be the new guy in the big office, but he's not new to Aledo. He spent 21 years there as the offensive coordinator waiting on his turn. And learning. 

"There were a few more nerves," Jones joked about the difference between state games as a head coach compared to as an offensive coordinator. "This didn't feel like the first year because I've been here for a while. We kept the system the same. The program is not going to change. We're going to keep doing what we do."