This Aledo Bearcats Sports Minute is brought to you by Oliver Dyer’s Appliance
For the eighth time, and with a familiar prize on the line, No. 1 Aledo and No. 4 Denton Ryan collide Friday night in a matchup that has defined Class 5A Division I football in recent years. The Region I championship kicks off at 7 p.m. at Northwest ISD Stadium, and as history shows, this rivalry saves its fiercest blows for December.
Aledo enters at 13-0, while Ryan stands at 12-1. The Bearcats lead the all-time series 4–3, but the deeper storyline is the postseason trend: Aledo’s wins have come in the regular season; Ryan’s three victories have all come in the playoffs, including last year’s 31-21 comeback win in this exact round.
When they met earlier this season on Oct. 3, Aledo flipped the script. Trailing 14–2 in the third quarter, the Bearcats stormed back to grind out a 15–14 victory in Denton.
Both teams boast elite numbers on both sides of the ball. Aledo averages 52 points per game while yielding just six — one of the stingiest defenses in the state. Ryan counters with a 39-point scoring average and allows only 10 per outing. Every possession will matter.
The winner advances to the state semifinals to face either Highland Park or Frisco Lone Star, adding even more weight to Friday’s showdown.
You can hear all the action on 92.1 Hank FM, with coverage beginning at 6:20 p.m. Join Kevin Lonnquist, Kyle Hix, Mercedes Mayer and the Deacon for what promises to be another classic in one of Texas high school football’s premier rivalries.