Photo by Lucas Moore
By Nolan Ruth
X – @RealNolanRuth
WRITER’S NOTE: My coverage of this game is dedicated to the memory of one of my biggest supporters and best friends, Joseph Eli Shephard III; 1973-2025
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS— The nation’s longest district winning streak is alive and well at 133 games after the Aledo Bearcats(8-0, 6-0) cruised to an easy victory 72-10 over the Richland Royals(6-3, 5-2). After going most of the season with rotating quarterbacks, it was Lincoln Tubbs that took every meaningful snap and led the offense to its best performance of the season thus far.
“I think we got good quarterback play out of Lincoln Tubbs,” head coach Robby Jones said after the game. “That was kind of what we’ve been missing most of the year, was a quarterback coming out and throwing the ball down the field like he was and doing all of the things that we need a quarterback to do.”
Tubbs finished his night completing 12 of 19 passes for 269 yards and 4 touchdowns, adding 138 yards on 12 carries and another score on the ground.
“It goes back to, when my number is called, doing my job,” Tubbs humbly said after his breakout performance. “I’ve got to prepare like I’m going to start every week, so when my number is called I just try to do what the offense needs.”
The Aledo defense started the game strong, forcing the Royals into two straight three-and-outs. Then, despite the stellar performance from Tubbs, it was the Sam Houston State commit Kaden Winkfield who started the scoring for the Bearcats just over two minutes into the game with a 44-yard rushing touchdown. After the second defensive stop, Peyton Shaffer came on to kick a 24-yard field goal that put Aledo up 10-0 early.
Richland then got a nice drive going, but stalled around midfield and turned it over on downs. On the very next play, Tubbs began his breakout game by hitting Notre Dame commit Kaydon Finley in stride from 51 yards out to extend the lead to 17-0 after one quarter of play.
Early in the second quarter Tubbs did it again to kickstart a 34-point quarter for the Bearcats, finding Bayne Martin on the wheel route from 43 yards away. The next drive, Tubbs led the offense 92 yards down the field and capped it off by himself with a three yard keeper, bringing the score to 31-0.
“When I have to tuck it and run, I start seeing red a little bit,” Tubbs mentioned with a chuckle. “I’m fighting for those yards because those yards mean everything to me, and this team means everything to me. So I’m going to put it all on the line for my teammates and anyone who’s counting on me.”
Then the defense came up with a big play as Ryland Haley intercepted Richland quarterback Brett Kates at the Royals 22 yard line. Winkfield then cashed it in with a 22-yard touchdown run.
Richland then finally got a response as Jayshon Gibson broke free and outran the Bearcat defense 65 yards to the endzone to put the Royals on the board. Then, in a flash of deja vu, Tubbs connected with Finley again from 51 yards out with a perfectly placed ball on the post. However, in a rare special teams hiccup, the extra point was missed, keeping the score at 44-7.
With just seconds left in the half, Tubbs and Finley connected again from 11 yards out to bring the score to 51-7 at the break.
The starters got one last possession to open the second half, but in an effort not to get hurt, the Bearcats were forced to punt. On the very next play, Alex Patton perfectly read the screen and intercepted the pass, taking it 37 yards to paydirt for the pick-six.
Later in the third quarter, Richland got more points when Beck Spivey came on and nailed a 45-yard field goal, making the score 58-10.
With backups in, the Bearcats scored twice more on runs from Rudy Moya and Jeremiah Johnson, bringing the final score to 72-10 and securing a 133rd consecutive district win.
“We treat each opponent like they’re a playoff team,” Jones said about the remaining schedule. “We’re going to go work on ourselves and get better, and we’ve got to gameplan for those guys and attack them like we would any other opponent.”
With the win, Aledo improves to 8-0 overall and 6-0 in district play. The Bearcats now turn their attention to Parker County rival Azle who will come to Tim Buchanan Stadium next Friday. Richland drops to 6-3 on the season and 5-2 in district. They will get a bye week before also facing Azle in two weeks for the final game of the regular season.
