Published: November 04, 2009 10:51 am      

Aledo hopes to run to the title against Hawks

ALEDO — It’s no secret Thursday night’s game between Aledo and Birdville is more than just the district finale. The Hawks head into the contest completely undefeated, with a District 9-4A record of 6-0 and an overall record of 9-0. The Bearcats have only one blemish to their overall record of 8-1 and 6-0 in district.

“That’s exactly the approach we’re taking going into it,” said Aledo head coach Tim Buchanan. “[Birdville] is a very good team.”

Senior quarterback Josh Dorman has been an offensive threat for Birdville. Dorman, who has already thrown for more than 3,200 yards this season, has a 66 percent completion rate, and has torched teams with 43 touchdowns.

While not an active runner himself, Dorman has the assistance of running back John Alvarez, a senior who has rushed for 900 yards.

To counteract the offensive pressure, the Bearcats will rely on the sophomore duo of Johnathan Gray and Matthew Bishop, who have produced the bulk of the scoring, as well as yardage, for Aledo.

Gray is coming off of a 278-yard performance in Aledo’s win over Mineral Wells, last week. The running back is already averaging over 170 yards per game, and scored all five team touchdowns last week.

Bishop struggled against the Rams, throwing 6-of-18 for 87 yards and no touchdowns. It was only the second time in district the sophomore had been held to less than 200 yards passing.

“I hope its not like the last game, where they’re able to shut down our passing,” Buchanan said. “I’ve got confidence in [Bishop]. We just have to be able to catch the stinkin’ football this week. There were several balls that were just dropped, and we can’t have that.”

Despite the sloppy receiving game, the Bearcats had just one interception and only fumbled once, and turnovers haven’t seemed to be a problem for Aledo. That will have to be the case Thursday night, as the Hawks also have small numbers in the turnover game. Dorman has thrown four interceptions all season long, and the Hawks have only fumbled four times to Aledo’s nine.

“Any time you play somebody that is used to scoring eight or nine touchdowns a game, and you make mistakes, they’re going to score. Whether its offensive mistakes or defensive mistakes, they’re going to score if we make mistakes. That goes for both teams.

“In a game like this, odds are we’re both going to have a turnover or two, but it’s going to come down to who capitalizes on those turnovers.”

Kickoff time is set for 7 p.m. at Birdville’s Fine Arts and Athletics Complex.