Arm pads lay on the sidelines during Aledo High School’s morning practice at Tim Buchanan Stadium in Aledo, Texas, Monday, August, 18, 2025.
Bob Booth
Special to the Star-Telegram
ALEDO
The Fort Wort Worth-area’s most storied high school football programs shared the field in a scrimmage at Tim Buchanan Stadium Thursday.
That’s Aledo and Southlake Carroll a 9 and 12-time state champion, respectively. Here are four takeaways from the action:
Aledo holds its own against a Class 6A power
The crowd saying, “Aledo can’t compete in Class 6A” might want to rethink things.
The Bearcats have been competitive with Class 6A squads for quite some time. That includes several wins against Denton Guyer, a squad that competes with the state’s best.
In what was essentially a practice, the Bearcats scored 21 points to Southlake Carroll’s seven. Take it with a grain of salt, as final scores could not matter less in scrimmages.
But the Bearcats did show they could hold their own against Carroll, a Class 6A state championship contender and perennial Class 6A power.
“We came out here and did what we did — we played Bearcat football,” Aledo senior quarterback Tre Williams said. “Our tempo was good. Our offense did an amazing job and our defense did great.”
The action was competitive, with Aledo’s defensive line holding its own against the Dragons’ massive offensive line. Aledo’s offense, led by Williams, a Lewisville transfer, was able to attack downfield. He passed for 180 yards on 14 of 21 passes with touchdowns of 37 and 33 yards.
Aledo running back Jeremiah Johnson carried a heavy workload and was hard to bring down. Wide receivers Maddux Nurse and Kane Lanier made some big plays.
The Bearcats first real test will come against North Crowley 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, at Crowley ISD Stadium.
“I just want us to get more consistent,” Williams said. “Just getting back into the flow of things. Tonight was our first time playing against someone other than ourselves. Getting ready for North Crowley is the big thing for me.”
Get used to Aledo clashing with Carroll
The scrimmage between the Dragons and Bearcats holds no weight. However, it could be a preview of what’s to come, whether its in the 2026 season or sometime in the near future.
With Aledo’s move to Class 6A, the two area powerhouses could meet in the Class 6A Division II playoffs. Another area power that could be in the mix is North Crowley — all three squads could head to the Class 6A Division II, depending on district finishes.
The trio gives Fort Worth-area football fans what should be a trio of contenders and a ton of high-stakes playoff matchups within a reasonable distance.
The Bearcats could stay in Texas’ largest classification for quite some time, barring any significant enrollment cutoff changes; Aledo ISD doesn’t expect to develop a second high school for the foreseeable future.
Southlake Carroll ramping up
Southlake Carroll’s offense picked its moments to strike downfield. It looked as if the offense still needs some time to mesh and fine tune some things, as does every team in Texas. The Dragons switched in plenty of players with the starting unit, showcasing their versatility.
Wide receiver Brody Knowles was a standout as a strong deep threat, tallying 61 yards on four receptions.
Defensively, however, the Dragons looked pretty good, forcing several takeaways. The Dragons’ scrimmage performance isn’t an indication of how they’ll play against 18-time Oklahoma state champion Jenks 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28 at the Cotton Bowl.
This story was originally published August 20, 2026 at 9:02 PM.
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Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Charles Baggarly is a high school sports editor and reporter for the Fort Worth Star Telegram. He graduated from TCU in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and served as TCU 360’s sports editor. Connect with Charles on Twitter or via email.