Football season came to an end in Snyder Saturday afternoon in the Regional play-off game against Aledo. Canyon lost their first game of the season 14-54 to the Bearcats and ended their season at 12-1.

Eagle spirits fell quickly after Aledo’s first play of the game produced a 60-yard run, which led to a Bearcat touchdown within the first 50 seconds. Canyon threw an interception on the 16-yard line to start their first procession, resulting in another Aledo touchdown. Aledo fumbled the snap on the extra point on their following touchdown, and they led Canyon 0-20 with just under 9 minutes left. The Bearcats scored once more before the end of the first quarter.

By the second quarter, Canyon’s defense still struggled to regain their footing. After scoring a field goal, Aledo scored 0-37 after a 51-yard touchdown pass. Canyon ended the half with an interception in the end zone for a Bearcat safety.

Aledo opened the second half with another field goal. Senior wide receiver Tanner Nease put Canyon on the board with a 58-yard touchdown. The Bearcats scored their final touchdown, followed by an eight-yard keeper by senior quarterback Blake Weaver landing the final score at 14-54.

“I think that after their first drive, a lot of our team bought into the hype and gave them more credit than they deserve,” senior linebacker Dylan Douglass said. “I think a lot of people lost their intensity after their first drive. It took our defense a lot longer to start playing after that.”

The 54-14 win was the closest margin of victory that Aledo had faced all season.

“They’re a great team,” senior lineman Brice Boren said. “Their defensive line and linebackers were all very good. They were the biggest and most physical team we have faced. We put some first downs together, but never finished a drive.”