Aledo head coach Tim Buchanan was asked, moments after last Fridays 34-14 win over Red Oak, about how excited he was to get to the regional final.

The Bearcats coach flashed a smile and then started laughing once he realized who hed be facing in the regional final.

Now we get to play a damn legend in Sam Harrell, Buchanan said.

Harrell is the head coach at Ennis, which shut out Frisco 17-0 in the regional semifinals to advance to face Aledo, the reigning 5A-II state champions. The two teams play Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco.

On the field, it figures to be a quality matchup. Ennis, with only one loss to its name, is averaging 33.5 points per game while allowing 13.5. Aledo, on the other hand, is averaging 53.8 points per game while allowing just under 17. Its only loss was a three-point defeat to 6As Denton Guyer, which is also playing in a regional final this weekend.

The matchup on the sidelines, however, may be more interesting. Buchanan and Harrell are both in their second tenures at their respective schools.

Buchanan (239-52-3) is known as the architect of Aledos dynasty. He won five state championships as the schools head coach before he moved full-time into the districts athletic director position after the 2013 season. Once he turned in his whistle, he said he missed it. So, when the possibility of returning to the sideline became available this offseason, he jumped, swapping places with former Aledo head coach Steve Wood.

Harrell (206-65) is in his second season back at Ennis. The former Big Lake head coach took over at Ennis in 1994, leading the Lions to three state championships in the early 2000s. Multiple sclerosis forced him to retire after the 2009 season, but after stem cell treatment and a couple of trips to Panama, he ultimately made it back to the sidelines. He took Ennis back over in 2018, and after a 5-5 season a year ago, Harrell has the Lions back on the precipice of playoff glory.

Eight state championships and 445 wins isnt a bad combination for two head coaches facing off against each other in the regional final. Some may call it legendary. At least thats what Buchanan says about Harrell.

Ive never beat Sam, Buchanan said, adding that the two have known each other for a long time, so that will be fun, getting to play Coach Harrell again.

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Aledo and Ennis will be a legendary regional final matchup, and not because of what's on the playing field - The Dallas Morning News