Aledo High School/Mercer County High School Football Named One of the Top-50 Football Programs in IHSA History

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ALEDO HIGH SCHOOL (1974-2009)
MERCER COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL (2009-Present) | ALEDO
Program Record Since 1974: 358-171
IHSA Playoff Appearances: 31
IHSA Playoff Record: 56-27
State Championship Appearances/Titles: 7/4
1988-2A: Carlyle 21, Aledo 13                                            13-1
1998-2A: Aledo 25, Rockridge 16                                       12-2
2001-2A: Aledo 27, Moweaqua Central A&M 24            13-1
2002-2A: Aledo 41, Carthage 40 (OT)                                14-0
2005-2A: Dakota 20, Aledo 15                                            12-2
2006-1A: Tuscola 35, Aledo 20                                            13-1
2012-2A: Mercer County 14, Belleville Althoff 7              13-1
State Final Coaches: Brian Applegate (1988), Cullen Welter (1998, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006), Nat Zunkel (2012)

Aledo/Mercer County: In the early years of the playoff era, there was no indication Aledo’s football program would become worthy of top-50 designation. Its first playoff berth came in 1975, but its second didn’t arrive until 1988 when it reached the Class 2A state final where it lost to Carlyle, 21-13, to finish 13-1. It appeared that might be a one-off as the Green Dragons, as they were known at the time, went 0-9 in 1989. After Bill McCarty became coach in 1990, Aledo posted four double-digit win seasons in eight years. In 1998, he passed the coaching reins to Cullen “Cully” Welter. The new regime was a perfect fit as Welter guided the Green Dragons to their first state championship in his first year. The 1998 2A final against fellow Olympic Conference member Taylor Ridge Rockridge paired finalists from the same league for just the second time in playoff history. When the rivals – located 18 miles apart – met on Oct. 16, Aledo lost, 49-0, which made its 25-16 victory in the state final a shocker. “To win any state championship is great, but you look at how they demoralized us earlier and it’s incredible to beat that team,” Welter told the told the media. Aledo’s Richard Bigham caught a pair of touchdown passes and returned a fourth-quarter punt 70 yards for another score to cap a 12-2 season. The Green Dragons proceeded to win titles in 2001 and 2002 before notching runner-up efforts in 2005 and 2006. Five second-half turnovers by Moweaqua Central A&M in the 2001 2A final paved the way for a 27-24 Aledo victory, capping a 13-1 season. Brett Lee’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Troy Blaser provided the winning score in the fourth quarter. “I didn’t know how to stop them so we sold out to stop the run,” said Welter, whose team overcame a 24-14 halftime deficit by allowing just 65 rushing yards after intermission. In the 2002 2A final, Joe Reed threw three touchdown passes and the Green Dragons came back from an 18-point deficit in the second half to best Carthage, 41-40, in overtime. Josh Bigham’s conversion kick provided the winning point after a 1-yard touchdown run by J.J. Dunn. “This was by far the most electrifying comeback,” said Welter, comparing that result to Aledo’s championship game rallies in 1998 and 2001. Welter ended an 11-year stint at the school in 2008 with a 113-22 record. The next year Aledo consolidated with Joy Westmer to form Mercer County. The new partnership – under the Golden Eagles nickname – has qualified for the playoffs every year of its existence. In 2012, Mercer County finished 14-0 after topping Belleville Althoff in the 2A final, 14-7. The Golden Eagles forced six turnovers including a fumble that Devin Morford returned a record 96 yards to break a 7-7 tie. “What a rush,” said Mercer County coach Nat Zunkel. “Fifteen weeks ago, we asked, ‘Why not us?’ We got better and better each week.”