STEPHENVILLE — Abilene High’s most successful football season in more than a decade came to an end Friday with a 56-21 loss to top-ranked Aledo in the Region I-5A Division I final.

A disastrous start saw the Eagles fall behind 28-0 after a quarter. And following a successful second period, during which coach Mike Fullen’s squad was able to narrow the deficit to 28-14 by halftime, Abilene High ran out of gas against a Bearcats squad in search of second consecutive state title and 12th in program history.

The loss forced Abilene High, which was outgained 527-210 and limited to just a single yard on the ground, to end its season at 11-3. But the run to the fourth round of the playoffs marked the Eagles’ deepest since 2011 and the 11 wins tied the program’s most since 2012.