Yoemen bring Bell back with 60-23 win
The Yoemen defeated the Rockdale Tigers in dominating fashion on Friday 60-23 to reclaim the bell and improve their record to 2-4.
Cameron kicked off to start the game and allowed a 40-yard run on the first play of the drive. The Yoemen defense held strong after that play and forced the Tigers to kick a 31 yard field goal attempt that was good for a 3-0 Rockdale lead.
Cameron’s first possession on offense with a 13 yard run on a scramble by Ryan Muniz (7) to put them in the red zone. Shortly after, he would find his way in the end zone on a 7-yard touchdown run for a 7-3 lead. The Yoemen defense stayed tough as they stopped a fourth and 1 by Rockdale for a turnover on downs. Cameron could not capitalize on the turnover as Muniz would throw an interception as one of the rare blemishes for him in the game. The first quarter would end with the Yoemen up 7-3.
That interception would be short lived for the Tigers as Cameron forced a three and out. Rockdale would respond by forcing a Cameron three and out of their own. The Yoemen pinned Rockdale deep in their own territory with a punt by Landen Greene (9) that was spotted at the Rockdale 4-yard line. The Yoemen forced another three and out for the Tigers, and responded with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Muniz to Trayjen Wilcox (88) for a 13-3 lead after a missed extra point.
The Cameron defense stayed dominant with an interception by Quori Hardman (30). The offense responded with a 14-yard run by Jaidyn Sanchez (2) on the next play, then a 28-yard touchdown pass from Muniz to Pharrell Hemphill (4) for a 20-3 lead. The Yoemen defense stayed strong and stopped a fourth and 2 attempt for the Tigers on a great play made by Colton Barbo (34) for a turnover on downs. The halftime lead for Cameron remained at 20-3 as the defense played stout like a brick wall only allowing three early points in the half.
“Our defense has gotten better and better over the last couple of weeks,” Coach Rick Rhoades said. “We were young in the beginning but we continued to work and continued to improve. I’m very proud of our defense. We’re playing very well right now defensively.”
The second half for Cameron started strong with a 24 yard run by Phaibian Bynaum (5) and eventually a 2-yard touchdown run by Bynaum on a fourth and 2 for a 26-3 lead after the missed extra point. The Yoemen defense allowed a 59-yard touchdown pass by the Tigers for a 26-10 game. Cameron responded with a 13-yard touchdown run on an end around by Sanchez for a 32-10 lead. The extra point failed.
The Cameron defense backed up their offense and forced a three and out for Rockdale. The offense came back out on fire with a 34-yard touchdown run by Bynaum for a 39-10 lead. Cameron continued to be relentless as Hemphill recovered a live ball on the kickoff at the 29-yard line. The Yoemen offense acted quickly by scoring on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Muniz to Bynaum for a 46-10 lead. The Yoemen defense allowed a 41 yard pass by Rockdale. The third quarter ended with the score at 46-10 with the Yoemen having a commanding lead.
Rockdale faced a fourth and 4 and went for the fourth down conversion and had success. The Tigers then scored on a 4-yard touchdown pass for a 46-17 game.
The Tigers tried an onside kick but it was recovered by Cameron and the Yoemen later made them pay with a 3-yard touchdown run by Fabian Salomon (35) for a 53-17. Rockdale fumbled the ball on the kickoff and it was recovered by Cameron.
At this point in the game, Rhoades put in Braylan Drake (15) at quarterback, and he showed no mercy on a 16 yard touchdown run for a 60-17 lead. The Cameron defense allowed a 29 yard touchdown pass by Rockdale for a 60-23 game after a missed extra point. After the Cameron offense was stopped and they punted back to Rockdale, the Yoemen allowed a 16-yard pass, but later sealed the game with an interception by Armando Reyes (6). The Yoemen came out on top 60-23 with an incredible second half performance, outscoring the Tigers 40-20 in the second half.
“Our whole deal is we’re going to take what they give us,” Rhoades said. “In the first half we were able to hit some passes, the second half they were giving us runs and we were able to do some things running the ball, but that’s the whole premise of the offense is to take what they give you.”
Ryan Muniz passed for 132 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for a touchdown as well. Pharrell Hemphill had 40 yards and a touchdown and Trayjen Wilcox had 53 yards and a touchdown. Phaibian Bynaum was a man on a mission as he ran for 202 yards and two touchdowns and also had a receiving touchdown, too.
The defense was phenomenal too as they had interceptions by Armando Reyes and Quori Hardman, forced turnovers on downs, and forced a fumble.
Next up for the Yoemen will be a road game as they take on the Academy Bumblebees. Rhoades and the team understand what a big game this will be and plan to be as prepared as they can be for the Bumblebees.
“The big thing is we’re 2-0 in district,” Rhoades said. “We’re in a tough district, and we got another tough opponent coming up, so we get to celebrate for a day and then get back to work.”
The game will be tomorrow and kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. in Academy.