Yoemen sack Bulldogs 62-28 in home opener
The Cameron Yoemen football team sent their fans home happy in their home opener against the Yoakum Bulldogs. The Yoemen soundly defeated the Bulldogs 62-28.
Cameron kicked off to start the game and started strong on defense, forcing a three-and-out on a sack by Landen Greene (9). The Yoemen offense started fast with a 15-yard pass from Braylan Drake (1) to Trayjen Wilcox (7). The Yoemen scored on a 9-yard touchdown run by Kardarius Bradley (8) for a quick 7-0 lead.
The Cameron defense quickly increased the lead with a 44-yard pick six by Ja’Quorius Hardman (2) to make the score 13-0 following a missed extra point. The defense showed their fortitude once more and forced a Yoakum three and out. However, the defense had to come back out on the field again due to a fumble recovered by Yoakum. The Yoemen defense answered back and recovered a fumble off a bobbled handoff by the Bulldog quarterback.
Cameron took advantage of the turnover with a 16-yard touchdown run by Armando Reyes (6) for a 21-0 lead after a successful two-point conversion. Yoakum came out on offense and started to move the ball down the field. The first quarter ended with Cameron up 21-0.
In the second quarter, Cameron allowed a 17-yard run, which soon led to a 10-yard touchdown run by Yoakum for a score of 21-7. Cameron responded right back with an astonishing 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Bradley to make it a 28-7 lead. The Yoemen defense stood tall and forced a fourth-and-6 for Yoakum and stopped their fourth down attempt. The defense would have to return to the field due to a fumble recovered by Yoakum.
The Yoemen defense were stout and forced a fourth-and-16 that turned into a fourth and 21 after a false start penalty and stopped the attempt with an interception by Kason Goolsby (3). The Cameron offense marched down the field aided by a 12-yard run by Bradley. That would soon lead to a 9-yard touchdown run by Reyes for a 35-7 lead at halftime.
Cameron received the ball to start the second half, but couldn’t do much and went three-and-out. The Yoemen defense allowed a 22-yard run then a 40-yard run. They eventually gave up a 7-yard touchdown run to make the score 35-14. Cameron responded in a big way with a 36-yard run by Bradley, which was soon followed by a 7-yard touchdown run by Reyes making the score 41-14. The Cameron defense backed up their offense and forced Yoakum to punt on their next possession. The Yoemen offense continued rolling with a 13-yard run by Drake after recovering from a bobbled snap and getting a first down. The third quarter ended with Cameron leading 41-14.
The big plays of the fourth quarter started with a 13-yard run by Wilcox. The Yoemen completed the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by Bradley to increase their lead to 48-14.
The Yoemen defense came up strong and forced Yoakum to attempt a fourth-and-2 and was stopped and the try was stopped with a sack by Carlos Salomon (60) for a turnover on downs. Cameron stayed aggressive on offense with a 25-yard touchdown run by Bradley for a 55-14 lead. The Yoemen defense had a little hiccup and gave up a 44-yard touchdown run for a 55-21 lead.
At that point, Coach Rick Rhoades made a change at quarterback: Connor Jeter (17) came in for Drake. The offense continued on the attack with a 37-yard run by Bradley, and he would soon reach the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown run, making it a 62-21 lead. The Cameron defense allowed a 45-yard run, then gave up a 15-yard touchdown run for a 62-28 lead, which would be the final score for the game.
Coach Rhoades was very pleased with his defense throughout the game with the exception of a few possessions here and there.
“I think we made some big stops early when we needed to, fourth down stops, so that was big,” Rhoades said. “The thing we got to work on defensively is giving up big plays. We get that fixed; we’ll be ok.”
Braylan Drake didn’t throw the ball much as he only had 62 passing yards. The bulk of the offense came from the running game. Armando Reyes rushed for 55 yards and three touchdowns, and Kardarius Bradley was an absolute nightmare for the Yoakum defense, rushing for 237 yards and four touchdowns. Coach Rhoades feels that in this game, the running backs and the offensive line complimented each other greatly.
“When we’re running the ball like that, that means our offensive line is doing a great job,” Rhoades said. “We were able to run the football the way we did, not to take anything away from Kardarius or Armando, but our offensive line was doing a great job upfront. That’s why were able to run the football the way we did.”
Up next, the Yoemen will stay at home next week and will host the Connally Cadets. The game will be on Friday and kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.