Lorena holds off Yoe in second half

The Yoemen looked good in the first half of Friday night’s game with Lorena, going into halftime up 17-7, but Lorena came back in the second half to take a 28-20 victory at Yoe Field.

The Yoemen dropped to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in district with one game left at McGregor on Friday before the Yoemen have an open date in the final week of the regular season. A win at McGregor could still put the Yoemen in the playoffs.

Lorena (5-2, 3-1) remains in a three-way tie for the district lead with Rockdale and Troy.

Lorena took the opening kickoff and marched to a quick lead when Reed Michna plunged in at the 1-yard line to put the Leopards up 7-0.

But, the Yoemen took charge of the first half from there.

Pharrell Hemphill broke loose on a 49-yard sprint that helped set up a 26-yard field goal by Jesse Martinez to cut the gap to 7-3 with 6:21 left in the first quarter.

The Yoemen took the lead before the quarter was done, capitalizing on a Lorena turnover at the Leopards 46.

It took the Yoemen 12 plays to score from there. On fourth-and-goal from the 4, quarterback Zane Zeinert connected with Hemphill for the touchdown with 38 seconds left in the quarter for Yoe’s 10-7 lead.

Hemphill would set up the Yoemen’s other touchdown in the first half also.

On the first play of a drive that started at the Yoe 41, Zeinert got together with Hemphill on a 56-yard hookup to the Lorena 3. Three plays later, Keshon Johnson pushed his way across the goal line, and the Yoemen took a 17-7 advantage into halftime.

The Leopards closed the gap in the second half by going 57 yards on their first possession of the second half. Quarterback Ben Smedshammer found Jadon Porter for a 2-yard touchdown pass to make it a 17-14 game.

That score would stay until the fourth quarter.

The Leopards finished off a 52-yard march when Smedshammer ran in from the 3 to put Lorena up 24-14.

A fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff put Lorena back in business at the Yoe 33-yard line.

The Leopards scored again when Michna went for 30 yards and a touchdown less than a minute after their previous one, giving Lorena a 28-17 advantage with 10:54 remaining.

The Yoemen followed by moving from their 41 to the Lorena 16 before settling for Jesse Martinez’s 33-yard field goal, his second of the game, to pull within 28-20 with 7:31 to play.

The Yoemen would get close again, but just couldn't punch it in.

Cameron will travel to McGregor on Friday night. A win could give them a chance at a playoff spot in District 11-3A.