Yoemen defeat Rockdale 47-21 in the Battle of the Bell
The Cameron Yoemen kept the bell at home on Friday night as they handily defeated the Rockdale Tigers in the Battle of the Bell.
Cameron kept possession of the bell as they defeated the Tigers 47-21, to set up a showdown against Franklin on Friday night for the probable district title.
Rockdale received the ball to start the game. On the first play of the drive, Rockdale would score on a 70-yard touchdown run to give the Yoemen a quick 7-0 deficit. Cameron responded on offense with a 17-yard run by Tavares Crittendon (32), and marched down the field to score on a 1-yard touchdown run by Armando Reyes (6) to tie the game at 7.
“In my career, I’ve lost more games than I’ve won when we’ve scored on the first play, so there was no reason to panic,” Coach Rick Rhoades said. “There was still a lot of football to play. I felt good coming into the game about our offense moving the ball and I thought it was really critical that we were able to go down and score and tie it up right away.”
The Yoemen defense forced a fourth and 1, but Rockdale converted it. They would later force the Tigers into a fourth-and-2 attempt. They stood tall and stopped them for a turnover on downs. The Yoemen offense responded quick with an 11 yard catch by Ja’qualyn Fields (4) and kept moving down the field. The first quarter ended at 13-7 Cameron after an incredible 27-yard touchdown pass from Braylan Drake (1) to Reyes, followed by a missed extra point.
The Yoemen defense started the second quarter strong and forced Rockdale to punt. The offense responded with a 33-yard run by Drake and a 24-yard touchdown catch by Ja’quorius Hardman (2) for a 21-7 lead after a successful two-point conversion. Cameron came out on defense and forced Rockdale into a fourth-and-6 at the 22-yard line. They attempted a field goal and missed it but still got a first down after a Cameron penalty.
The Tigers took advantage of that opportunity with a 16-yard touchdown pass to make the score 21-14. The Cameron offense was forced to punt, but their defense returned the favor and forced Rockdale to punt. The Yoemen scored on a remarkable 17-yard touchdown catch by Charlie Mayer (22) for a 28-14 lead, which would be the score at halftime.
Cameron received the ball to start the second half. They started strong on offense with an exciting 48-yard touchdown pass from Drake to Trayjen Wilcox (7) for a 35-14 lead. The Yoemen defense stayed tough and forced a fourth and 6 for Rockdale. They failed the fourth down attempt due to an interception by Wilcox.
The Cameron offense was faced with a fourth-and-1 and converted it, but was still forced to punt. Cameron allowed a 13-yard pass and gave up a fourth and 6. Cameron later forced Rockdale into a fourth-and-22 and stopped them for a turnover on downs. The Yoemen offense would march down the field. The third quarter ended with Cameron leading 35-14.
Cameron started the fourth quarter with a 36-yard pass from Drake to Kason Goolsby (3). That was followed with an 11-yard catch by Connor Jeter (17) and an 8-yard touchdown run by Crittendon for a commanding 41-14 lead. The Tigers scored on a 29-yard touchdown pass to make the score 41-21. Rockdale then tried an onside kick but it was recovered by Cameron. They would score on an 8-yard touchdown run by Kardarius Bradley (8) to increase the lead to 47-21. Cameron went back out on defense and forced Rockdale to punt. After a long time draining the clock, the Yoemen would win 47-21. The Yoemen defense was incredible in the second half as they only allowed 7 points the entire second half.
“I think the big thing is we were able to put pressure on the quarterback,” Rhoades said. “He’s a good quarterback, he makes some really good throws, and made some really good throws tonight. But I think we were able to put pressure on him, and to me, the best pass defense in the world is a good pass pressure, and I think we were able to do that in the second half.”
The offense was also complete. Braylan Drake played incredible, throwing for 284 yards and two touchdowns, along with rushing for 74 yards. Kardarius Bradley also had a great game, rushing for 47 yards and a touchdown. Trayjen Wilcox had a terrific game. Along with an interception on defense, he caught five passes for 83 yards and a touchdown.
“Some of it may have been scheme, but a lot of it was just execution,” Rhoades said. “When we’re able to throw the ball and we’re able to run the ball, that means our offensive line is doing a great job. And those guys did a great job tonight, so I’m really proud of them.”
Up next for the Yoemen, they will head on the road to take on the defending state champion Franklin Lions. Both teams will come into this game undefeated in district and will play for the top spot in the district standings.
“I think whoever wins that ballgame has a great chance to win the district championship,” Rhoades said. “That’s one of the things we want to do every year in Cameron is win the district championship. And same thing with Franklin, they want to win it too, so it’s going to be a great ballgame.”
The game will be on Friday and kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. in Franklin.