Yoemen head on to Area with defeat of Yoakum
The Cameron Yoemen move on to the Area round of the playoffs after a 39-28 defeat of Yoakum on Friday night.
The Yoemen traveled to Bastrop on Friday to take on the Yoakum Bulldogs in the Bi-District round of the playoffs. The Yoemen were victorious, winning 39-28 to advance to the Area round.
Yoakum received the ball to start the game. They got out of the gate quick with a 26-yard run, but that was pretty much it as Yoakum was forced to punt. The punt by the Bulldogs was bad and traveled only 6 yards. Cameron started their offensive drive in great field position. The Yoemen took advantage with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Braylan Drake (1) to Charlie Mayer (22) for a quick and early 7-0 lead.
The Yoemen defense forced Yoakum to punt once again, and again got great field position after a high snap to the punter, forcing another bad punt, putting the Yoemen offense inside the 20-yard line. Cameron acted quickly with a 16-yard touchdown catch by Connor Jeter (17) to make it a 14-0 lead. Cameron stayed strong on defense and forced a Yoakum three and out. Cameron started the drive with a 12-yard catch by Trayjen Wilcox (7). The first quarter ended with Cameron leading 14-0.
The Yoemen offense stalled and was forced to punt to begin the second quarter. The defense continued to hold up and forced the Bulldogs to punt once again. However, the defense had to return to the field after a fumble that was recovered by Yoakum. Yoakum would score on a 1-yard touchdown run to make the score 14-7. The Bulldogs soon got another chance on offense after an interception thrown by Drake. The Yoemen defense allowed a 21-yard catch, but got the ball back for the offense with an interception by Kason Goolsby (3). Cameron did not score on that turnover and was forced to punt. That ended the half with Cameron leading 14-7.
To start the second half, Yoakum tried to catch Cameron off guard with an onside kick. Cameron was ready and recovered it. The offense faced a fourth and 5, went for the fourth down attempt and came up empty. The defense came out and forced another punt from Yoakum as they executed another three and out. The Yoemen came out on offense and exploded with an unbelievable 57-yard touchdown catch by Mayer to extend the lead to 21-7. The offense would quickly return to the field with an interception by Wilcox. Cameron took advantage of the turnover with an amazing 51-yard touchdown run by Kardarius Bradley (8) for an 27-7 lead. The Yoemnen bent a little bit on defense and allowed a 67-yard run. They forced a fourth and 3, Yoakum went for the fourth down attempt and converted. The Bulldogs scored on a 5-yard touchdown run for a score of 27-14. The Yoemen couldn’t answer and was forced to punt. The third quarter ended with Cameron ahead 27-14.
To start the fourth quarter, Yoakum marched down the field and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to tighten the score 27-21. Cameron responded lightning fast with an amazing kickoff return for a touchdown from Wilcox for a 33-21 lead after a failed two-point attempt. Yoakum marched down the field and were faced with a fourth and 10, and Yoakum converted it by scoring on a 13-yard touchdown catch to make the score 33-28. The Yoemen slowed the momentum of the Bulldogs with a great scoring drive highlighted with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Drake to Wilcox for a 39-28 lead after another unsuccessful two point try. Yoakum tried to rally quick with a 30-yard pass completion, but they later faced a fourth and 15. They went for the fourth down attempt and Cameron clamped down and stopped them to seal the victory 39-28.
Braylan Drake had a great game, passing for 166 yards and four touchdowns. Kardarius Bradley was also amazing, rushing for 72 yards and a touchdown. Charlie Mayer had amazing game with two catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Trayjen Wilcox was an absolute force on the field. Along with an interception and a kickoff return for a touchdown, he had four catches for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Up next for the Yoemen will be the Orangefield Bobcats in the Area round of the playoffs. The game will be on Friday at Freedom Field in Iowa Colony and kickoff is set for 7 p.m. You can buy tickets online at https://gofan.co/app/events/790397?schoolId=TX24657 They will not take cash at the gate and there is a clear bag policy for the stadium. The address of the stadium is Freedom Field , 10855 Iowa Colony Boulevard, Iowa Colony, Texas 77583.