Yoemen take down defending State Champs Lorena
The Cameron Yoemen left Lorena fans in disbelief as they defeated the defending 3A Division 1 State Champion Lorena Leopards 48-44 on Friday night.
Cameron received the ball to start the game. The drive started strong with a 44-yard catch by Connor Jeter (17). Unfortunately, Cameron fumbled the ball which was recovered by Lorena. The Yoemen responded with a pick six by Trayjen Wilcox (7) to take a quick 7-0 lead. The very next drive, Cameron forced and recovered a Lorena fumble to bring the offense back on the field. Cameron took advantage of the fumble with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Braylan Drake (1) to Ja’quorius Hardman (2) for a 14-0 lead.
“That was huge, it allowed us to go ahead 14-0 and gave our players confidence that we could beat them,” Said Coach Rick Rhoades.
The defense kept strong and forced the Leopards to punt on a fourth-and-18. The Yoemen offense couldn’t do much on their next drive and was forced to punt, but pinned Lorena way back with a punt at the 1-yard line. The first quarter ended with Cameron leading 14-0.
The Yoemen defense started the second quarter stout and forced a three-and-out. Cameron came back on offense and answered with a 20 -yard catch by Charlie Mayer (22) then an 11-yard catch by Jeter. They capped off the drive with an 8-yard touchdown run by Drake for a commanding 21-0 lead. The defense for Cameron began to bend and little and gave up a 20-yard run then 10-yard touchdown run to make the score 21-7. Cameron responded quickly in a booming way with an incredible 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Wilcox for a 28-7 lead.
“That was huge as well,” Rhoades said. “I felt that we played well in every facet of the game and the fact that we scored on offense, defense, and special teams only solidifies that.”
The Yoemen defense allowed a 17-yard pass, then a 33-yard touchdown pass to make the score 28-14. Cameron responded with a 32-yard catch by Armando Reyes (6), however they would soon be faced with a third-and-31. Cameron converted the attempt on a clutch 31-yard catch by Wilcox. That was soon followed with a 6-yard touchdown catch by Reyes for a 34-14 lead after missed extra point before halftime.
Lorena received the ball to start the second half. Cameron did not start very well on defense and allowed a 76-yard touchdown pass to make the score 34-20 after a botched extra point. The defense would have to come back on the field after an interception thrown by Drake. Lorena marched down the field and scored on a 12-yard touchdown run for a score of 34-27. Cameron answered with a 42-yard catch by Mayer then a 23-yard touchdown run by Reyes for a 40-27 lead after a missed extra point. Cameron’s defense would give up a fourth and 1 but would still eventually force Lorena to punt. The third quarter ended with Cameron winning 40-27.
The Cameron offense started slow in the fourth quarter and went three-and-out, and the defense responded and forced Lorena to punt due to a third down sack by Carlos Salomon (60). The Yoemen once again were forced to punt, but went for a fake punt after the punter bobbled the snap. The try was unsuccessful and Lorena took over on offense. The Leopards scored on an 8-yard touchdown run to cut their deficit to 40-34. Lorena tried to catch Cameron off guard with an onside kick attempt, but Cameron was ready and recovered the onside try.
“We actually did think that they would attempt an onside kick.” Rhoades said. “In our game against Bellville, members of our front line took off too early and we thought that once Lorena saw that on video, they would attempt an onside kick.”
The Yoemen offense answered quickly with a 20-yard catch by Wilcox. Cameron continued to march down the field and scored on a 5-yard touchdown run by Reyes for a 48-34 lead after a successful two-point conversion. Lorena stayed alive as they scored on a 31-yard touchdown run for a score of 48-42 after a completed two-point conversion. The Leopards tried another onside kick but it was recovered by Cameron. Cameron would drain the clock and give up a safety at the end of the game but would still pull a confidence boosting 48-44 victory over Lorena.
“It gives us a lot of confidence,” Rhoades said. “It shows our players that if they prepare well and go into any ball game with the right mindset, we can be hard to beat.”
Braylan Drake played a phenomenal game, throwing for 331 yards and two touchdowns, also running for 25 yards and a touchdown. Armando Reyes also had a great game, rushing for 45 yards and two touchdowns, along with 41 receiving yards and a touchdown. Trayjen Wilcox played terrific with 89 receiving yards, Charlie Mayer did as well with 82 receiving yards, and Ja’quorius Hardman had 64 receiving yards and a touchdown.
With the win the Yoemen move to 1-0 in district play and 3-2 on the season.
Cameron will not be playing this week as it will be their bye week. Next week they will host the Academy Bumblebees for Homecoming night. The game will be on Friday, Oct. 7, and kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.