From preseason number one to one and done; Teague crushes Yoe in bi-district, 40-14

In August, Cameron fans were thrilled to see their Yoemen rated as the preseason number one team in class 3A. The expectations were for this football team to not only compete for a district championship but yet another state title. After last Thursday night, reality set in as neither of those two goals were going to be accomplished. In their fourth try, the Teague Lions took control early and dominated the rest of the way through in a 40-14 win to end Cameron’s frustrating 4-7 season in the bi-district round of the class 3A playoffs.

“We knew coming in that they were a tough team,” said Yoe coach Tommy Brashear following the loss. “We played several of those guys since they were freshmen. We knew coming in that they were going to try and run the ball at us and we had a hard time stopping the run tonight.”

Teague is known as a run-first team, and on this night they never really had to do anything different, racking up 367 rushing yards on 55 carries. Lion RB Tayvis Coleman finished the game with a team high 23 carries for 237 yards and scored three times. It was a satisfying moment for the senior, which had started in the previous three defeats to Cameron.

“Cameron Yoe is a very good team and they beat us three years in a row, but me and my team talked this week about it being personal,” said Coleman. “We took care of business and played Lion football.”

After trading empty possessions to being the game, all momentum swung in the favor of the team in orange. Coleman opened scoring on a 19-yard run late in the first, and the ensuing onside kick was recovered by Teague. Moments later on a 4th and 8, Lions quarterback Zach Satterwhite managed to fit a ball in-between a couple of Yoe defenders to Rodney Kuykendall, moving the score to 14-0 early in the second.

Things continued to go south as Cameron went three and out on their next drive. The snap on the punt attempt went over Bryce Brashear’s head, allowing the Lions to take over at the Yoe 2-yard line. Marcus Williams, which is normally a lineman, bullied his way in from 2 yards out to push the score to 21-0 midway through the quarter.

“They controlled the clock in the first quarter and we ran only 3 plays in the first quarter,” said Brashear on the Lions ground game which allowed for a 24-3 play advantage in the opening 12 minutes. “We just could not get our defense off the field, and when our offense was out there we made mistakes.”

Cameron took away a small amount of momentum in the second as quarterback Zack Andress finished off a drive with a 1-yard run to cut the lead to 21-7.

The backbreaking play came right before the half. With just 26 seconds remaining, Coleman

took a short-range pass from Satterwhite and proceeded to outrun all Yoe defenders for a 55-yard score. .

“We just answered the bell,” said Teague coach Donny Osborn. “When the other team makes a great play, you have to answer the bell and you have to respond. Talking about putting a dagger in them. All of sudden it was 28-7 with 26 seconds left in the half.”

Teague outgained Cameron by nearly 200 yards at the half and not much changed in the third as a Coleman 5-yard run and Dayveon Dixon 2-yard rushing touchdown put Teague in total control at 40-7.

“We knew that their o-line and d-line were both very good, and they did a great job,” Brashear said. “That was going to be a determining factor in this game and it played out that way. They mashed the ball right at us.”

Cameron punched in one final score in the fourth, with Andress finding Nico Vargas on the 25-yard screen.

Teague (9-2), which is now 1-4 versus Cameron all-time, advances to play East Chambers in the area round of the playoffs. East Chambers defeated Buna in bi-district, 35-12. That game will be played Friday night at 7:00 from Woodforest Bank Stadium in Shenandoah.

It was a tough way for a core of 21 Yoe seniors to end their season.

“We had a great group of seniors and I don’t know if there is a more likeable group around,” said Brashear. “I enjoyed working with them and feel terrible for them and our fans. It’s not the way we wanted to go out, but I think they will see that this Teague team will go a little ways and maybe they can see encouragement in that.”