Yoemen Sports Network

When you think of rivals, the rich tradition of the Battle of the Bell is the first thing that comes to mind for most Yoe fans. If you ask that same question and mention the playoffs, the Teague Lions are probably on the top of the list, at least for the most recent history.

Cameron and Teague have played each other in the postseason the past three years, and will once again be meeting up tonight at 7:00 from Robinson’s Rocket Field with a trip to the area round on the line.

The matchup was not decided until last Friday night when Teague defeated Palestine Westwood coupled with McGregor’s win over Troy, but it was the most likely scenario that Cameron was already preparing for.

“We were not 100 percent sure this is who we would be playing, but we were pretty sure, so we had already been preparing for them a week now,” said Yoe coach Tommy Brashear. “Hopefully that will show Thursday in the game.”

Teague (8-2) Vs. Cameron Yoe (4-6) - @ Robinson - Thursday - 7:00

Yoe sub-varsity football finishes season

Cameron once again had another successful sub-varsity football season as all but one of the four teams finished with a winning record.

Leading that group was the junior varsity, which finished with a 9-1 overall record. Cameron had wins over Harker Heights, Gatesville, China Spring, Connally, McGregor, Franklin, Jarrell, Academy and Troy. The lone loss came to Rockdale in district.

The freshmen finished 2017 with a respectable 7-3 record. Wins came over Brenham, Gatesville, China Spring, Connally, Caldwell, Temple and Midway, while losses were suffered to Rockdale (2) and Madisonville.

The 8th grade did have a rough go of it, finishing with a 3-6 mark. Cameron had wins over Groesbeck, McGregor and Jarrell, but fell to China Spring, Franklin, Rockdale, Academy, Troy and Gatesville.

Cameron Vs. The Bye

There are a few positives for Cameron this week. A. The Yoemen are now in the playoffs and get an extra week to heal up any bangs and bruises. B. This team knows they should be playing Teague in the opening round of the playoffs, so that will give this staff a full extra week to prepare for what appears to be a tough first round opponent. I was impressed with Cameron’s defensive performance in the 35-0 win over Troy. The Trojans have problem scoring points, but to hold an opponent to a little over 100 yards of 40+ carries is a big win. The offense did managed to get going in the second half, but will need to sure up some things in these two weeks as it is going to take a complete four quarters on each side of the ball to win in the playoffs.

Around Milam County

Oglesby (2-6/1-1) Vs. Buckholts (6-3/1-1)

Despite shooting just 7-33 from the floor and 6-18 from the free throw line in the first half of Saturday’s season opener with Rosebud-Lott, Cameron knew they were in a prime position, trailing by just one point, 21-20.

The Lady Yoe picked up their shooting in the final two quarters and forced a total of 19 turnovers down the stretch in a 50-34 win.

“It is certainly good to start 1-0 and build confidence” said Lady Yoe coach Corey Cunningham. “I really like that we are starting out the season a lot stronger than we did last year. We are going to take this and build on it.”

Despite missing returning starters Zakara Bryson and NaQuiria Gibbons to injuries, other players with experience stepped up to play big roles.

UIL Snapshot: Cameron on the verge of move to 4A?

The UIL’s annual snapshot day recently took place on October 27. On that day, all schools across the state of Texas submitted their enrollment numbers to the UIL for what is known as the bi-annual realignment.

For a majority of schools, there is little excitement, as it is known that the chances of moving classifications is slim. That will not be the case for Cameron, which recently turned in a number of 488.

The cut off from 3A division one to 4A division II two years ago was 479. If that number were to remain the same, Cameron would be heading back up to their old stomping grounds. Two years ago, the number rose from 464 to 479, a 15 student increase. If that were to happen again this go around and the number rose to 494, Cameron would remain in 3A. It’s really anybody’s guess at this point, and at the end of the day it will probably be a 50/50 chance either way.

Heading into Friday’s regular season finale, the Cameron Yoemen had two goals.  1. Get a win for the seniors.  2.  Win by 11 or more points to ensure a spot in the playoffs.  You can put a check mark by both of those as Cameron totaled 400 yards of offense and never let Troy cross the goal line in a 35-0 shutout victory.    

“I'm excited for these seniors,” said Yoe coach Tommy Brashear following the win.  “There was a lot of pressure on them this year and they were feeling it, especially during the losing streak that we had.  Just to see the emotion in them and see how happy they are that we made the playoffs.”

The win was the last for the seniors on Yoe Field, but not the last game on the season as a Cameron can now finish no worse than fourth place in the 10-3A standings.  

With a 41-0 victory over Academy this past week, the Cameron Yoemen extended their perfect record over Academy to 8-0. In the regular season finale from Yoe Field on Friday night, the plan is for Cameron to remain perfect against another Bell County district rival - the Troy Trojans.

Though the winner of this game is not guaranteed a playoff spot, the chances are victor will be moving on to the postseason.

“There is a whole lot riding on this game,” said Yoe coach Tommy Brashear. “The winner of this game is sitting pretty for the playoffs. As a team, our playoffs started last week with Academy because we have to win out to get in. If we lose, we are done. That is the same scenario here.” 

Troy currently sits at 3-5 on the season an 2-2 in 10-3A. Wins in district have come over Jarrell (60-0) and Little River Academy (16-0) while defeats have come at the hands of Rockdale (49-10) and Franklin (41-10).

Troy (3-5/2-2) Vs. Cameron Yoe (3-6/2-3)

With this being the final regular season game for the Yoemen, there is simply one thing I will be looking for - total domination. Cameron must win this game by 7 points to get into the playoffs, but if this team is looking to go places once getting there, they really need to look very sharp in this final tune up. On offense, the line needs to open up holes for the running game and give Andress time to throw. A running back will have to step up and put up a quality performance, and multiple receivers need to make their impact felt. On defense, the line must disrupt things up front and linebackers must come up with big tackles against what is more of a run-heavy offense. This team has the talent to make all of this happen, and there is no better time to start firing on all cylinders than on senior night.

Josh’s Pick: Cameron Yoe by 28+

Any well-known programs are known for their consistency.  When referring to the C.H. Yoe High School Band, there is no better word to describe what is brought to the field each and every performance.  

On Saturday from the area D marching contest from Hewitt Midway, the band added to their long tradition of excellence by punching their fourth straight trip to the state marching contest in San Antonio.  

“It’s a long day and it’s asking a lot from the students, but seeing them put up two greats shows is very exciting,” said band director Craig George following the big announcement.  

The band first performed in the preliminary round of 24 bands at 11:30 a.m.  After that performance, the band traveled back to Cameron to freshen up, eat and work out a few points in the show before heading back up to Hewitt.