Yoemen football to be featured on Super Bowl Sunday

By Josh Pratt

Herald Sports

In Texas, there is just something different about high school football.  Whenever you attend a game on Friday night, you can feel the energy and passion from the teams and fan bases, and that makes you realize just how important this game is to so many of these communities.  

On Super Bowl Sunday, Cameron will have the honor of representing the Lone Star State on a national stage. 

NFL Films will be in Cameron from Monday, Nov. 28, until Friday, Dec. 2, to capture footage for their special feature. The program will air the day of the Super Bowl on the NFL Network. 

Choosing Cameron

There are plenty of tradition-rich football programs throughout this state. So, what made Cameron stand out? 

Producer Stephen Palgon is the one in charge of the project. He said that to find the right location, it took some asking around.  Palgon had contacted Joe Lee Smith, a Texas high school football historian.

Smith had referred Palgon to Putt Riddle, who had authored “Friday’s Winners”, a book on the top 12 winningest football programs in Texas - which included the Yoemen.

“From my standpoint, of the 12 schools that I wrote about, I had felt like the community spirit was the best here of any,” said Riddle. 

“They all had great support, but there is something really special about Cameron that I’ve noticed.  This town eats it up and supports it and takes care of it.”

Cameron had been mentioned to Palgon previously, so the combination ended up sealing the deal.

“I recommended to him that Cameron Yoe be the place and he agreed with me,” said Riddle.  “We have spent the last few days making contacts putting it together.  I am really excited.”

What to expect

This year’s Super Bowl will be played at NRG Stadium in Houston, so that is how the network decided it would be best to feature a team from Texas.  

“Since the Super Bowl is in Houston, we wanted to celebrate Texas high school football in the sense that what is going on in Houston sort of comes from the world of what happens here on Friday night,” said Palgon. 

Palgon - owner of Star Crossed Pictures - and his camera crew will be around all week preparing footage.  The company has worked with ESPN, NFL Network, NHL Productions, HBO, CBS, Pac-12 Network, USA, VH1, Oxygen, Madison Square Garden Network, Mindshare Entertainment, Lever, Sprint, American Family Insurance and many others.

“The core of what we’re talking about is community,” stated Palgon.  “Whether you are here on Friday nights or you are a fan of the team that is playing in the Super Bowl, you’re part of a community.  You’re part of a generation.”

The piece will feature past and present players and coaches, in addition to other characters throughout the community. 

“We are looking for stories that might make people laugh and draw emotion from people,” said Palgon.  “It’s also about what this means.  When I talk to people on the phone, I ask what makes it special in Texas?  What is it about here that makes it different?  What is it about this community that makes it different?  I want to learn about that.”

The crew will wrap up shooting up Friday as they travel to the state quarterfinal game in Waco. 

“I’m really excited to be part of this and see what goes on,” said Palgon.  “We’re going to do our best to tell a great story. 

If you’re from Texas, you’ve more than likely heard of the Yoemen.  Now, the entire country gets to learn about what makes this community so special.

“Think about Super Bowl Sunday, and people all around the world will be watching the Super Bowl, and they’re going to be finding out about Cameron Yoe,” said Riddle.  “It’s going to be a really neat experience.”