Yoe looks to stay hot in Academy

It’s going to be a tad bit colder and rain is in the forecast, but football is going to be played this Friday as Cameron travels over to Academy to take on the Bees in 10-3A action. Cameron comes into the contest at 2-0 in district play while the Bees are at 2-1.  

“I feel like Academy is going to be more of a challenge for us,” said Brashear on this week’s matchup.  “I think they are a little better on the offensive and defensive line (compared to Jarrell) when I look at film.   A lot of those guys are back from last year and they were pretty good on the defensive line.”

Academy is back in the playoff hunt this season and are also led by a new head coach in Paul Williams.  Williams was previously the defensive coordinator at Academy before taking over for Mike Nichols, which is now an assistant principal and athletic director at the school.  

“He has been their defensive coordinator for quite a few years, so defensively they are pretty much the same,” said Brashear on the first-year head coach.  “He was at Belton when Coach Sutherland was at Belton. The offense, to us, is a lot like that offense back then with a lot of different formations. In the film we have gotten, they are heavier pass compared to run, and that is kind of unheard of in Academy.  It’s a different look with the new coach.”

That new look has got Academy off to a 3-4 overall record. In non-district, Academy fell to Rogers (35-21), Salado (35-7) and Hempstead (25-17) and had one win over Florence (46-7).  In district, the Bees beat Manor New Tech (56-0) and Lago Vista (27-19) to go along with the most-recent loss to Troy (46-20).

Academy was just 3-7 last season and has not been in the playoffs since 2015.  

Cameron has never lost to Academy and is 8-0 since the start of the 2010 season. In those eight games, Academy has only scored a total of 62 points while the Yoemen scored 63 points in 2016 alone.  The Yoemen have a 358 to 62 scoring advantage in the series, or an average score of 44 to 7.

Offense

The big change for Academy is on the offense, where they are now more multiple after basing out of the I-formation the last several years.  

“They are a little different offensively than we have ever seen,” said Brashear.  “They used to base out of the I-formation with the toss sweep, ISO, trap and things like that, and this year they are more spread.  In fact, empty set (no running back) is their top formation. That is extremely different from where they had been. They have a lot of different formations, so the big key for the defense this week is to get lined up right and play hard.  The main thing is getting line up, reading your your key and getting to the ball.

Academy has benefited from the move-in of sophomore quarterback Jerry Cephus, who has taken over the role after more of a rotation at the position earlier this season.  His favorite target is fellow sophomore Jaylin McWilliams.

“Their quarterback is a move in who is an athletic kid,” said Brashear.  “He is only a sophomore that is a very accurate passer. He does not run as well or is as elusive as the Mexia quarterback, but is a decent runner.”

Academy averaged just 11 points per ball game in 2017 and that average is up to 27.7 this season.  

Defense

The Academy defense is giving up 23.8 points per ball game, which down from the 27.9 points per ball game given up in 2017.  

Since Williams has been the defensive coordinator for Academy in the past, don’t expect to see much changes in terms of philosophy on that side of the ball.

“They base out of the 3-3 stack, but at times in the past against us they would get in the 3-4 to help widen those outside backers to help in the pass game a bit,” said Brashear.  “I think we can get them into that 3-4 again and hopefully they will.”

Brashear noted that linebacker Tanner Rambeau, which is only a sophomore, is the top defensive players for the Bees.  Linebacker Michael Pritchard and Dashawn Robinson in the secondary will be two other players to watch.

Keys to the Game

Much like the last two weeks, Brashear feels like a strong start will be key for his team to have success again in this one.

“Offensively, we need to get off to a good start again, like we have the last couple of weeks,” said the coach.  “The big question is will we be able to run the ball when we get the numbers we want in the box. I will say we will be able to, but that is why you play the game.”

As of late, Cameron has been dominating in the special teams categories, which is something Yoe fans have not been accustomed to the last few years.  

“We are doing well in special teams this year and we need to keep doing that,” said Brashear.  “Our kickoff is maybe the best it’s done and I can’t remember when it’s been this good. We are pinning people deep and they are fair catching a lot to start at the 25-yard line.  If they do try to return it, we are tackling them before they get to the 25-yard line. The kids are taking pride in that this year. That is something the last three years we have not been as good at.”

Perhaps the most important thing this week is to not look ahead to what lies ahead next week in the big Battle of the Bell, as Brashear said the goal this week is for the team to be 3-0 in district.