Yoemen Sports Network

Josh Pratt has resigned as the sports editor at The Cameron Herald.  Pratt, which is a 2009 graduate of C.H. Yoe High School, has been in charge of sports at the paper since 2014.  He will continue to cover football until the 2018 season has completed.  

A statement from Pratt:

"It's with a heavy heart that I am announcing my resignation from The Cameron Herald.  The last few years have seen my work load increase all the way up to four jobs, and at this time that has become too much to juggle.  

Traveling to games and covering the passionate student-athletes that we have in Cameron has been an experience I will soon not forget.  I know first-hand what Yoe pride is all about, but it was humbling to see just how hard the coaches and kids work in this community.  Some would consider it a job, but I truly did consider it a hobby. 

Everyone knows that Cameron is going to be the heavy favorite heading into their regular season finale on Friday when Lago Vista travels into town. Winning is obviously the most important key in any game, but you generally look for a little more if you’re a Yoe fan in what will be the last tune-up for the playoffs. Cameron not only wants to win, but they want to be impressive in every facet of the contest.

“We want to go into the playoffs hitting on all cylinders,” said Yoe coach Tommy Brashear. “I felt like we missed a lot of opportunities in the Troy game and left a lot out there on the field, both offensively and defensively. But, we don’t want to do that. We want to play sharp and look sharp. We have had our whole offense on for a while now and we rep it. I feel like we have been getting better and better and we need to go into the playoffs on a high note.”

Lago Vista Vs. Cameron Yoe

Cameron totally dominated New Tech last week and that was expected. At the end of the day, New Tech has no business playing varsity football as the Yoe JV could have won this game by 40 points or so. The main thing to take out of the win is that nobody was hurt and all the bumps and bruises are starting to heal for the start of the playoffs.

Lago Vista has struggled mightily throughout the entire season and it all came to a head in last week’s 62 point loss to Troy. Five Viking starters were out, which hurts when you only have a handful of seniors on the roster to begin with The main problem with Lago Vista is not coaching, but the fact that they are lacking in overall talent and speed. We know this team runs the same offense that we saw from Katy St. John earlier this season, so the Yoemen are familiar with it. Additionally, two of the best teams in the region - Franklin and Woodville - are also heavy run.

Cameron scored early and often and managed to play everyone on the entire roster in a 76-0 win over Manor New Tech last Friday night.

Things didn't look good early, as the Yoemen were forced to warm-up in the dark before heading to the locker room. Fortunately, the lights were turned on at 7:00 pm and the Yoemen proceeded to light up the scoreboard, putting up 42 points alone in the first quarter. It was also a strong night for the defense, which forced seven turnovers and held the Titans to a total of negative 73 yards rushing on the night.

The win not only keeps Cameron perfect in district play at 5-0, but it also wrapped up the number one overall seed in the playoffs.

There are goals that the Yoemen set for themselves before each season begins. Not surprisingly, near the top of that list was to take down Rockdale and get the bell back in Cameron.

There would be no denying the Yoemen in 2018. After dropping back-to-back games in the series the last two years, the bell is back home following a 33-14 win over the Tigers on Yoe Field on Friday Night.

It was the first win as a head coach for Tommy Brashear.

“We have team goals and we have personal goals,” Brashear said. “It feels good on a personal level, for sure. It feels even more good that we are 4-0 in district and we are all by ourselves right now and we have that bell back. Life is back to normal and it’s not out of whack anymore.”

Cameron Yoe (7-1-4-0) Vs. Manor New Tech (1-7/0-4)

Cameron is coming off their most impressive win of the season in their most important game of the season last week over Rockdale. The win was impressive in itself, but Cameron got execution across the board from their offense, defense and special teams units, which is what you expect from elite level teams in big moments. I say this all of the time, but the key for this team is to continue to build and improve week from week. If they can do that, we are going to be in for an exciting ride this postseason.

This week is a road trip to Manor New Tech, which has yet to get into the win column in district play. I personally believe it would have been best for this team to have played a JV only schedule this first year, but that was not an option with so many juniors and also a few seniors on the roster.

The big-name games in district 10-3A play are now behind the Yoemen. Cameron has already defeated Troy, Rockdale and Academy, which all have the inside track at the other three playoff sports, while the Yoemen, which are now 4-0, are in total control with two games remaining on the regular season schedule.

The first of those two games will take place this Friday night in Manor against a first-year program. The matchup itself is not all that exciting, but winning would be as it would clinch the number one seed in the playoffs for the Yoemen.

New Tech has struggled mightily in district play, starting out at 0-4 while being outscored 247 to 26. If it was up to the Titans, they would have been playing a JV only schedule this season.

3A Region III Playoff Projections

With just two weeks remaining on the regular season football schedule, the playoff picture is starting to become clear for three out of the four districts in the region. 10-3A (Cameron’s district), 11-3A and 12-3A are becoming more predictable while 9-3A could still play out in a variety of different ways.

9-3A projected finish: 1. West, 2. Grandview, 3. Teague, 4. Whitney

Cameron has a rich tradition in football. Part of that tradition has been to dominate the Rockdale Tigers. The last two years, when have seen a shift in momentum as the Tigers have had their way in those games. That has not sit well with anyone, in particular the senior class of 2019. One positive for this crop of 20 seniors is that they have one more chance to take down Rockdale and get a new paint job on the bell. The Cameron Herald had the opportunity to sit down with five of those seniors this week to discuss this game, what is going right this season and what can be accomplished the remainder of the year.

Anthony Layne is a senior that has played defensive back, quarterback and receiver for this year’s team. He has been injured the last few games, but is expected to return to the lineup this Friday night.

On Friday, the defending state champion Rockdale Tigers will be traveling to Cameron for the 64th edition of the Battle of the Bell.

Rockdale (5-2/2-1) still remains in the top 10 of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football poll at number seven while Cameron (6-1/3-0) is just one spot behind at number eight. Regardless, this game always has a different feel to it.

“It’s Rockdale and it’s always different,” said Yoe coach Tommy Brashear, who is looking for his first win versus the Tigers as a head coach. “They are all important but this one just has that more important feel to it. This place will be packed and I imagine it will be standing room only, especially when both schools are doing good. Both are two good football teams and both have state championships in recent history. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”