Yoemen impress at state 7-on-7

After finding large amounts of success throughout the months of May and June, the writing was on the wall for the Yoemen 7-on-7 team to make a good run at the state tournament this past week from Veterans Park in College Station.

The end result was a pool victory and a trip to the quarterfinals of the championship bracket – the best finish for the Yoemen since the 2010 championship game run.

Cameron completed pool play with a 2-1 record, but was the outright #1 seed due to a head-to-head victory over Springtown. Cameron defeated Giddings and McGregor in the first two rounds of championship bracket play before bowing out to the eventual champions in Kaufman in the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Pool Play

The Yoemen began play with a tight 36-32 win over Krum. Cameron took a 28-12 lead in the second half when QB Caden Harris found RB DJ Fripp for a score. The lead would not last as the Bobcats made a push, scoring three times in a row while holding the Yoemen out of the end zone on consecutive possessions.

Cameron would respond with a score from QB Zack Andress to Jordan Wells to go back up, 36-32.

Krum would have the last possession and would move the ball inside the 15. With seconds left on the clock, Yoe defensive back Levi May secured the contest by picking off a pass in back of the end zone.

In the second game with Needville, the Yoemen could not get a defensive stop and fell, 45-40. The Bluejays led at the half, 26-20, and padded their lead on the first play from the break with an easy touchdown due to only six Yoe defenders on the field.

Cameron would continue to respond, which scores from Andress to Sicory Smith and Jordan Young (2), but Needville was the last team to put points up on the board.

The Yoemen bounced back in a big way with a convincing 47-25 victory over Springtown in the pool finale. The Porcupines had won their opening two games before falling to Cameron.

A combination of excellent offensive and defensive execution put the game away early. Andress to Wells and Harris to Young got the Yoemen off to a 13-0 start. Yoe defender Levi May would then intercept his second pass of the day, this time returning it for a score to put the game out of reach quickly.

With the victory, Cameron finished at 2-1. Springtown was also 2-1, but due to the tiebreaker win, Cameron would advance as the one seed in the championship bracket. Needville and Krum were both 1-2.

Championship Bracket Play

Cameron drew Giddings in the first round of the championship bracket. This game started much like the previous contest, seeing the Yoemen in control at the break, 19-2.

The Yoemen opened up scoring as Andress found Wells for a 2-yard touchdown on a fourth down play. Rare back-to-back interceptions by both teams kept the scoring down until the Yoemen closed the half with a Harris to Smith and Andress to Westbrook pair of scores. Giddings would pick off and return the conversion to get their lone two points of the half.

The Buffaloes would make a run in the second half, but a Harris to Westbrook score put the game out of reach with limited time remaining. Cameron won the contest, 26-20.

Cameron then drew a familiar opponent in McGregor in the second round. The Yoemen put it on the Bulldogs in the first half, with scores by Wells (2), Young and Smith to take a commanding 27-7 lead into the break. Cameron would coast the rest of the way, winning 45-27.

Up next was Kaufman in the quarterfinals of the tournament. In 7-on-7 it is typical to have good and bad stretches, and the Yoemen had a rough first 20 minutes, trailing 24-6 at the half. A Wells score to start the second half would cut the lead down to 12, but it was all Kaufman from that point on in a 38-18 victory.

Kaufman would proceed to go on and win the championship over Somerset, 32-27.

“I was proud of the way we came out Thursday,” said Yoemen head coach Tommy Brashear. “We kind of started out sluggish, but we played really well in our third game. We played well the first two games today (Friday) then I think the heat maybe got to us in the third game. That is tough and it is part of it and you have to fight through the heat and fight through the breaks.”

Cameron was able to advance as far as any other 3A team in the tournament. Hitchcock, which fell to Wharton (40-13), also reached the quarterfinals. Brock lost in the second round to Hitchcock, 26-19.

Sonora (first round), Harmony (second round), McGregor (second round) and West (first round) were the only other 3A schools in the championship bracket.

Now that 7-on-7 is complete, that means only one thing – real football is just around the corner. Football practice begins in just a few short weeks on August 1, and Coach Brashear believes these past few months will pay off as we get closer to the start of the 2016 season.

“I think the kids got better,” stated Brashear. “The more you do this, the better your understand your routes and the better your understand your defense and that's why we do it. We are taking in the experience, the understanding of the offense and defense.”

The Yoemen begin the season on the road at Bellville on August 26.