Yoe gets first look at opponent in scrimmage

One of the more exciting moments of the year is when a football team gets to go up against an opponent for the first time. It not only gives players an opportunity to hit someone other than their teammates, but it means that the start of the new season is only weeks away.

The Cameron Yoemen got that opportunity last Friday night in Lorena. The scrimmage followed the same format as previous scrimmages with each first and second team offense getting two series apiece during the controlled portion. In the 12 minute live quarter, the Leopards punched in two scores in two attempts while the Yoemen scored once in their two possessions for a 12-7 final.

“I saw some good things,” said Yoe head football coach Tommy Brashear following the action. “I saw some really good things at times and I still saw us make some mistakes. That is to be expected this time of the year. I told the kids to remain positive. A lot of them look at the score in the live quarter and they get down, but I saw a lot of good things.”

In the controlled session, Cameron managed to drive over 80 yards in their opening series. That was highlighted by a 14-yard run by running-back DJ Fripp and a 46-yard pass from Zack Andress to Kadrian Hammond.

“I felt like we moved the ball pretty good at times throughout the scrimmage,” said Brashear. “We need to finish off some drives, but as long as we learn from our mistakes and get better, we’ll be alright.

On Lorena’s first set of plays, only a few first downs were converted. That continued the remainder of the controlled portion as the Leopards never presented a real threat to score.

“Defensively, I saw guys flying around,” said Brashear. “If you have a swarming defense, it makes it difficult for the other team. We just have to get in shape and be consistent.”

Cameron was first to receive the ball in the live quarter. The Yoemen advanced from the 30 to near midfield on a few nice runs by Fripp. Andress then went deep, connecting with Iverson Westbrook for the 58-yard touchdown.

“I thought Zack Andress did a good job at quarterback,” said Brashear. “Balls were pretty much on the money and he made the correct reads. A lot of our backup guys also gave us some good reps.”

Lorena would respond quickly, moving 70 yards in just 8 plays to punch in a score. The extra point attempt was not handled correctly, and the Yoemen still led 7-6.

On the first play of Cameron’s second drive, Andress went back to the air for a 23-yard

reception to Bryce Welsh. Shortly thereafter, Cameron was faced with a 4th and 1 from the Lorena 44. The call was to go for it. Nico Vargas took the handoff was but was met at the line of scrimmage for no gain. The Leopards proceeded to go down and score once more, this time on an 18-yard screen pass with just seconds on the clock.

Afterwards, Brashear noted how this was a good scrimmage for both teams, mainly due to the quality of each program.

“This is a great scrimmage for us against Lorena,” said Brashear. “Coach Ray Biles told me it was his 26th year at Lorena, and that is quite impressive. He always does a good job over here and they are ready and they play hard. That is one of the reasons we like scrimmaging them. You are going to get a good look and they are going to show you where your weaknesses are and what you need to work on.”

In sub-varsity action, the Yoe freshmen outscored Lorena 4-2 while the JV had a 3-2 advantage over the Leopards.