After three years of heartbreak, the bell returned home to Rockdale. The Tigers demolished the rival Cameron Yoemen 42-9. The Tigers are now 3-3 on the season.
“We came out firing on all cylinders, ” RHS Head Coach Jacob Campsey said. “We showed great intensity and teamwork. It was just a great performance overall.”
Even with spectators wearing masks and social distancing, the energy in Tiger stadium was electrifying. Both teams and fan bases were fired up and ready to go to battle for their respective towns.
The contest started with RHS running back Cam’ron Valdez running for a 39-yard touchdown on the first drive of the game. The extra point was blocked making the score 6-0.
The Yoemen responded with a touchdown of their own as Pharrell Hemphill scored on a seven-yard run. The missed kick leveled the score 6-6 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Valdez struck again on a 30-yard rushing touchdown to give the Tigers the lead.
A few drives later, quarterback Kobe Mitchell connected with Kesean Raven on an eight-yard touchdown pass. This put the Tigers up 20-6.
On the next kickoff, Cameron would run for a huge return and be tackled in the Tiger red zone. With under a minute left in the quarter and Cameron close to the end zone, the Tigers took a great defensive stand and prevented the Yoemen from scoring a touchdown. The Yoemen would have to settle for a 25-yard field goal. The score at the half was 20-9.
In the third quarter, Mitchell would show off his running ability as he broke through a tackle in the backfield to score an 11-yard touchdown run. Anthony Dansby would snag the catch to earn the two-point conversion. At the end of three quarters, the score was 28-9.
In the fourth quarter, the Tigers would add insult to injury. Raven would score his second touchdown of the day with a nine-yard run.
Raven would cap the game on the defensive side of the ball returning an interception for a touchdown. Mitchell went 9 of 16
Mitchell went 9 of 16 for 117 passing yards, 52 rushing yards and two total touchdowns. Valdez led the team rushing with 139 yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns while Dansby led the team in receiving with four catches for 45 yards.
On defense, Friday night’s performance was the first time the Tigers have held Cameron to under 10 points in a win since 1992. Chase Mayfield led the Tiger defense with eight tackles. Raven made a huge impact in the secondary with three tackles and an RHS record of three interceptions.
With it being the first time since 2017 Rockdale has won the bell, Coach Campsey discussed what the win meant for his team.
“I was an unbelievable feeling to get that bell back and we needed that win,” Campsey said. “After losing our last three games and being 0-1 in district play, the win puts us in a good position right now. All the goals we’ve set out in front of us are still possible with that win.”
The Tigers will look to keep their momentum trending as they prepare to face the Caldwell Hornets on Friday at Caldwell.
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