In the sixty-fourth Battle of the Bell, the Rockdale Tigers failed to three-peat against a dominant Cameron team that was able to utilize their passing game just as well as their running game.
“Just the same as the week before, (the game) exposed some weaknesses we have that we need to get fixed,” said Jeff Miller, Rock-dale High School head football coach and athletic director. “That’s a good football team. Nobody was fooled by how well Cameron played.”
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Rock-dale Tigers trailed 20-7, but had the ball on the Cameron 26-yard line. Freshmen Kobe Mitchell took the ball twelve yards down the field to turn their third down into a first, putting them on the fourteen. A Yoemen penalty, and a five-yard run by Kesean Raven gave the Tigers another first down, and led to a four-yard touchdown run by Cam’Ron Valdez. Kicker Luis Iruegas made the point-after-touchdown (PAT) to bridge the gap between both teams 20-14 with 9:16 left in the game.
“They’re a better team, but we were in a spot in the fourth quarter down six with seven minutes to go. That’s a pretty enviable spot to be in, honestly,” Miller said.” We just had to go make some plays and give ourselves a chance to win. We didn’t do that. It exposed some weaknesses, and we have to clean that up.”
The Yoe started with the ball from their own 42, but a 13 and 19-yard run by Cameron running back Nico Vargas on consecutive plays put eron running back Nico Vargas on consecutive plays put them on the 26-yard line.
Yoemen quarterback Braden Brashear threw three straight passes to wide receiver Kobe Young to put the home team back in the end zone for the fourth time in the evening. Vargas failed to make the two-point conversion. The Tigers trailed 26-14 with 6:41 left to play.
In the Tiger’s next attempt to cut the Yoe lead, Ross Loth made a ten-yard run to the Tiger 32, but the series ended in a Rockdale punt after three incomplete passes by quarterback Jace Robinson.
Cameron took the ball back with more than six minutes left on the clock. The Yoemen went ahead 33-14 on a drive that was shaped by a 44-yard run made by Anthony Steamer. A one-yard run by Vargas put them back in the end zone with a made PAT by kicker Ulices Cardona with 4:33 left in the game.
Rockdale’s fiercest rival clinched the victory thirteen seconds later on an interception made by Kadrian Hammond. Moments after the game, the bell was being spray-painted maroon as Cameron celebrated their forty-third victory over Rockdale since 1954.
“It feels like life’s back to normal,” said Tommy Brashear, C.H. Yoe High School head football coach and athletic director. “It feels wonderful.”
“You know, it was back and fourth for a little bit, but our guys answered every time. I can’t be more proud of my team, and the way they fought. Our goal is to be district champs, and getting the Bell back gets us one step closer to where we want to be.”
Before the fourth quarter, Cameron took an early lead on the Tigers when Steamer scored on a 31-yard run and Cardona made the PAT to put the Yoemen a -head 7-0. Cameron’s Vargas scored right before the end of the half to put them up two touchdowns.
“Their speed put us in a bind,” Miller said. “There were a few times to make plays and they just didn’t finish them. Our third down defense wasn’t that great. Then late, they started throwing and catching the ball really well. They made plays when they had to, and we were just a step away from making them ourselves.”
The Tigers didn’t score until the end of the third quarter when Valdez scored his first touchdown of the game on a three-yard run. The Tigers running game measured up to the Yoemen 161-175, but Cameron out-passed Rockdale 246-97.
- Log in or Subscribe to post comments.