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Cameron rolls over Ducks 
Taylor High School senior Jesse Shaw, left, and sophomore Lorenzo Sanford wrap up and bring down Cameron Yoe's junior James Wells just outside the goal line in the Ducks district opener Friday night.
Photo by Josh Nataros
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By EMILY GROBE The Taylor High School offense consistently ran at the Cameron Yoe in the first half, knocking holes in the line and gaining yardage on nearly every run, but the Ducks were unable to keep the ground game going, resulting in a 27-14 loss, their third straight at home. “Early in the game we were scheming them and it was working,” Taylor coach Rick Cobia said. “We hurt ourselves by not aligning correctly and we made mental mistakes. We cannot do that in a close game.” The loss opens Taylor at 0-1 in district play. The Ducks offense was very efficient and used an unbalanced line — six lined up on the right — to overcome Cameron’s size advantage and speed in the first half. “That was one of the things that we used to outflank them. They were very big inside and they’re very fast,” Cobia said. “We just had to try and get some angles on them and try to outnumber them.” After ending the opening drive with a fumble at the Cameron 2 yard line, giving the Yoe possession just under the goal posts, the Taylor defense went to work. The Taylor line forced a bad snap over Yoe quarterback Steven Townsend’s head, which Trent Rojas recovered in the endzone for the Ducks first touchdown. Issac Aparicio’s kick gave Taylor a 7-0 lead just three minutes into the game. Cameron tied the game on a two-yard Townsend dive over the line with 3:22 to go in the first. The Ducks offense again kept Cameron guessing by loading up the right side of the line and powering 68 yards downfield for their second touchdown, a five-yard run by Tristan Meyer for a 14-7 lead just five seconds into the second quarter. Cameron immediately put the ball in the air for an 80-yard touchdown reception by Jamal Williams. The kick was wide, helping the Ducks maintain a 14-13 lead at half. Meyer and Mark Jackson combined for 176 of Taylor’s 186 first half yards — Meyer logged 113 and Jackson added 63. Cameron’s defensive adjustments — putting more people on the line, plugging holes that Meyer and Jackson were running through and taking advantage of a slew of Ducks errors — sealed the fate for the Ducks. “I have to credit Cameron — they made some adjustments at half … and we couldn’t counter,” Cobia said. “We had some penalties and we aligned ourselves incorrectly. It was like we were two different teams.” The Ducks defense turned Cameron away on two red zone possessions in the second half, but the Yoe were still able to find the endzone twice in the fourth quarter — on a one-yard run by James Wells early in the fourth and on a seven-yard Townsend option keeper with just over a minute to play. Matt Hernandez surprised Wells in the backfield on more than one occasion and Robert Brenson had a fumble recovery at the Ducks 10 yard line in the third quarter, saving a touchdown and the Ducks early lead. The Ducks defense stayed strong through the third quarter, when Trent Rojas wrapped up Wells on a screen pass behind the line. Three Taylor defenders went after Townsend on a screen pass, allowing Wells to sneak through the line, right into the arms of Rojas. Unfortunately, the Yoe offense took their time on the field and controlled much of the second half, keeping Taylor from much-needed big plays. Cameron controlled the ball for more than 18 minutes in the second half and the Yoe defense held Taylor to just over 20 yards on the ground in the second half. “We’re a good football team, but we have to become better,” Cobia said. “Good is not going to get it done in this league.” The Ducks will travel to Madisonville Friday to continue district play.
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