There was a lot of Mineola football played at Scurry-Rosser Friday night. The Yellowjackets used a grinding ground game, an aggressive defense and timely execution to bring home a 35-20 win over the Scurry-Rosser Wildcats.

Mineola fans certainly recognized the Yellowjacket offense last Friday. The pulling linemen, the lead draws and the consistent production. The Yellowjackets ran 63 plays from scrimmage; 52 of those were running plays.

The Jackets scored on four of their five first-half possessions.

After their initial drive stalled deep in Wildcat territory, defensive end Aiden Shepherd forced a fumble on the edge, giving Mineola a short field. The Jackets took a 6-0 lead six plays later when quarterback Kipton Neighbors sliced through the right side into the end zone.

Scurry-Rosser hit a skinny post play and evened the score early in the second quarter.

The Jackets scored on drives of 58 and 47 yards to take a 20-6 lead as the half drew to a close. 

Two major penalties assisted the Wildcats down the field in the closing moments, and they punched the ball in for a score with :14 remaining in the half. The score tightened to 20-14. Given that Mineola had ground out 263 yards of offense in the first half, the margin appeared uncomfortably close.

Mineola lined up for what was expected to be the last play of the half at their own 28-yard line. Neighbors took the shotgun snap, stepped to his right and looked for a seam. Once he put his foot in the ground, he accelerated through the right side, found the edge and turned up-field. Losing a shoe in the process, Neighbors went 72 yards for a score.

The Jackets restored a two-score lead, 28-14.  

A scoreless third quarter ensued, as defensive adjustments by both teams took effect.

Scurry-Rosser finally got untracked late in the third period. Despite two strong stops by Mineola’s Ainsley Steward and Steven Reyes, the Wildcats made it a 28-20 game early in the fourth quarter.

The home team carried the momentum over the balance of the final quarter.  Mineola needed to deliver a knock-out punch.  

They did just that with an 86-yard drive. Halfback Braelyn Geremonte traded runs with Neighbors in exploiting a tired Wildcats’ defense. On the eighth play of the drive, Geremonte spun out of a tackle attempt in the backfield, cut through the right side and raced 26 yards for the conclusive touchdown.  

More timely execution followed as Beckham Bowker intercepted a ball over the deep middle to kill any hopes of a Scurry-Rosser comeback. It was Bowker’s second interception on the night.

An excellent football game was devalued a bit by an officiating crew that took incredibly long to spot the ball between plays and obvious cheap shots taken after the tackle by the Wildcats.

In two short weeks, the Yellowjackets have made considerable progress. The offensive and defensive sides are beginning to settle out and coalesce. Roles are being defined, teams formed and skills emerging.

Seniors Landon McClung and Jose Silva stood out in the total team effort. The team-building continues at Meredith Memorial Stadium. Mineola hosts the Arp Tigers Friday and on Sept. 19, the North Lamar Panthers.