The Mineola Yellowjackets picked up their first win of the season in a 49-42 shootout over Sabine Friday night.
The win raised Mineola’s record to 1-2 as the Yellowjackets prepare to travel to Lone Oak for their final predistrict contest.
Freshman quarterback Braxton Moore threw for 260 yards and three touchdowns, while senior running back Aidan Shepherd rushed for 263 yards and four touchdowns.
Sabine scored first to take its only lead of the game. The Jackets answered when Moore connected with Carson Sullivan on a 54-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7.
Mineola scored on its next possession, with Shepherd breaking loose for a 75-yard touchdown run to give the Jackets a 14-7 lead.
Shepherd struck again with another 75-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Sabine scored on a short run with 44 seconds remaining in the half, but Mineola wasn’t finished. Shepherd broke free for an 80-yard touchdown, sending the Jackets into halftime with a 28-21 lead.
The back-and-forth scoring continued in the second half.
After Sabine tied the game at 28, Moore led Mineola back down the field and found Sullivan for a 31-yard touchdown pass to put the Jackets ahead 35-28. The Cardinals answered to tie the game at 35.
Moore then connected with Beckham Bowker for a touchdown to put Mineola back in front, 42-35. Shepherd added his fourth touchdown of the night to extend the lead to 49-35.
Jankarlo Ybarra converted all seven extra-point attempts for Mineola.
Sabine added one more touchdown to make the final 49-42.
Mineola’s receivers also put up strong numbers. Braelyn Geremonte finished with 104 receiving yards, Sullivan had 85 yards and two touchdowns, and Bowker added 75 yards and a touchdown.
Mineola will travel down U.S. Highway 69 Friday to take on the 0-3 Lone Oak Buffaloes.
Lone Oak enters the game after a 59-8 loss to Winnsboro. The Buffaloes also fell 49-6 to Commerce in the season opener before losing a close 28-27 game to Scurry-Rosser.
Winnsboro jumped out to a 38-8 halftime lead against Lone Oak last week and added 21 points in the third quarter for the final margin.
Mineola has averaged 44.3 points through its first three games, scoring 49 against Hooks, 35 against New Diana and 49 against Sabine. The Jackets will face a Lone Oak team averaging 13.7 points per game.
Sophomore quarterback Colt Bowman leads the Lone Oak offense with 437 total yards through three games. Senior running back Danny Barahona leads the Buffaloes on the ground, averaging 85 yards per game.
Junior linebacker Haydin Shires leads the defense with eight tackles per game. Braden Hooten leads Lone Oak with 1.5 sacks.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, at Buffalo Stadium in Lone Oak.