The Mineola Yellowjackets ended their football season on a high note with a dominant 47-11 win over Eustace last Friday night on the road.

The win gives the Jackets a season record of 4-6 and a District 7-3A Division I record of 2-4, landing them in fifth place in the district.

The district ended with third-ranked Malakoff going 10-0 overall and 6-0 in district, followed by second-place Winnsboro sporting a 9-1 season record and 5-1 in district play.

Commerce took the third playoff spot with a 7-3 overall record and 4-2 in district, while Mount Vernon took the fourth and final playoff spot with a 6-4 overall record and 3-3 in district action. Rains came in sixth in district with a 1-5 district record and 2-8 on the year.

Eustace started the season 3-0 before falling to Quitman in its final nondistrict game, followed by six consecutive district losses. Mineola’s win over Eustace left the Jackets with a positive outlook for head coach Cody Moore’s second season at the helm.

Mineola will lose some talented players but has many younger athletes who were battle-tested this year and will be veterans for the 2027 season. The victory at Eustace for Mineola came after losses to Commerce 60-6 and Winnsboro 58-21. The Jackets struggled against the higher-ranked teams throughout the year, but the offense showed signs of brilliance during the season.

The Jacket roster will have 23 players back for next season. Mineola fielded three freshmen, eight sophomores and 12 juniors this year.

Mineola’s Aidan Shepherd was one of the district’s top running backs, rushing for more than 1,319 yards and averaging 165 yards per game and 12.4 yards per carry. He scored 22 touchdowns, 20 on the ground and two through the air. Shepherd added 407 receiving yards.

Braelyn Geremonte rushed for 764 yards, averaging 6.4 yards per carry and 84.9 yards per game, scoring six touchdowns. Geremonte added 342 receiving yards, averaging 11.4 yards per catch. He was also a defensive leader, averaging 5.8 tackles per game.

Freshman quarterback Braxton Moore grew more comfortable on the varsity with each game. Moore completed 105 of 204 passes for 1,425 yards and 13 touchdowns in just eight games. Beckham Bowker was on the receiving end of six touchdown passes.

On defense, Ayden Phillips averaged eight tackles per game and had a pair of sacks. Outside linebacker Steven Reyes averaged seven tackles per game and recovered two fumbles. Carson Threlkeld added two interceptions. Kolton Garrigus had 10 quarterback hurries. There is excitement for the future with those 23 returners for the 2027 season next fall. The offense should get even better with experience, as will the defense.