The Mineola Yellowjackets spotted the Mt. Vernon Tigers 24 points in the opening quarter Friday and could never overcome that deficit. The Tigers went on to a 57-20 home win. 

The Tigers opened the game by exploiting the vertical passing seams in the Yellowjacket secondary. Mt. Vernon threw the ball on six of their first seven snaps, scoring on a 24-yard toss. 

Mt. Vernon found the end zone on their first three possessions to build that 24-point first quarter cushion.

While the Yellowjacket defense found their footing, the Yellowjacket offense got untracked in the second quarter.  They put together drives of 65 and 70 yards to close the score to 24-13 at the half.  

Those two drives featured the aggressive running of Braelyn Geremonte and Kipton Neighbors, salted in with carries by Aidan Shepherd and a short passing game. The first score came on a quarterback draw which Neighbors cut back through the pursuit from 19 yards out. The second was a beautiful effort by Geremonte who took a pass from Neighbors out of the backfield.

Mineola was certainly within striking distance, but they could not allow the score to slip any further. 

The Jackets took the second half kick-off and drove 40 yards with a bruising running attack. On a second down from the Mt. Vernon 34-yard line, Neighbors and Geremonte passed too close aboard one another with a fake in the backfield and the ball popped out. A Tiger picked up the ball and sprinted for a score.    

It could have been a death knell for the Jackets, but Mineola was not done. 

Following the kick-off, Neighbors lofted a gorgeous pass to Geremonte who ran a wheel route out of the backfield. The play fake was so good that there were no defenders on the western side of the field. Geremonte made the catch in stride and raced 65 yards for a score. The game was yet at issue: Mt. Vernon 30, Mineola 20. 

The Tigers then exploited the most vulnerable point in Texas high school defenses: the edge. Mt. Vernon had loosened the Jacket defense with their aerial attack and shifted their focus to gaining the edges of the defense. 

Mt. Vernon found the end zone four more times as Mineola was unable to shore up the edges. 

The Jackets were able to put together one more long drive – a 15-play, 54-yard effort – but it stalled deep in Tiger territory.

A lop-sided score can often mask great individual performances and solid passages of play. The effort expended by Braelyn Geremonte in running the ball was certainly a game highlight. His superior effort added extra yardage after every contact. 

The Jackets will need exactly that type of grit as they host the Winnsboro Raiders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Meredith Memorial Stadium.