Daingerfield Aims for Seventh State Championship vs. Cameron Yoe in Friday’s 2A D-I Title

Class 2A Division I
State Championship

Cameron Yoe Yoemen (14-0)
vs.
Daingerfield Tigers (12-3)

Noon Friday
Cowboys Stadium, Arlington

Coaches
Yoe: Rick Rhoades
Daingerfield: Aric Sardinea

Road To Arlington

Cameron Yoe

• Bi-district: bye
• Area: def. Marion, 42-14
• Regional semifinal: def. Lago Vista, 31-7
• Region IV final: def. Hallettsville, 38-19
• State semifinal: def. Newton, 39-22

Daingerfield

• Bi-district: def. Eustace, 58-0
• Area: def. Callisburg 32-21
• Regional semifinal: def. Winnsboro, 47-14
• Region II final: def. New Boston, 35-28
• State semifinal: def. Wall, 29-22

Playmakers

Cameron Yoe

• QB Jason Kopriva, Jr. (218 of 354, 3,049 yards, 37 TDs, 8 INTs; 10 rush TDs)
• DT Edgar Luna, Sr. (142 tackles, 7 sacks, 8 forced fumbles, 6 recoveries, 1 kick block, 1 punt block)
• RB Keaton Denio, Sr. (213 carries, 1,212 yards, 9 TDs; 24 catches, 164 yards, 2 TDs)
• WR Colton Shuffield, Jr. (47 catches, 919 yards, 14 TDs)
• RB J’Juan Anderson, Jr. (101 carries, 565 yards, 3 TDs)
• LB Somari Wright, Jr. (203 tackles, 3 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 1 recovery)
• LB Josh Smitherman, Sr. (123 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovery, 1 punt block)
• DB Tyler Sapp, Sr. (83 tackles, 7 INTs, 2 forced fumbles, 3 recoveries)
• LB Randall Lane, Sr. (82 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 3 recoveries)
• WR Aaron Sims, Soph. (45 catches, 467 yards, 4 TDs; 15 carries, 154 yards, 2 TDs)
• WR Zach Felts, Sr. (36 catches, 523 yards, 9 TDs)
• WR Colton Shelton, Sr. (23 catches, 480 yards, 4 TDs)
• LB Michael Gelner, Jr. (117 tackles, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles)
• WR Austin Christy, Sr. (26 catches, 273 yards, 1 TD)
• DB Justin Pratt, Jr. (37 tackles, 3 INTs)

Daingerfield

• QB Keris Alexander, Jr. (145 of 248, 2,112 yards, 18 TDs, 10 INTs; 2 rush TDs)
• ATH Edwin Mims, Sr. (30 of 71, 531 yards, 4 TDs, 4 INTs; 53 catches, 856 yards, 8 TDs; 136 carries, 922 yards, 19 TDs)
• OL/DL Jacolby Simpson, Sr.
• LB Calvin Bryant, Sr. (160 tackles, 20 for loss)
• WR/DB Shawn Hooks, Sr. (59 catches, 899 yards, 8 TDs; 23 carries, 211 yards, 4 TDs)
• RB Cordarius Anderson (132 carries, 1,026 yards, 15 TDs)
• S Ruben Mims, Sr. (80 tackles)
• RB/LB Ramius Wallace, Jr.
• WR/DB Jonathan Barber, Sr.
• LB Kelshin Neal
• DB Cory Smith
• DB Tyrodrick Mims
• DB Troy Stuard
• OL/DL Dylan Williams
• DL/LB Traye Taylor

Just the facts

• Cameron Yoe averages 38.1 points per game and allows 13.6.
• Daingerfield averages 35.2 points per game and allows 19.0.
• Yoe averages 375.2 total yards per game (156.8 rushing, 218.4 passing).
• Yoe has six receivers with at least 23 receptions.
• Yoe has won five consecutive games by at least 19 points and 13 consecutive games by at least 10 points.
• Daingerfield has won nine consecutive games.
• The Tigers have held opponents to 15.1 points per game during that span.
• Cameron Yoe is playing in its third state championship game.
• Yoe beat Gilmer 26-3 in the 1981 Class 3A championship, then lost 33-27 to Daingerfield in the 2010 Class 2A Division I title.
• Daingerfield is playing in its ninth state championship game.
• The Tigers have won six state titles: 1968 (def. Lufkin Dunbar 7-6, 2A), 1983 (def. Sweeny 42-0, 3A, 1985 (def. Cuero 47-22, 3A), 2008 (def. Cisco, 2A D-II), 2009 (def. Bushland 62-14, 2A D-II), 2010 (def. Cameron Yoe 33-27, 2A D-I).
• Daingerfield's two championship losses came in 1984 (21-13 vs. Medina Valley, 3A) and 1998 (21-0 vs. Newton, 3A D-II).

Key matchup: Daingerfield's offensive line vs. Cameron Yoe's defensive line. Both teams run spread offenses, but Daingerfield relies more on the run than the Yoemen, who average almost 75 more passing yards per game than rushing yards. Daingerfield has ripped opponents on the ground most of the year using a committee of Edwin Mims, Cordarius Anderson, and Ramius Wallace. A physical offensive line featuring players such as Jacolby Simpson and Donovan Dublin have helped the Tigers win the trenches in most of their games. But Yoe presents a unique challenge, specifically one named Edgar Luna. The senior defensive tackle is second on his team with 142 tackles, an eye-opening number for a down lineman, especially one playing inside. But Luna's most impressive statistic is his penchant for causing turnovers. He has eight forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries, in addition to seven sacks. Simply put, Luna is a force in the middle of Yoe's defensive front. Daingerfield must account for him on every play, regardless of run or pass, and coach Aric Sardinea said as much during Tuesday's practice.

Chalk talk

• Daingerfield coach Aric Sardinea on Friday's key matchup vs. Cameron Yoe's tough defensive tackle: "There's one matchup. It's Donovan Dublin against this (Edgar) Luna kid. That's just the bottom line. Donovan's gonna have to have a good night for us to do well. He's gonna have to do a good job on that young man. (Luna) is a really good, talented kid and he's been there since his sophomore year and we've got to do a good job on him."
• Daingerfield coach Aric Sardinea on his team's maturation during the course of the season: "When you play 2A football and you don't have spring football, you don't know where you're gonna be up until the sixth or seventh week of the year. It's hard to get that continuity and that family relationship."

Don't be surprised if: These teams play another state championship game classic. The 2010 title tilt between Daingerfield and Cameron Yoe saw the Yoemen fight back from a 27-13 deficit -- a lead Daingerfield built by halftime and held into the fourth quarter -- to tie the game 27-27 in the waning minutes. That's when Tyler Boyd hit Keyarris Garrett on a long touchdown pass between Yoe defensive backs for the game-winning score in the final minute, lifting the Tigers to their third consecutive state championship and their sixth in school history, the most in East Texas. The teams' roles may be reversed in 2012; Yoe is the undefeated favorite, while Daingerfield is the underdog rolling into the contest on a hot streak (although that 2010 Yoe team was also undefeated and Daingerfield had one loss). Daingerfield knew it would face a championship rematch regardless of which team one last week's state semifinal between Yoe and Newton, a game that Yoe won 39-22 after trailing 22-8 in the first half. The stage is set for another great championship bout between these two teams. Yoe is in its third state title, all of which have come against East Texas teams. Daingerfield is in its East Texas-leading ninth state title. Friday afternoon at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington should be fun.