photo by: Bill Ferguson Photography

Cameron’s Soier Reed (7) catches a touchdown pass over Clay-Battelle’s Corey Coen (20) during the Dragons’ home opener Friday vs. the CeeBees.

CAMERON – Sometimes it’s just completely unfair to be a high school quarterback, which is maybe the only way to set up Cameron’s 22-16 victory over Clay-Battelle’s on Friday night inside Dragons Stadium.

If anyone knows just how small of a margin there is between a loss and a win, it’s Cameron quarterback Kason Angel, who was one or two plays shy of celebrating a Class A state championship last season.

He was also literally one or two plays away from the Dragons beginning 2025 with an 0-1 record.

“There were moments tonight, if you’re talking about both quarterbacks, that were awesome,” said Angel, who threw for 128 yards and a touchdown, while also adding 64 yards on the ground. “And then there were moments we’d both probably like to have back.”

On the other side was C-B quarterback, Corey Coen, who pulled off one of the more magnificent and mystical runs you’ll see all season, only to have what was a jaw-dropping moment one second turn into absolute heartbreak the next.

Neither team is even in the game without the play of their signal-callers, yet one quarterback had a smile after the game, while the other didn’t on a night when fortunes could have easily been reversed.

“You go back and watch Cameron’s playoff games a year ago, you see just how important Angel is,” Cee-Bees head coach Aaron LaPoe said. “Yeah, I think Cameron has one of the best quarterbacks in the state. He’s that good.”

Angel showed that in the second half after getting boxed up over the first two quarters. With Cameron trailing 8-6 at the half, the senior came out and completed his first six passes for 118 yards.

“They had adjusted to our running game and, so, we had to make our own adjustments,” Angel said. “I want the ball in my hands. I don’t mind being told to go out and make some plays. That’s what I love to do.”

One of those completions was a 39-yarder to Soier Reed on fourth down. Another was a 33-yard touchdown to Reed in the third quarter that gave the Dragons (1-0) a 22-8 lead.

But, he also threw an interception in the end zone late in the fourth quarter that could have put the game out of reach.

“I think the decision was right, but it wasn’t my best ball,” Angel said. “I needed to get a little more air under that one. That one was on me.

“But, that was kind of how the whole game went. Both teams made plays and both teams had their good moments and bad moments.”

The great moments for Clay-Battelle (0-1) came from senior receiver Braden Ponceroff, who ended up doing a bit of everything except singing the National Anthem to start the game.

He caught six passes for 92 yards, including a 6-yard TD catch with 39 seconds left in the second quarter that also came on a fourth-down play.

“We had tried to hit him on a slant on the previous play,” LaPoe said. “He came over to the sideline and we literally just drew up the next play there. We called for the slant again, but he ran a fade instead and made one heck of a catch.”

Ponceroff also completed a 29-yarder on a reverse pass on fourth-and-five to keep that scoring drive alive. He also picked up a Cameron fumble with 10:13 remaining in the game and returned it 24 yards to get C-B back to within 22-16.

“Our defense was amazing all night,” LaPoe said. “You hear college coaches talk all the time about dudes. Those were dude plays by Ponce. The dude made plays. He’s earned all that, because he’s also one of our hardest workers. He’s a leader.”

Angel’s interception came with 5:33 remaining, as C-B defensive back Cody Clovis leaped into the air, intercepted the ball in the end zone and then returned it 15 yards.

C-B pushed the possession out to its own 47 when the moment became both astonishing and disappointing in the same breath.

On fourth-and-12, Coen looked to pass, but couldn’t find anyone open. He stepped up in the pocket, only to get smacked by a Cameron defender. Coen, who finished with 121 yards passing and the TD to Ponceroff, somehow absorbed the blow and remained on his feet.

He began to roll to his right and bounced off another would-be tackler and then stiff-armed another Cameron player to the ground.

Coen then became a runner and got about seven yards downfield before juking a defender and cutting back to the left.

The field was open from there and Coen finished with a 32-yard run, but he got caught from behind at the Cameron 21 and his body got slightly twisted.

That’s when a Cameron player snuck his hand in and punched the ball out forcing a fumble that was recovered by the Dragons, who ran out the remaining three minutes to seal the victory.

“That was an amazing run,” Angel said. “Everything he did on that play was just amazing and then the ball just got punched out. It’s hard to describe that moment, because it was great for them one second and then great for us the next.”

Having just witnessed the play, LaPoe went right over to Coen as he returned to the sideline.

“I know he was being hard on himself,” LaPoe said. “I was smiling at him, but he was upset. I told him that was one of the best plays I’ve ever seen until it wasn’t.”

It wasn’t the play that cost C-B the game.

“We had four trips into the red zone and only scored one touchdown,” LaPoe said. “We couldn’t run the ball in the second half. We had a play called on fourth down; we started it by trying to draw them offsides, but then switched it. One of our linemen didn’t get the call and we didn’t get the play blocked. There were so many other things that we could point at.”

Box score

Clay-Battelle 0 8 0 8 – 16

Cameron 0 6 16 0 – 22

SCORING SUMMARY

Cam – Talen Brown 2 run (pass failed)

C-B – Braden Ponceroff 6 pass from Corey Coen

Cam – Marshall Holland 1 run (Talen Brown run)

Cam – Soier Reed 33 pass from Karson Angel (Brown run)

C-B – Ponceroff 24 fumble recovery (Caleb Snodgrass run)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Clay-Battelle – Snodgrass 13-43, Caleb Hall 15-27, Coen 4-29. Team 1-(-11). Cameron – Holland 14-57 TD, Angel 12-64. Brown 6-28. Team 1-(-2).

PASSING: Clay-Battelle – Coen 9-24-2 121 TD, Ponceroff 1-1 29. Cameron – Angel 8-13-1 128 TD.

RECEIVING: Clay-Battelle – Ponceoff 6-92 TD, Cody Clovis 2-42, Cooper Payton 2-16. Cameron – Soier Reed 5-109 TD, Sterling Reed 2-17 Brown 1-2.