The final score was sorely misleading.
On a night when HISD schools were 0-5 and manhandled in first-round high school football games, Yates High School found itself in a 14-14 tie with Bay City when quarterback Kertius Oreaboe scored on a 17-yard keeper and Keyshawn Fields added a two-point conversion run at the 5:28 mark of the second quarter.
Bay City took a 21-14 advantage into intermission when Dylan Davidson completed his second touchdown pass of the half to Chris Janise, this time an 11-yarder.
Yates was in the game despite 100 penalty yards in the first half alone.
When the Yates defense forced a Bay City punt on the Black Cats’ first offensive possession of the third quarter, the Lions were poised to tie or possibly take the lead.
That’s when disaster struck. Yates fumbled the punt and Bay City recovered at the Lions’ 43. Seven plays later, Davidson crossed the goal line on a five-yard run and Bay City was up two scores (28-14).
It was all downhill from there as Bay City (7-3) scored the final 28 points of the contest to advance with a 42-14 victory.
Yates finished the 2017 season with seven wins against two losses.