Something to Hang Your Coates On: Central Gets Win Behind Unlikely Source

SAN ANGELO, TX-- The Central Bobcats ousted archrival Odessa Permian with a 31-20 win at San Angelo Stadium on Friday night.

"You can't say enough," Central Head Coach Brent Davis said of his team's play. "[Permian] came to play. They had us outsized. We don't ever give up and we keep fighting."

WATCH Brent Davis end of game interview:
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The win marked the fifth-straight year in which the Bobcats defeated the Panthers.

"We deserve this win," said Senior Cornerback Otto Haynes. "Everybody said Permian was going to come in [to San Angelo] and beat us. It was kind of like David and Goliath." 

Going in to Friday night, Permian was averaging over 40 points per game. Tonight, Central held the stout offense of Permian to 227 yards of total offense, one their lowest totals all season.

"The whole defense [stepped up]," said Coach Davis. "Their first drive kind of got us on our heels a bit, then we settled down and started playing."

The Central offense saw plenty of success, despite Junior Quarterback Maverick McIvor remaining relatively quiet with just one touchdown pass and 167 yards passing. The running game and special teams are what propelled Central to a pivotal district win.

The Bobcats only rushed for 72 yards, but picked up two touchdowns on the ground.

Following the opening score by Permian, the Bobcats marched 52 yards downfield where De'Marcus Cobb would finish the drive with an eight-yard run to the endzone. The score would tie the game at seven with 1:07 left in the first quarter.

On their very next drive, in the second quarter, Central would pull ahead after their drive looked to stall and Ezekiel Del Rio would trot on to kick a 21-yard field goal. However, Senior Receiver Jaden Coates would move in to the backfield before the snap. Holder Philip Lupton would pitch the ball to Coates who took it four yards into the endzone to give Central a 14-7 lead which would remain the score going into the break.

WATCH: The fake field goal
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Coates wasn't done for the night, though.

On the second half kickoff, Coates would get his hands on the ball and beat multiple Permian defenders en-route to an 89-yard touchdown to extend Central's lead to 21-7.

"[The return] set the tone for the second half," Coach Davis said. "[Jaden] is another one of our seniors who's played well for us and he stepped up big for us tonight."

"When that hole opened up, my first instinct was to run through it," Coates said. "Everyone got their blocks, we did our job and we got six points."

Three field goals from both teams would follow the kickoff return for a touchdown and make the score 24-13 late in the third quarter.

McIvor's only touchdown pass would come in the fourth quarter when he found Lupton for the 15-yard touchdown to extend the Central lead to 31-13 with 8:59 left in the game. 

Permian would tack on a touchdown to pull within two scores at 31-20 with 21 seconds left, but the ensuing onside kick would be smothered by Central.

The Bobcats finished with 239 yards of total offense in the win.

Central moves to 8-0 overall and 4-0 in district play. The win means Central has a firm grip on their destiny in District 2-6A and will be in the playoffs for the seventh consecutive year.

The Bobcats will travel to Midland next week to take on Midland High (2-6, 2-2) next Friday. Midland defeated Tascosa 49-42 on Friday night.