SAN ANGELO, TX - This morning, the line of San Angeloans purchasing tickets for Friday’s semi-final football match-up between the San Angelo Central Bobcats and the Allen Eagles snaked through the San Angelo ISD Administration Building, out the side door and approached the Bank & Trust parking lot.
“It was insane,” is how an off-duty San Angelo police officer (hired to keep order) described it.
This morning, about 9,000 tickets were sold. By 10:30 a.m., the only seats available were general admission. The box seats were sold out. Today was the first day ticket sales were open to the general public.
San Angelo Stadium, where the game will be held, seats 17,500. By UIL rules, half of the ticket allotment must be made available to the visiting team, in this case Allen High School. Jamie Highsmith, San Angelo ISD spokeswoman, said that so far approximately 9,000 of Allen’s allotment have been sold or spoken for by the band, pep squad, drill team, etc.
“At this time, due to high numbers of online sales and office sales, ticketing for the CHS vs. Allen game has temporarily closed as we re-evaluate ticket availability,” Highsmith stated in a release Tuesday afternoon.
San Angelo ISD Athletic Director Brent McCallie couldn’t hold back his excitement over the home semifinal game. If Central defeats Allen, the team is two games away from the 2016 Football Conference 6A D1 championship.
McCallie isn’t immune to the ramifications of this. The winner Friday will play the winner of the Arlington Bowie vs. Duncanville game that will happen Saturday at 1:30 p.m. On the other side of the bracket are teams Central could face if it remains undefeated. The list of teams includes all Houston area schools like Katy, North Shore, Lamar, and Atascocita. Or, it could be an I-35 corridor team, including Lake Travis, Los Fresnos, Austin Westlake, or Laredo United. See the full bracket here.
San Angelo Central and Laredo United are the only rural football teams left on any side of the 6A playoff bracket. It’s Friday Night Lights all over again. We all remember the late-1980s Odessa Permian team from the movie. Has anyone made it this far since?
“I know Abilene was here in the recent past,” McCallie said.
McCallie admits the odds of a San Angelo football team winning against a D-FW or Houston metro high school aren’t good. The student body at Allen High numbers 6,300; Central is less than half that size at 2,850. Allen has the advantage based upon its size versus San Angelo.
“But this team is disciplined and talented. They are focused. It’s really a testimony to how good that team has become,” McCallie said.
Both teams are undefeated, 12-0 for the season and playoffs thus far. But, San Angelo Central has averaged 54 points per game, and Allen 44. On defense, Allen has allowed only 13.8 points per game. The Dallas Morning News said the game will be a “colossal matchup” of Central’s explosive offense versus Allen’s wrecking crew defense.
McCallie said Central will be practicing every day until the game, including on Thanksgiving.
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