Friday Night LIVE! Game of the Week Announced

SAN ANGELO-- Friday night football has returned and Friday Night LIVE! football coverage begins this week! Our game of the week in week one was not an easy pick with 4A power Monahans traveling to Wall and Irion County battling it out with rival Christoval. However, we decided we will make the trek to P.E. Shotwell Stadium this Friday night for the Central Bobcat's matchup vs Abilene High slated for a 7:30 pm kickoff.

Last season when these two teams met, Central laid a beating on the Eagles in a 63-26 victory to begin the season. This season, the Bobcats return six starters from their historic run in 2016 and could be behind the eight-ball in terms of experience. But the Eagles of Abilene will be in the same boat as Central with just six returning starters from their 11-2 run in 2016.

The Eagles' only regular season loss a year ago was to the Bobcats. Abilene then went on to win 11 straight games before losing to eventual state champion DeSoto in the third round of the playoffs.

Offense: Advantage Central

The Angry Orange return five players on the offensive side of the ball. While a change at quarterback could be a big setback for most teams, Brent Davis' squad should not be hurting too bad with junior Maverick McIvor transitioning from receiver, where he totaled 532 yards and seven touchdowns during the 2016 campaign, to QB1. McIvor knows Bobcats' offensive scheme and should thrive this season.

It will be interesting to see how the team's respective receiving corps stack up in this game, as well. The Bobcats were helped with the transfer of speedy Jesse Scott Jr., who may have speed not seen out wide before by the Bobcats according to Offensive Coordinator Kevin Crane. The Bobcats also return Henry Teeter to the field, who racked up the second most receiving yards in 2016 for Central with 730. Abilene, however, returns the highly touted senior receiver Raekwon Millsap. Millsap recorded 862 receiving yards and eight touchdowns last year as a junior.

However, a lack of depth for Abilene could mean big things for the Bobcats.

Defense: Advantage Central...barely

Abilene returns four defensive starters compared to one for Central, giving the Eagles' a fairly noticeable edge on paper. But this game isn't played on paper, is it?  The Bobcats return a solid corps of defensive lettermen from 2016. Defensive backs Gage Smith, Nick Severson, Jakobe Green, and Otto Haynes all saw a significant amount of time last year for the Bobcats and are expected to make big impacts in the secondary for Central. For Abilene, they return All-District defensive back Doak Holloway and linebacker Terrell Franklin from a year ago.

The growing pains each defense could experience in the first competitive game of the season could make for an explosive offensive game. I think Central comes out on top, just not in the same manner as the 2016 contest between the two schools.

Check San Angelo Live for the live updates from Shotwell Stadium this Friday as well as other coverage from around the Concho Valley!