SAN ANGELO, TX-- The Central Bobcats are coming off a gritty win over Weatherford to open District 3-6A. The Bobcats did so with four players suspended and receiver Phillip Lupton out with an injury.
“The whole team, both sides and special teams, everything, just played extremely hard,” Central head coach Brent Davis said. “I think that’s the only way we won that game. It was just pure will. We had some mistakes here and there. They had some mistakes. I thought Weatherford played extremely well.
“This team is resilient. I think they proved that last week. We had some kids step up that had to step up and it’s just going to make us stronger. I was very proud of what we did last week and we’re looking forward to the rest of this district.”
Adversity has been a mainstay in front of the Bobcats this season and they’ve overcome it at every turn, no matter its shape. It started when senior offensive lineman Rowdy Garza moved to Alabama during fall camp. It was compounded in week 2 when senior Maverick McIvor tore his ACL and meniscus against Del Rio and sophomore quarterback Malachi Brown had to take the reins.
“We’re a bunch of fighters. We don’t give up,” said senior center Gunner Couch. “I say adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it. Obviously, we’ve been through plenty of adversity and responded how we’re supposed to. We’ve met the challenges.”
Since then, the Bobcats have stepped up thanks to their defense, senior leadership and their sophomore QB. They’ll hope that trend continues this week against perennial power Euless Trinity.
“Anytime you get a team as good as Euless Trinity, it fires you up. It’s just another chance to show what we’ve got,” Couch said. “I feel like people are saying we’re having a down year, whatever, yadda yadda yadda. We don’t think that. I feel like us as a unit can get after anybody, anytime. So, I’m excited. It’ll be a big test.”
Central knew their second-ever meeting with Euless Trinity would be a test from the moment the UIL announced their move to District 3-6A. Trinity came out on top 22-20 in their first meeting in 1992.
“There’s a lot of anticipation for this game, for Friday night,” Couch said, smiling. “People have been talking about it since they came out with the new district. It’s going to be a freaking shootout. It’ll be a crunk atmosphere. It’ll be fun.”
Trinity (4-0) has been dominant so far this season in all phases of the game.
The Trojans are averaging 207 yards rushing per game in their Wing-I offense with a four-headed backfield. Senior Brandon Sione Theus leads the team with 383 yards rushing and five touchdowns on 48 carries.
Central’s defense has proven to be more than capable of stopping the run this season, allowing an average of 72.3 yards rushing per game.
While they don’t throw too often - just 27 percent of the time to be exact - Trinity can throw the ball well with senior Laki Ellis. The senior has completed 34 of his 54 passing attempts for 471 yards and three touchdowns.
“Their quarterback’s really good,” Davis praised. “He’s more of a dual-threat kinda guy than what we played last week, but still throws the ball extremely well. Very very formidable opponent...He throws the ball extremely well.”
Their fronts also average around 280 pounds, putting Central at a disadvantage in that regard.
“They’ve got us on a size advantage, pretty big size advantage on their part,” Davis said. “I feel like we have a good plan. If we execute, I think we’ll have success with some of it. They’re gonna have plays. They’re gonna get points. I mean, you’re not gonna hold ‘em to nothing. They’re too good for that. We’re going to have to move the ball to take some pressure off.”
Davis added he felt like this matchup was going to be “like almost every game in this district.”
“They’re going to be tough. They’re going to be a little more smashmouth,” Davis said.
The veteran head coach has familiarity with offenses similar to Trinity’s. Up until 2006, Davis ran the Wing-T offense.
“They’re going to try to get you with numbers sometimes,” Davis said. “They’re going to sugar huddle, where they line up really close to the ball, call the play, then line up quick and run it. Sometimes they get from their huddle to their snap in two or three seconds. So, that’s a big deal.”
Davis added that time doesn’t give much time to see what formation they’re in.
“It’s something you’ve gotta really work on and practice hard on to be able to handle,” Davis said.
Trinity also brings a tough defense to the table. The Trojans are allowing an average 280 yards of total offense this season. The key to that tough defense has been their rotation.
“They have several guys they rotate in at the nose and tackle,” Davis said. “They’ve got several guys and they all can get it. They keep ‘em fresh and it’s going to be tough. It’s tough to play people like that. So, we’ve gotta do a great job of protecting our quarterback, probably number one, and then when we have opportunities, take advantage of the box. We’ve gotta do that.”
Davis knows they have to move the ball and score points in this game.
“It can’t be a deal where we go in at halftime and it’s 0-0 or something,” Davis said. “We’ve gotta score some points on these guys to beat ‘em.”
One thing working in Central’s favor is their home dominance. Over the last five years, Central is 30-1 at home and have won 25 straight regular season home games. The Bobcats feel playing at home is a big advantage. In that time, Central has outscored opponents by nearly 27 points.
“We’ve got ‘em at home,” Davis emphasized. “We feel like that’s an advantage. Anytime we can play at home, we’re excited.”
While Davis downplayed the travel in this district, which has been talked about just as much as this game, he understands it can be a factor.
“They’ve gotta travel,” Davis said. “That’s something we’re used to and they’re gonna get used to it. I don’t think it’s as big a deal as some people try to make it out to be, but they do gotta do that.”
With the size disadvantage and anticipation of Trinity scoring points, Central wants to keep the game close and give themselves a chance to win.
The Bobcats have a way of winning close games at home. In the 2014 playoffs, Central held close with Arlington Bowie before winning 55-52 in double overtime for the bi-district title.
“[Bowie was] a better football team than us,” Davis said. “We just kinda hung around, hung around then took it to overtime and got ‘em.”
Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. at San Angelo Stadium. Prior to the game, the San Angelo Central Bobcat Booster Club will host the 6th Annual Bobcat Tailgate at the Glenn Middle School Tennis Courts. Food, live music and face painting will be part of the event.
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