With Season on the Line, How Does Central Match up with Richland?

SAN ANGELO, TX-- With Central’s district title hopes revived, the Bobcats know what they have to do on their end: win out.

Central bounced back with a 17-15 win over Abilene last week to bring them to a 2-1 record in district play. Euless Trinity also lost to Haltom to make second through fourth place in District 3-6A even at 2-1 and just a half-game back of Haltom in the standings.

Central’s young team has now been put through the ringer in back-to-back weeks which should bode well for them heading into their game against Richland.

“Any time you play in pressure situations, you get better from it, win or lose,” said Central head coach Brent Davis. “And if you win, I think you get even more of an advantage.”

Much like the entire district, the Richland Rebels aren’t a slack team.

The Rebels put 41 points on Abilene, the most the Eagles have allowed this season.

Richland’s offensive prowess is thanks in large part to having the right kind of athletes at each position, including Southern Methodist University commit Rashee Rice, according to Davis.

“Richland’s really good,” Davis said. “They’ve got real good athletes in real good spots. They’ve got a great receiver, [Rashee] Rice. Number four. He’s the real deal.”

So, how does Central go about beating Richland in another pivotal game?

First things first, Central has to lock down Rice. The senior has caught 43 passes for 771 yards and four touchdowns in the six games he’s played.

While Central is allowing 171 yards per game passing, stopping the pass has been a question mark for the Bobcats over the last few weeks.

Cedar Park put up 334 yards passing in week 3 when Central was trying regain its identity following to loss of senior QB Maverick McIvor.

Weatherford threw for 254 yards in the back-and-forth thriller with the Bobcats back in week 5.

Euless Trinity, who is known for running the ball, was 7-of-8 passing for 137 yards in their romp over the Bobcats two weeks ago.

As Davis said, Central is better for the pressure cooker they’ve been in over the last three weeks, especially when it comes to turnovers.

The Bobcats have forced three turnovers in those three weeks. Overall, Central has recovered 13 fumbles and picked off 3 passes this season.

However, Central didn’t help their case in the first two weeks of that stretch with six turnovers.

They seemingly shored that last week by holding onto the ball and forcing two incredibly crucial fumbles -- one went for a touchdown and the other set up the game-winning drive.

Also enter sophomore QB Malachi Brown.

His response in the win over Abilene tells you all you need to know about the Bobcat’s starting QB.

After an all-around dismal showing in a 70-28 loss highlighted by three interceptions the week prior, it’d be easy for the young signal caller to sulk.

He didn’t.

Instead, he kept his poise for 286 yards of total offense and a 13-of-26 passing stat line to lead Central to a critical win.

“I think Malachi has played great in every game he’s played in. I really do,” Davis praised. “He’s running our offense the way we want it ran. He’s capable of doing the passing game we want and he’s a really good running quarterback… That also opens up other areas of the offense for us.”

Since taking the reins of Central’s offense in the third quarter against Del Rio in week 2, that poise has been evident. The sophomore has accounted for 1,411 yards of total offense and 13 touchdowns since then.

“We’ve gotta run the ball, take advantage of formation and what the defense is giving us in the passing game,” Davis emphasized at his Monday press conference.

Brown has carried the ball 82 times for 655 yards and six touchdowns.

However, to be successful later in the season, Central can’t rely solely on Brown’s legs for the rushing attack.

Comparatively, Sam Goodloe and Bobby Pena, the two featured running backs for Central, have carried the ball a combined 89 times for 309 yards and three touchdowns.

Brown’s athleticism does allow Central’s offense to lean on him a lot as a dual-threat QB. That also allows opposing defenses to key on him and take away that option.

But, for the sake of getting a win this week, Central should be favored. Richland is allowing 360.5 yards of total offense and 29.3 points per game.

Central and Richland are scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. kick off.