Throw the Records Out The Window, Central and Abilene Set to be a Classic

SAN ANGELO, TX — Don’t let the record fool you, the Abilene Eagles are ready for a fight Friday night.

Mike Fullen’s squad started the season with three straight losses, but they came against three of the better teams in the state. 

In week one, now 5-1 Amarillo Tascosa came to town and escaped with a narrow 19-14 victory.  The next week, currently undefeated and #19 ranked Midland Lee went into Shotwell Stadium and won 35-14.  After that, the gauntlet continued as they crossed town to take on #10 ranked and still undefeated Abilene Cooper.  The Cougars walked away with a close 23-14 win.

Abilene came up short in all three of those games, but the opponents they faced would be a stiff challenge for anyone.  Since the Cooper game, the Eagles are 48 seconds from winning three straight. 

They defeated Midland 28-7 in week 4 and then nearly stole the win against Richland in its district opener.  In that game, Abilene was down 28-14 at halftime and scored 20 straight points to take a 34-28 lead in the fourth quarter.  With 48 seconds to play, however, Richland scored on a reverse pass and won 35-34. 

Abilene bounced back from that disappointing loss with a 13-0 shutout of Bell last week. 

All of that is to say Abilene might not have the wins to show it, but they are a good team.  

They are coming into San Angelo Stadium looking to make a point in the district, and a win will have them towards the top in the standings.  "It's going to be a big game on Friday for both of us," Central coach Brent Davis said.  "We're both sitting here at 1-1 and need to get back on the winning track."

Central's defense will likely be the difference maker.  The Eagle's use several different looks on offense and often throw a couple different players behind center.

Quarterback Eric Abbe is a good passer but often makes his biggest impact on the ground.  He was even moved to running back when the starter, Phonzo Dotson, missed time with an injury. 

The bad news for Central is they are both fully healthy.  Dotson made his return last week against Bell and picked up 100 yards and a score in a game where yards were hard to come by.  For some perspective, both teams combined for 398 yards. 

Matthew Ezzell is the other quarterback the Bobcats will see.  He and Abbe have split time at QB this season and each bring their unique strengths to the field.  Abilene fans saw what Ezzell was capable of when Dotson was out and Abbe was in his place.  Against Midland, Abbe rushed for 100 yards while Ezzell threw for 164. 

Any of those players can take over any game.  It is Coach Davis' best guess at who it will be Friday in San Angelo. 

"We always love playing here," Davis said about playing at home.  "Our travel is brutal, but when we can play at home in front of these big crowds like last time [Weatherford].  You can't beat that."

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at San Angelo Stadium.  Fans, get ready to be loud.