Midland Lee Wears Down San Angelo Central With Explosive Football

The Bobcat offense found success on their second drive. After moving the ball methodically down the field for a few first downs, Brown hooked up with WR Tyler Hill for a long, 46-yard bomb to the Rebel 18-yard line. Brown then carried the ball down inside the 10-yard line when the drive ended abruptly. The turnover bug that bit the Bobcats time and time again last week against the Odessa Permian Panthers saw Brown put the ball on the turf at the 7-yard line, which was then recovered by the Rebels.

The ‘Cats defense stepped up in a big way following the turnover. The Bobcats’ defensive front crashed hard into the Midland Lee offensive line’s interior, stopping the running game that trounced the Bobcats on the first drive, forcing a punt. The Bobcat offense did the defense no favors, however, even with great field position at the Lee 30-yard line. Brown threw just a bit behind his intended target at the goal line and had the ball picked off at the 2-yard line.

The ‘Cats defense held onto that grit from before, once again forcing a three and out. Finally, with excellent field position at the Lee 40-yard line, the Bobcat offense began moving the ball. Through a mixture of well-timed runs and short passing plays, RB Samuel Navarette punched the ball in from 2-yards out to even the score at 7-7.

Beginning the second quarter on defense, the Bobcats needed another stop. During the kick-off return, a little trickery gave the Rebels a promising start at their own 40-yard line. A faked reverse fooled much of the Bobcats on special teams and opened a massive hole for the Rebel kick returner. The ‘Cats held the line, however, facing a 3rd and five. The defense tackled Serrano for a short gain, forcing their 3rd punt in a row.

During the punt, a kick catch interference penalty gave the ‘Cats the ball back to start their next drive at the Central 42-yard line. The offense continued to drive the ball down the field through several hard runs by Brown. Brown also efficiently passed the ball during this drive. Hooking up with two different receivers, Cayden Box and sophomore receiver Jaedyn Gipson, the Bobcats drove the ball down inside the red zone. Brown finished off the drive himself on a quarterback keeper up the middle for one yard and another Bobcat touchdown. ‘Cats took the lead, 14-7.

Midland Lee did not stay down for long, as they ripped the Bobcat defense apart with explosive plays on their ensuing drive. Starting at their own 35-yard line, Lee had little success running the ball. The passing game told a different story. QB Serrano hooked up with two other Lee receivers, one for 35 yards and another for a 30-yard touchdown. The Bobcats looked to answer back successfully and tied the game at 14-14.

Beginning the next drive at the Central 30-yard line, the Bobcats found their groove on the ground. With carries coming from Brown, Jalen Leifeste, and Samuel Navarette, the ‘Cats ground their way into Lee territory. A few errant throws and a dropped passes put the Bobcats in a 4th down situation. The ‘Cats offense failed to convert, and Midland Lee took over at their 45-yard line.

An explosive run from Serrano drove the football deep into Bobcat territory on the drive’s opening play. However, the ‘Cats defensive front stonewalled the Rebels’ attempts at running the ball and forced a 4th and two at the Bobcat 32-yard line. The ‘Cats held fast and snatched the ball back for their offense. But then the Bobcat offense failed to do anything with the opportunity, going three and out and punting again.

A short punt gave the Rebels one final opportunity to score before the half. From their 45-yard line, the Rebels drove the ball to the 5-yard line with 20 seconds left on the clock. QB Serrano hooked up with WR Shemar Davis to give the lead to Midland Lee just before halftime. The Bobcats played a decent half against a talented opponent, but turnovers in the red zone saw them trailing, 21-14, headed to the locker room.

Starting the second half on defense, the Bobcats came out strong. Although they allowed Lee to push the ball into Bobcat territory, the ‘Cats stiffened up and slowed the Rebels down. With the ball on the Central 40-yard line, the Bobcats finally managed to get their first takeaway of the contest. The ‘Cats stripped a Lee running back of the ball and recovered the fumble at the Central 40-yard line.

After the fumble recovery, Brown and the rest of the offense took little time getting things going. Brown connected with WR Tyler Hill on a 3rd and 15 for 20 yards to put the Bobcats into Rebel territory. A play later, a pitch to Leifeste for another 19 yards put the Bobcats inside the 20-yard line. QB Malachi Brown eventually finished the drive off with a 1-yard quarterback sneak to tie the game back up for the Bobcats, 21-21.

Midland Lee answered back on the first play of their next drive. RB Shemar Davis ripped off a huge 64-yard run right up the Bobcat defense’s gut for a long touchdown. Bobcats fell behind again, 28-21, and needed another answer.

With the ball at the Bobcat 30-yard line, the ‘Cats failed to get a first down following the Rebel touchdown. The three and out left the game’s fate to the Bobcat defense as Midland Lee took over at their 3-yard line. The defense struggled to stop the Rebels as they marched straight down the field on an extended, ten-play, 94-yard drive that ended with a four-yard touchdown pass to WR Michael Valles. Midland Lee extended their lead to two scores, up 35-21.

Desperate for an answer, the Bobcats took the field at their own 20-yard line. After grinding out several tough-earned yards and a couple of first downs, a miscommunication between Brown and his receiver saw the pass intercepted and taken the other way for a Midland Lee touchdown. The game seemed to be turning into a duplicate of last week as the Bobcats fell behind by three scores, 42-21.

Although the Bobcats trailed by a large margin, they did not concede defeat. Moving the ball through the air became necessary as Brown completed passes to multiple Bobcat receivers as the ‘Cats drove the ball inside the Lee 10-yard line. Brown pushed the ball into the end zone from two yards out, and the Bobcats narrow the deficit, 42-28.

The ensuing Rebel drive continued to look like the majority of their offensive enterprises in the second half. They did whatever they wanted to and moved the ball easily. It became apparent quickly how tired the Bobcat defense was. Long runs caused by broken tackles and gaping holes manufactured by the Rebel offensive line led to another Midland Lee touchdown. RB Makhily Young scored from 25-yards out and erased any chance of the Bobcats getting back into this game.

The ‘Cats offense went into desperation mode but could not find the same success they had earlier in the game and punted the ball away. Midland Lee then proceeded to rip off another explosive play for a touchdown to double up the Bobcats 56-28.

With time winding down in the 4th quarter, the Bobcats managed to get on the board for a final time, but in the end, failed to make enough of a dent to claw their way back.

The Bobcats lost their chance at a share of the conference title, 56-35.

Analysis

Offensively, turnovers killed the ‘Cats for a second week in a row. Without the two first-half turnovers inside the 10-yard line, the outcome could have been different. The interception in the 3rd quarter that went the other way for six points put the final nail in the coffin and led to another lopsided defeat. Head Coach Brent Davis described the outcome.

“We made too many mistakes. Same story, different day. If you turn the ball over, you aren’t going to win the game. Lee has a great football team. They outplayed us in every phase of the game,” Davis said following the game.

Other than the turnovers, however, the Bobcats played an efficient game through the air and on the ground. Moving forward, the Bobcats need to shake this loss off and focus on the playoffs. Their offense is talented, and all they need to do to be successful is to stop turning the ball over.

Defensively, the Bobcats played their hearts out against an incredibly talented team at Midland Lee. Lee is ranked in the state and had only suffered one district loss this year. After playing well for much of the first half, the tide shifted away from the Bobcats as the game wore on and tired the defense. Poor tackling and a few missed assignments led to the explosive offensive punches by Lee that demoralize football teams. The ‘Cats need to find a way to give their defense a rest, so they are not as gassed as they were today in the second half.

Head Coach Brent Davis talked about his team’s performance in the second half.

“Defensively, we didn’t show up much in the second half...we have to get on film and see where we can get better. They wore us down in the second half...they whipped us on both sides.”

Although the Bobcats did lose this game, the defense showed grit in the face of the early turnovers in the first half. Forcing punts on both the fumble and the interception show that the defense can make plays.

The San Angelo Central Bobcats are off next week, Dec. 4, preparing for the first round of the playoffs, which start on Dec. 11. The opponent and location is pending.