EL PASO, TX — (Analysis) The San Angelo Central High School Bobcats’ key to the 34-29 victory last night over El Paso Montwood rested solely on their ability to overcome adversity throughout the game. From the get-go, the 6.5-hour road trip to El Paso had to have an effect on how the ‘Cats approached the game. On top of that, the Rams burst out of the gate with explosive plays that put points on the board early. Another setback came in the form of an hour and a half lightning delay that made an arduous day even longer. If these circumstances weren’t bad enough, multiple turnovers by the offense along with broken coverages on defense set the deck against the Bobcats throughout the evening.
Despite all of this, the Bobcats still managed to pull off a win. Here is how.
#12 QB1 Tyler Hill scores on a quarterback keeper against El Paso Montwood on Sept. 3, 2021.
Defensively, notably in the first half, the Bobcats’ lackluster level of play in the secondary handed the Rams multiple drives that ended in less than five plays and an explosive touchdown. Not taking anything away from the Rams, of course, as their athletes came to play.
Their quarterback threw the ball with pinpoint accuracy and the two main weapons to whom he threw the ball made multiple catches that left the Bobcat defense at a loss. I spoke to Head Coach Kevin Crane at length after the game and he had nothing but the highest praise for how Montwood fought all game.
“Nothing about coming to El Paso is easy...that’s a really good team over there. That quarterback is the real deal, those receivers are the real deal. I am proud of the way we held on and kept fighting,” he said.
San Angelo Central Head Coach Kevin Crane focuses on the play underway against El Paso Montwood on Sept. 3, 2021 in El Paso.
The adjustments made by the Central coaches, first, during the lightning delay, and second, at halftime bore fruit in bottling up the explosive plays that plagued the ‘Cats for much of the first half. The corners received help from the safeties to quell how fast the Montwood receivers were, and the defensive line did their job in creating enough pressure on the quarterback where his only options left were to throw the ball away or tuck it and run.
“We talked about making routine plays, doing our jobs, and the things we preach all of the time,” Crane said. “Our guys settled down a bit and played really well after that.”
The personnel adjustments the coaches made especially helped after halftime. The Bobcat defense held Montwood to just nine points in the second half and made up for the Bobcats’ offensive turnovers that could have given the Rams the victory.
Central QB1 Tyler Hill leads the march to score against El Paso Montwood.
Offensively, the ‘Cats showed a new side that the fans had yet to see up to this point in the season. Although some of the classic Air Raid offense still put up some monster plays and good numbers, the lion’s share of the production came on the ground and this is not usual. Central’s newly-launched three-pronged rushing attack, in the form of QB1 Tyler Hill’s keepers, Samuel Navarette’s quick cuts, and Darius Floyd’s bruising style, hammered Montwood all night. The Bobcats came close to having 400 yards of production on the ground. Hill and the other runningbacks need to buy the big boys up front dinner for the job they did last night. Once again, the offensive line did not allow a sack and opened up huge holes for the backs to run through.
“Our O-line played great. We have a couple of returners on the line and it shows. A couple of good running backs, and Tyler obviously ran the ball good tonight. We felt that the way they were playing that we had a little bit of an advantage in the run game. When we can do that it helps us control the clock and keep our defense fresh as well.” Crane said.
The turnovers that plagued the offense in the second half can easily be rectified. One conversation with Hill to tuck the ball away, along with enough practice, and the offense should not see that kind of turnover problem again. Hill also needs more snaps under center and in the pocket to get more comfortable under pressure. He seemed gun shy at times and bailed out of the pocket before his receivers had a chance to get open down the field. Time and experience are the primary remedies and based upon what we have seen so far from this new starting quarterback, Hill will figure it out.
After it was all said and done, an ugly win is all that can be described, but a win is still a win. The Bobcats made big mistakes on that football field, but they overcame those errors and that allowed glimpses of what they can become this season. Playing the way they played will not cut it against schools like Midland Legacy, not to mention the schools in the Metroplex or even Austin, but it is still early enough in the season that with practice this team can do great things this year.
The Socorro ISD stadium emptied out at 10:45 left in the 2nd quarter due to a thunderstorm in the vicinity. After an hour delay, weather cleared and the game resumed.
The Bobcats (2-0; 77 PF, PA 57) host Austin Vandegrift Vipers (2-0; PF 73, PA 21) at home this Friday. Great coaching and player focus on the many reasons why this trip to El Paso didn’t become a disaster offer the orange and blue an edge. We expect an exciting, high scoring game on Friday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at San Angelo Stadium.
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