Bobcats Ruined the Midland Bulldog’s Parade in the Rain

MIDLAND, TX — The San Angelo Central Bobcats (3-2) began 6A-2 district play tonight, Oct. 7, when they battled the Midland High Bulldogs (4-1) at Astound Broadband Stadium in Midland at 7 p.m. Tyler Hill led the Bobcats on offense tonight with over 100 yards and two touchdowns through the air and another 190 yards on the ground. The defense bent but never broke deep into the 4th quarter, and the Bobcats secured another victory, 28-25.

The ‘Cats received the opening kickoff but managed little in production. After just a single first down, the Bobcats hit a wall and punted the ball away. However, Midland High had no such problems starting strong. The Bulldogs pounded the ball on the ground covering 70 yards in seven plays for the game’s first touchdown. Midland High led 7-0 with 4:59 remaining in the 1st quarter.

The Bobcats finally got the offense going on their second possession. Beginning the drive at the Bobcats’ 25-yard line Tyree Brawley and Tyler Hill covered 20 yards on the ground. Hill then converted three straight passes, two to Keevon Rice on the outside to move the ball to the Bulldogs’ 39-yard line, and finally, a bomb over the middle to Jacob English, who broke away from the defender on a post route. English collected the easy catch in the end zone, and the Bobcats tied the game 7-7 with 2:41 remaining in the first.

A mistake on special teams gave Midland High excellent field position at the Bulldogs’ 40-yard line. Central struggled against the Bulldogs’ potent rushing attack as Midland High progressed steadily down the field. An explosive play by RB Brylee Perez pushed the ‘Dogs inside Central’s 10-yard line. LB Darius Floyd saved a touchdown on 3rd down three plays later. Floyd tracked down QB Jay Cunningham and dropped him for a loss of five yards. Midland High’s field goal unit converted the 20-yard try, and the Bulldogs regained the lead with 8:34 remaining in the 2nd quarter, 10-7.

Tyler Hill opened up the ensuing possession with a 68-yard run that brought the Bobcats down Midland High’s 12-yard line. A facemask against Midland High pushed the football to the 4-yard line, and one play later, Aiden Barron carried the ball the remaining four yards to the end zone. The Bobcats took the lead, 14-10, for the first time on a 3-play, 80-yard drive that took a mere 45 seconds off of the clock.

Bulldog explosiveness continued to challenge the Bobcats when Midland High rattled off two plays of 25+ yards in a row down to San Angelo Central’s 21-yard line. Near-perfect blocking by the Bulldogs' offensive front ripped open lanes wide enough to drive a truck through, and RB Brylee Perez took full advantage. He eclipsed the century mark on the ground before the end of the first half. However, again the ‘Cats hung tough inside the 20-yard line. After forcing a 3rd and three at the 14-yard line, Floyd burst through the line and tackled the Bulldogs; RB for a six-yard loss. Midland High rolled the dice and went for it, but the ‘Cats answered. DE Andrew Gonzales sacked Cunningham and forced a fumble. Darius Floyd fell on the loose ball, and the Bobcats took over at the Bulldogs' 30-yard line.

Hill continued to shine in the Bobcats’ rushing attack following the takeaway. He escaped to the outside and sprinted 42-yards down the field on another highlight-reel run to Midland High’s 28-yard line. Two plays later, at the 22-yard line, Hill found Keevon Rice in the corner of the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown. The Bobcats headed into the locker room at the half up 21-10.

The Bulldogs received the 2nd half kickoff and failed to get anything going. After a three-and-out, the punter kicked the ball off the side of his foot, and the kick only traveled 18 yards. Now with excellent field position at Midland High’s 43-yard line, the ‘Cats used their running backs to move the ball. Brawley, Robinson, and Barron shared the load to move the ball inside the 25-yard line. However, the Bulldogs finally stepped up to the plate and stopped the ‘Cats. Three straight running plays forced the Bobcats into a 4th and long. Head coach Kevin Crane kept his offense out on the field and went for it. Hill found Keevon Rice in the corner of the end zone, but the referee ruled Rice out of bounds. As a result, the Bobcats turned the ball over on downs.

Midland High rekindled some of the fire they had in the first half after the turnover. They continued to keep the ball on the ground, and as the weather turned sour and the rain began to fall, the Bulldogs found more space to operate. The ‘Cats defense stepped up near the goal line and forced the Bulldogs into another 4th down but failed to stop RB Mecky McCoy from scoring. The Bulldogs crept closer after a successful 2-point conversion, but with 10:56 remaining in the 4th quarter, the Bobcats still led 21-18.

The Bobcats had to respond on offense or they risked letting Midland High take over. Hill once again answered the call. Faced with a 3rd and 5 at the 30-yard line, he dropped back to pass. Unable to find open receivers, he tucked the ball and took off. Hill evaded two defenders to cut to the sideline and then sprinted an additional 59-yards down the field to the Bulldogs’ 11-yard line and a first down. Hill then connected with WR Tyler Walker on a 10-yard pass to the 1-yard line. Tyree Brawley forced his way into the end zone one play later, and the Bobcats went back up by 10 points, 28-18.

Watch: QB1 Tyler Hill nearly makes it to the house after evading multiple tackles: