Meet the Central Bobcats New Head Coach Mark Smith

The Bobcats’ previous head coach, Kevin Crane, stepped down in December, and SAISD has been looking for a new coach ever since. Central finished with a disappointing 1-9 overall record in 2023. On the bright side, Central sported one of the youngest rosters in the state and remained competitive in almost every single contest last season. In fact, the Bobcats were 1-4 in one-score games a season ago. Just a few plays separated what could have been a .500 record.

Enter Coach Smith, a West Texas native and a coach with 24 years of experience at the high school and college level, to help Central not only turn things around but take that next step forward. Smith most recently served as the Defensive Analyst for the University of Oklahoma. A defensive-oriented coach, Smith brings another set of skills to an area that the Bobcats continue to improve.

When asked about the importance of the rivalries in West Texas and how he could help the Bobcats get back to consistently beating other teams in the district, he gave a passionate answer.

“This was the Little Southwest Conference, and it still is,” Smith said. “There is a level of commitment that comes with winning, and I told the players this morning a catchphrase of mine, which is ‘football is a game of doing,’ and there is a lot of work and a lot of things that fall under that term ‘doing.’ It’s about relationship building and that work you put in, the investment you make, and the things you are willing to give up to be the best.”

No one expects the turnaround to be instantaneous, and Coach Smith was real about his expectations for the program’s progress.

“I believe there is a process of moving the needle from where it is to where you want it to go, and sometimes you are working through that process to get it where it needs to be,” Smith said. “But the players are in place here, the structure is in place, the alignment is in here, and now it’s just implementing that clear vision to see the product out on the field on Friday nights.”

The Abilene Cooper and Hardin Simmons graduate knows West Texas football and is excited that he and his family are back. That said, several steep challenges remain after inheriting a 1-9 program. Even if and when Smith turns the Central Bobcats around, the loftier goals like deep playoff runs and potential state championships seem almost insurmountable. 

Larger schools in West Texas haven’t come close to a title ever since Abilene High won the 5A Div II State Championship in 2009 before 6A was even a thing. Before that, it seemed like every couple of years, a West Texas school was in the mix for a title. Midland Legacy (formerly Midland Lee) dominated the late 90s with three straight titles from 1998 to 2000. Before that, Odessa Permian had its turn with three state championships in the 80s. The Bobcats haven’t won it all since 1966, when Central defeated Spring Branch 21-14 to win a title.

The Metroplex dominates the game on a state-wide scale. Coach Smith was asked how the Bobcats and other West Texas teams get over that final hurdle again.

“It’s definitely a process to be able to do that,” Smith reiterated. “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time, and that’s my approach. It may seem like a task that’s insurmountable when you look at it from the outside, but not to me. It won’t be to these young men who are a part of this team, either. We’re going to take it one bite at a time.”

Fans must wait until May to see the new-look Bobcats in action, but the Spring Game is quickly approaching.