SAN ANGELO, TX — The Central Bobcats will make their debut under new head coach Mark Smith at 7 p.m. Friday by welcoming a Top 10 team to San Angelo Stadium.
Talk about a daunting introduction.
Abilene High, ranked No. 8 in the state in Class 5A Division I, is a difficult starting point for a Central team trying to find its footing after going 1-9 last year.
The rebuild has to start somewhere, however, and this game will quickly let Central know where it stands.
Central Bobcats Christian English, Colton Hill, and Alex Lindsey (LIVE! Photo)
Abilene High returns seven players on offense, including wide receiver Ryland Bradford, a UTEP commit, who had 50 catches for 764 yards and nine touchdowns last year.
The Eagles also bring back four offensive linemen, led by preseason all-state selection Shetonde Polepole.
For a Central defense that allowed 46 points per game last season, this will be a difficult test. Smith said he’s been encouraged by the progress the defense has made in workouts and scrimmages.
“I like where our defense is at, and I’ve been pleased with the strides we’ve made,” Smith said. “Will (Abilene High) make plays? They will. They’re a good team. We need to focus on limiting those and playing really good run defense. That’s where the game is won in my opinion.”
Brayden Henry is taking over as Abilene High’s quarterback. He was used more as a Swiss Army knife last year and accumulated 595 rushing yards, 149 receiving yards and 259 passing yards.
Central has an edge in full-time experience at the QB position as senior Christian English returns following last year’s breakout season in which he threw for over 2,500 yards and rushed for over 1,000.
Abilene High had an outstanding defense last season, but the Eagles graduated eight starters from the unit.
“We have a scrimmage tape from them against (Abilene) Wylie, but you look a lot at what they did a year ago, and what an amazing group that was,” Smith said. “Coach (Mike) Fullen is a great coach there, and he was the defensive coordinator before he was the head coach, so he has a great defensive mind and he’s always going to place an emphasis on that. …
“I don’t see a tremendous drop off from where they were a year ago until now.”
Central has known weapons at wide receiver, notably Colton Hill (57 catches, 854 yards, 4 TDs last year), but the running back position remains a mystery.
The top three players listed on Central’s depth chart are sophomore Darius Huitt, junior Elijah Allen and senior John Paul Nombrano.
“Several guys have kind of shined at one time or another in different aspects of the running back position, whether it be actually running the ball, in protection or releasing out into routes,” Smith said. “There hasn’t been just one person that’s said I’m going to do all these things with excellence and really grabbed the reins with that.
“I think the running back position really lends itself to a committee-type job. It’s a physical spot on the field. It’s very taxing on the body. The old days of one guy being back there carrying it 30 times is kind of behind us.”
Central had two scrimmages in August, one of which was an intrasquad scrimmage. The other was played last week in Del Rio.
Smith said he was happy with how the Bobcats performed against Del Rio.
“Offensively, we stayed very vanilla and just got into a couple formations and only ran a handful of plays,” Smith said. “We’re just trying to keep the top on everything we’re doing. You only get the element of surprise one time.”
Central and Abilene High are no longer in the same classification after decades of sharing a district. So their rivalry that began in 1910 took a two-year break before resuming this season.
Smith, who played high school football at Abilene Cooper, appreciates the rivalry and what it means to San Angelo, Abilene and West Texas.
“To me, that’s the Little Southwest Conference, the Friday night lights, and everything around what’s great about high school football in West Texas,” Smith said.
“It’s Abilene, Midland, Odessa and San Angelo all combined into one. To be able to play this game and go back to the roots and long, rich tradition and history of football here, that means something.”
Check out more of our season preview coverage here:
- Central Bobcats Look to Bounce Back in 2024 Season
- Top 10 Quarterbacks to Watch in 2024
- Top 10 Running Backs to Watch in 2024
- Top 10 Wide Receivers to Watch in 2024
- Top 10 Offensive Lineman to Watch in 2024
- Top 10 Defensive Players to Watch in 2024
- West Texas Football 2024 District Predictions
- West Texas Football Dream Tour 2024
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