Central Bobcats Kick Off District Play at Home Against Midland Lee

SAN ANGELO, TX — The Central Bobcats are starting their district schedule at home Friday against the Midland Lee Rebels.

The Bobcats (4-2 overall) are coming off a win after edging out Midland Greenwood, 28-21. Lee (4-3 overall, 0-1 in district) lost 42-10 to Odessa Permian last week.

The Bobcats are riding a three-game winning streak where they’ve scored an average of 40 points per game, and their defense has held those opponents to an average of 19 per game. 

Quarterback Micah Smith has gone 85-of-157 passing this year for 1,069 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Smith does have a few weapons out wide, especially in Johnson & Johnson, Gavin and Ellis, who have a combined 723 yards and 10 TDs.

Jesse Smith and Isaiah McGrew help pick up the other targets with 18 and 16 receptions, respectively, and both have over 100 yards this season.

The real monster is junior running back Zeyvion Johnson, who has 1,121 yards and 11 TDs on the ground. He hasn’t been much of a threat as a receiver this year, but his damage on the ground cannot be overlooked.

Rebels quarterback JP Reyes has 1,637 passing yards for 19 TDs and six INTs and is completing 64% of his passes. He has a favorite receiver in Ja’Braylen Anders, who has 56 receptions for 655 yards and seven scores. Jordon Shields is a big play waiting to happen as he averages 21.2 yards per catch. He has 18 catches for 382 yards and two TDs. Maddox Marquez is also a threat with 12 catches for 251 yards, a 20.9 yards per catch average, and four scores.

The running game for the Rebels lacks that true threat, but senior Hayes Hamm has 80 attempts for 467 yards and three TDs, while sophomore backup Santi Mendoza has 23 rushes for 199 yards, an 8.7 yard per carry average, and five TDs.

Defensively, the Rebels get after the quarterback and have 15 sacks in six games to prove it. The Central offensive line will have to watch for David Ihediwa, Christian Sanchez, Will Case, Gavin Hernandez and Zander Keitges, who all have a couple sacks, with Ihediwa getting home three times.

The one thing the Rebels lack is the interception numbers as they only have three picks this season. They do have 14 passes defended, however, and have caused seven fumbles, recovering five of those.

Central is looking to end a streak of six consecutive losses to the Rebels, including a 58-42 defeat last year.

The Central Bobcats take on the Midland Lee Rebels at 7 p.m. Friday at San Angelo Stadium.