Shoemaker Downs San Angelo Central in Epic Dog Fight

1st Quarter.

It was the ‘Cats’ defense who struck the first blow on Friday night. Following an interception on Central’s first drive, Shoemaker fumbled in the backfield. Defensive lineman Coeyn Warkala scooped up and sprinted 60+ yards the other way to give Central an early 7-0 lead.

Shoemaker answered with two possessions with explosive plays that ate up the field and left Central in the dust. English answered the two straight touchdowns with the first touchdown drive of his young career. Faced with a 3rd and long, English launched up a prayer to Alex Lindsay, who caught the ball at a dead sprint for a 42-yard reception. The ‘Cats continued to drive, and RB Jayvion Robinson capped the possession off with a 4-yard touchdown run. At the end of the 1st quarter, Central and Shoemaker remained deadlocked at 14-14.

2nd Quarter

Both teams traded scores in the 2nd quarter. After Shoemaker took the lead on an arduous touchdown drive that consumed more than six minutes off the clock, the Bobcats responded. First, English hit Lindsay for another spectacular catch down the field before a mixture of Tyree Brawlee and Jayvion Robinson pushed the ‘Cats closer to the goal line. Faced with a 4th and six at Shoemaker’s 15-yard line, English showed off his legs for the first time when he picked up the first down on a 9-yard scamper. Two three plays later, English hit Brawlee for a 4-yard touchdown pass.

Just before the first half ended, Shoemaker turned a long kickoff return into a 5-play touchdown drive. The ‘Cats headed to the locker room down by seven but with heads held high.

3rd quarter

The ‘Cats started the second half on defense. Central shut down Shoemaker on the opening possession and even handed the offense a gift when Colter Farmer picked off Grey Wolves Malachi Jerome. Central looked to change the momentum of the game and even drove the ball inside Shoemaker’s 20-yard line. However, the Grey Wolves' defense bowed up and shut down the ‘Cats’ offense. Central turned the ball over on downs.

Frustration continued for Central after the defense stopped Shoemaker again. Central drove down inside Shoemaker’s 25 again before a turnover killed the possession. Shoemaker returned the interception down to Central’s 1-yard line and punched it in for a touchdown on the next play. The Grey Wolves led the Bobcats 34-20 entering the 4th quarter.

4th Quarter

The Bobcats defense kept Shoemaker out of the end zone for the remainder of the contest. The offense had two more opportunities for points in the ball game and made the most out of one fo the drives. On a possession where the ‘Cats had to convert on 4th down multiple times, Christian English delivered for his team. On a 4th and four near midfield, English tucked the ball and ran it himself for the first down. He then hit Colton Hill over the middle for a huge gain. English followed that up with a 27-yard scamper inside Killeen’s 5-yard line. After three plays that went nowhere, English again converted a 4th down to score from three yards out. The ‘Cats pulled within seven points with 3:30 minutes to go in the 4th quarter, 34-27.

After the game, Coach Kevin Crane gave his thoughts on his team's performance. Watch the full interview below:

In the end, Central never managed to wrestle the ball back to the offense before time expired. The ‘Cats fell 34-27 but made major strides in coming together as a football team. Several guys on this roster played the first varsity games of their careers on Friday night against an incredibly skilled team in Killeen Shoemaker. Central has nothing to hang its head about this week and will continue to improve as the season progresses.

San Angelo LIVE's Ryan Chadwick also tracked down Central's Quarterback Christian English after his first career start. Take a look below:

The Central Bobcats (0-1) travel to El Paso next week to battle the Montwood Rams (0-1). Game time is set for Friday, September 1, at 4 p.m. local time. Montwood fell to Midland High on Friday.