Four Central Bobcats Sign to Play at the Next Level

SAN ANGELO, TX — Saturday was a big day for the Central Bobcats football team as four players signed to play at the next level. Surrounded by family, friends, coaches and teammates, Mason Van Sickle, Colton Hill, Jaekob Jackson and Jimmy Edwards all put pen to paper to make their decision on where they would be playing their college football for the next four years.

It was a special occasion to be sure. It is not often that several players sign with Division II schools or higher, let alone with the same football team, but that is what Van Sickle and Hill did. The pair will attend UT Permian Basin together in the fall to continue playing on the same team. Jackson will be traveling the farthest away out of the four as signed with West Texas A&M in Canyon. Finally, one of our favorite hometown players to root for every season, Jimmy Edwards, made the decision to stay home. He will join head coach Jeff Girsch's program this fall and play for the Angelo State Rams.

Funny enough, each of these school are within the Lone Star Conference in Division II. UTPB, WTAMU and ASU are currently each other's biggest rivals in most sports, and these former teammates, now friendly rivals, are already excited to play each other in the future.

"The trash talking has already started," Edwards joked after the signing ceremony on Saturday. "We all believe we are going to the win the conference, but I truly believe that at ASU, we are the ones who are going to win."

These four young men were leaders of a Bobcats squad this season that saw yet another year of improvement. Each one of these athletes began their varsity career as sophomores three years ago when Central finished 1-9 on the season. Despite the disappointing results, they banded the team together and struggled through what would be a complete rebuild over the past two years, improving to 4-6 in 2024, and finally, 8-4 in 2025 with a Bi-District Championship over El Paso Pebble Hills.

"Ultimately, it came down to choosing each and every day to do what was right instead of what was easy," Van Sickle said of the Bobcats' turnaround over the past two seasons. "I feel like, as a group, we came together and decided that the habits that have been killing us have to be eradicated. I think that with the help from one another and the support we had, we were able to accomplish that."

"Leadership was a big thing," Hill added. "We had to step up our game on and off the field. Going from 1-9 my sophomore year to the second round of the playoffs, we had to fix our work ethic and get to work." 

These young men were especially thankful for their many coaches throughout the years. During the presentation, each decided to thank coaches and family members for helping, sacrificing their time, and loving them. It hammered home the importance of good coaches in every athlete's life and how those coaches help shape kids' futures.

"I definitely want to start with Coach [Jacob] Martin," Jackson said of the Bobcats' defensive coordinator. "He was THE man. He was out here when I started my sophomore year, and he was really hard on me."

Jackson told a story about Martin's treatment of him when he was not playing up to the standard that Martin knew he could reach.

"During the 1-9 season in the game that we won, he was not happy with me," Jackson said. "I think he threatened to kick me off the team because I was playing like a kid. He told me this is a grown man's ballgame."

Apparently, that comment stuck with Jackson as he went on to be one of the Bobcats' most prolific and explosive players on defense last season.

The results from last season and the fact that many from the Bobcats' football team are signing to play at the next level show that a culture shift is happening within the program, and it's one for the better. San Angelo should be proud of these young men, and everyone will be looking forward to their progress in the future.

Read additional info on these four Bobcats below:

Mason Van Sickle

Colton Hill

Jaekob Jackson

Jimmy Edwards