Central Bobcats Look to Rebound at Home Versus Abilene Cooper

SAN ANGELO, TX — The Central Bobcats (1-1) look to bounce back at home this week after a tough loss to Mansfield Lake Ridge when the Abilene Cooper Cougars come to town. 

Last week, the Bobcats battled Lake Ridge well into the second half before the Eagles finally pulled away in the 4th quarter. While the final score looked sloppy, head coach Mark Smith said it was an opportunity to learn against a quality opponent.

"It was a learning opportunity for us," Smith said on Tuesday at his weekly press conference. "I don't want too many learning opportunities like that, but yes, when you lose, you learn. That's how we see it. We had a great Saturday in here. The players were hungry to find out exactly what happened. You diagnose what happened, and then you begin to self-correct."

Always an exciting matchup, the Cougars should prove a tough test as Central moves closer to district play.

These two schools have a storied history, meeting many times over the years. The matchup is almost always competitive. Out of the last seven matchups, all have been decided by eight points or less, with the Bobcats winning the most recent contest in 2025, 40-35.

"Abilene Cooper is another quality opponent," Coach Smith said of his Alma Mater. "They are a perennial playoff team that does a great job. I think that when you watch them, going on three years now, this is a team that really does a good job at winning the margins. Especially the little areas in games that get overlooked. I think they utilize their personnel well. We are going to play a well-coached team that is disciplined and does things the right way."

Abilene Cooper (0-2) has had a rough start this season. Only 12 points separates the Cougars from a 2-0 record. Abilene Cooper lost to Azle, 28-24, in Week 1, and then dropped a heartbreaker last week to cross-city rival Abilene High, 14-6. Hungry or emotionally drained, the Bobcats won't know which until kickoff on Friday.

Despite the close losses, Cooper remains a dangerous squad that has already shown they can play up to competition. Central will need to address some of the flaws exposed last week against Mansfield Lake Ridge on defense to contain a Cougars' offense with big-play capability.

On offense, look for the physical Bobcats' offensive line to control the line of scrimmage. If that happens, running back Zey Johnson should have a field day. Johnson finished with a tough 86 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown against Lake Ridge, but could feasibly double that yardage come Friday.

If Johnson establishes a solid ground game, that will only open quarterback Micah Smith to take advantage through the air. Wide receivers Gavin Johnson and Ellis Johnson pulled in touchdown passes last week, with Ellis finishing his day as the Bobcats' leading man through the air, with five catches for 104 yards and one touchdown in the loss.

Kickoff in Friday's matchup is scheduled for 7 p.m. at San Angelo Stadium.