Central Squares Off With Permian to Round Out 2026 Regular Season

SAN ANGELO, TX — The Central Bobcats close out their regular season on the road at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, when they travel to Ratliff Stadium in Odessa to take on the No. 25-ranked undefeated Permian Panthers.

Central comes off a disappointing loss to the Midland High Bulldogs in San Angelo last weekend, 43-40. The Bobcats made early special teams mistakes that put the Bulldogs up nine points in the first quarter, which Central never fully overcame. Down 30-20 at halftime, the Bobcats pulled back within three points, but just ran out of time.

"So proud that we fought all the way to the end," head coach Mark Smith said at his weekly press conference at San Angelo Stadium on Tuesday. "It's always a sign of a good team if you are always in the fight. We played some really good ball in the second half after the sloppiness in the first half. Certainly, the weather did have an impact on a couple of critical plays, but you just have to convert those."

A bad snap on a punt led to a fumble returned for a touchdown in the first quarter, and early in the second, a blocked PAT was returned for a successful two-point attempt for Midland High, which ended up being the difference in the game.

With the loss, the Bobcats are now locked in the runner-up seed in the 6A Division II bracket in the playoffs, but spoiling rival Permian's perfect season will give the boys plenty of motivation on Friday.

"I expect another hard-fought 2-6A slugfest," Smith said. "This game has been that way for the last two years that I have been here. So, I expect to have another this year, and we are excited."

Mojo will prove to be a tall order for the Bobcats. Currently sporting a 9-0 overall record, Permian has beaten several good teams this season, including out-of-state schools that traveled to the Lone Star State to play a historically strong Panther program.

Quarterback Kayden Vickers leads the offense. The young man has compiled a solid stat line, completing 68% of his passes, throwing for 1,887 yards and 17 touchdowns with only five interceptions. On the ground, Cayden Taylor is one of three running backs with strong production and leads the team with 721 rushing yards and 13 TDs.

While the 9-0 record looks daunting, the Bobcats have historically played the Panthers close under Smith's tenure. Central lost 31-29 in 2024 after a last-second failed two-point conversion saw the Panthers spoil a win for the Bobcats at home. Last season, another close contest came down to the wire, and the Bobcats eventually fell 35-27 at Ratliff Stadium. Central needs to find a way to win this matchup to keep the rivalry healthy, and the Bobcats have a formula to do that in 2026.

That formula is the Bobcats' running game. Zey Johnson continues to be the bell cow for Central this season. The 5-foot-11, 220-pound junior now has 1,634 yards and 21 TDs, leaving him just 68 yards shy of breaking Daven Manning’s record of 1,701 yards set in 2016. Johnson already owns the single-game rushing record after he ran for 353 yards against Belton earlier this year. He has been remarkably durable this season with 235 carries — an average of 26.1 carries per game.

If Central wants to win, it will be on the back of Johnson.

"Zey gains a lot of attention from people we play, and rightfully so," Smith said. "My philosophy is that I am committed to running the ball. I think that if you can run the ball and you can play good run defense, then that is still the football 101 formula for winning — he requires a lot of attention. If I'm on the other side and I'm preparing defensively, we have to stop the run with this guy. I think it just says a lot about him. Not only Zey, but the offensive line and tight ends and the wideouts blocking for him down the field."