Central Bobcats Travel to El Paso for Bi-District Clash with Eastwood

SAN ANGELO, TX — The Central Bobcats (5-5, 1-3 in district) head to the playoffs on Friday for a road matchup way out to the west in El Paso against the Eastwood Troopers (8-2, 5-1 in district).

• When: Friday, Nov. 13
• Where: El Paso, TX - Trooper Stadium
• Kickoff: 7:30 CT (6:30 MT)

Last time out, the Bobcats fell in a tough matchup to the undefeated Odessa Permian Panthers, 31-8, and hope to bounce back with a playoff trophy this weekend.

Central's head coach, Mark Smith, discussed the loss to Permian before previewing the playoff matchup against El Paso Eastwood. Watch that press conference above.

During the game, Central's junior running back Zey Johnson claimed a piece of history, breaking the Central High School single-season rushing record late in the 2nd quarter. The young man has 1,753 yards so far in 2026, topping the previous record of 1,701 rushing yards set by Daven Manning in 2016.

Central will need the Z-Train against a talented Eastwood Troopers team on Friday.

El Paso Eastwood enters the bi-district round with an 8-2 overall record. On paper that regular season record looks excellent, but it is sometimes hard to judge how good some of these El Paso teams truly are when they only face off against each other week in and week out.

Eastwood's only matchup outside of far West Texas was against a talented out-of-state program in Utah, Corner Canyon. The Troopers lost to Corner Canyon 52-17. 

Regardless of the quality of Eastwood's schedule, an 8-2 record is still quite an achievement. It is hard to win football games in the Lone Star State, and Eastwood continues to prove that they are one of the top teams to beat in El Paso year in and year out.

The Troopers bring an explosive offense to the table in 2026, balanced on the ground and through the air. Leading the rushing attack this season is junior running back Matthew Ramirez. 

The 5'7", 170-lb back has rushed for 1358 yards and 16 touchdowns through ten games and will need to be a focus point for the Bobcats' defense.

Through the air, senior quarterback Kingston Jeffries threw for 2,014 yards this season. He's efficient with the football, throwing for 23 touchdowns and only eight interceptions so far in 2026. 

He's also added 418 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. While not extremely mobile, Jeffries has proven that he can run when the situation calls for it, especially near the goal line.

Finally in the receiving game, the Troopers bring a 1000-yard receiver to the table. Jordan Nava collected half of all yards through the air in 2026 and is explosive. The 5'9" junior will have speed and elusiveness that require sure tackling from the Bobcats on Friday.

If Central wants to win this football game, the Bobcats need to control the line of scrimmage. Once the Bobcats do that, time of possession becomes Central's friend behind the powerful legs of Johnson. 

Ball control and ball security are paramount. Any free possession the Bobcats give to the Troopers' offense might end up proving too costly to overcome. 

If Central does not turn the ball over, the Bobcats have a solid chance to bring home another playoff trophy.