MIDLAND, TX — The San Angelo Central Bobcats (5-2)(2-0) looked to remain atop the district 2-6A leaderboards tonight, Oct 21, when they traveled to square off against last year’s district champion, the Midland Legacy Rebels (3-4)(1-1), at Astound Broadband Stadium, at 7 p.m.
The ‘Cats started on the wrong foot as they fumbled after receiving the opening kickoff. The Rebels recovered the loose football at San Angelo’s 41-yard line. Legacy did not take long to take advantage by scoring on a subsequent three-play drive. RB Aizik Ozuna took a 3rd down carry 35 yards to the house. Midland Legacy struck first, 7-0.
The Bobcats began the first drive on offense at San Angelo’s 24-yard line. Tyler Hill connected with WR Tyler Walker on first down for a 40-yard catch and run down to Legacy’s 36-yard line. However, that is where the drive stalled, and the Bobcats turned the ball over on downs after a failed 4th down attempt.
Midland Legacy met little resistance on the way to another touchdown midway through the first quarter. QB Marcos Davila launched a deep ball to WR Deonta Sonnier for a 40-yard gain. The long pass set up the Rebels inside the Bobcats' 30-yard line, and their running game did the rest. The ‘Cats forced a 3rd down and goal to go at the 6-yard line, but Davila found an open receiver for another touchdown, 14-0.
San Angelo Central’s offense finally put points on the board with 5:14 remaining in the 1st quarter. The drive began at the Bobcats’ 31-yard line, and the ‘Cats quickly moved the ball down the field. Hill kickstarted the offense when he completed passes to Cedric Fuentes and Jacob Gallegos to push the ball to midfield. He loaded up and chunked the ball deep to Jacob English who beat the defense to the reception. He walked into the end zone on the 50-yard score to narrow the Rebel’s lead to 14-6. The ‘Cats went for two points but the pass was dropped in the corner of the end zone.
The Rebels had another explosive play on the following possession when a missed tackle turned into a 35-yard catch and run to the Bobcats' 25-yard line. Two plays later, WR Aiden Serrano came open over the middle for his second touchdown of the contest. Legacy led with 3:10 remaining in the 1st quarter, 21-6.
Tyler Walker beat Legacy’s safety for the second time with a 48-yard pass from Hill to set the Bobcats up inside the Rebels’ 30-yard line. Hill and Aiden Barron ground out two first downs on the ground, and then Hill hit Jacob Gallegos for a 13-yard touchdown. The ‘Cats struck back, 21-13. Watch:
Although the Bobcats' offense kept producing points, the defense continued to struggle. A penalty forced the Rebels back to their own 10-yard line, but that hardly slowed them down. Legacy marched the ball 90 yards on more than ten plays to score another touchdown to increase their lead to 28-13.
Cental’s offense fully committed to the air raid with just under seven minutes to go in the half. Jacob Gallegos made a one-handed catch for 13-yards to Central’s 41-yard line. Hill then connected with Keevon Rice for 43-yards to the Rebels’ 18-yard line. The Bobcats committed a holding penalty on 2nd down, which killed the drive. The Bobcats converted a field goal but still trailed 28-16 with 5:30 seconds left in the half.
Legacy added another touchdown to their lead before the half ended and seemed unstoppable. The ‘Cats had one final opportunity to score with 2:27 remaining in the 2nd quarter but failed to convert on 4th down. Central headed to the locker room down 35-16.
Midland Legacy received the second-half kickoff and began their first drive at the Rebels’ 25-yard line. The Bobcats forced another 3rd and long but gave up a 50-yard pass down the field on 3rd down. The floodgates opened up after that, and the Rebels scored three plays later. Early in the 3rd quarter, the Rebels started to run away with the game by adding another TD. The score was 42-16.
Jacoby Yates set the Bobcats’ offense up with excellent field position on their first drive of the second half. He received a pooched kick at the Bobcats’ 35-yard line and returned it to Midland Legacy’s 30-yard line. Then, a penalty against the Rebels moved the Bobcats’ to Legacy’s 15-yard line. Hill then hit Jacob Gallegos in stride, and Gallegos ran over a Rebel to get into the end zone for a touchdown. Following the extra point, the Bobcats trailed 42-23.
Central’s defense finally got a stop against the high-octane Rebel offense. After driving the length of the field, the Legacy Rebels faced 1st and goal to go at the 10-yard line. Davila threw a jump ball to his receiver in the end zone, but CB Luke Gould wrestled it away from the receiver. San Angelo Central took over on the Bobcats’ 20-yard line. Hill drove the Bobcats to midfield before giving the ball right back to the Rebels on an interception of his own. On the ensuing drive, Legacy scored again and made the score 49-23.
The Bobcats took over at the Rebels’ 47-yard line after Legacy went for an onside kick. The strange call by Head Coach Clint Hartman came after Legacy was up by four touchdowns. The Bobcats overcame a 3rd and 30-yards to go. Ben Imler caught a screen pass from Hill and took the ball 25-yards down to the 10-yard line. The referees called the rebels for roughing the passer on 4th down, and the Bobcats had a 1st and goal to go at the 5-yard line. Hill carried the ball himself a play later and scored. The ‘Cats pulled closer with 10:29 to go in the 4th quarter, 49-29.
The Bobcats failed to stop the Rebels’ offense, and after they added another touchdown, the backups came in. San Angelo Central fell tonight 56-29. The ‘Cats dropped their first district game but remained tied for 1st place with Legacy, Frenship, and Permian in district 2-6A play.
The San Angelo Central Bobcats (5-3)(2-1) host the Odessa Permian Panthers (7-1)(2-1) next week, Oct 29, in San Angelo at San Angelo Stadium at 7 p.m.
Below is the author's thoughts on the game, including analysis:
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