Bobcats' Head Coach Speaks on Loss; Expectations for Abilene Wylie

Crane acknowledged his offense’s improvement but said mental mistakes continue to hold them back. Central had 20 penalties in Friday’s contest, with the majority being on the offense.

Central’s quarterback, Christian “Squeaky” English, took another step on his journey to be the Bobcats’ true number one guy. English had an incredible stat line that any head coach across the state would love to have at the head of their offense. English went 28/50 for 365 yards through the air with three touchdowns and, most importantly, zero interceptions. He added 165 yards on the ground on eight carries with two touchdowns.

The Bobcats’ receivers also went off. Four different receivers went over 50 yards, with Colton Hill leading the way with 176 yards on 12 catches. Malik Kates added 84 yards on six catches, Alex Linsdey had four catches for 55 yards, and Carmelo Amigleo caught five passes for 51 yards.

The ‘Cats offense will continue to produce through the air as English improves each game. Belton sold out to stop the Centrals' two runningbacks and only opened up room for English to scramble and spread the ball around.

The offensive line recorded another game without allowing a sack. They also paved the way for the 'Cats to gain almost 200 yards on the ground. Crane said he's happy with the improvement the O-line has shown since Week 1.

On defense, Central took the ball away twice, one fumble recovery and one interception by Cam Mayfield. The ‘Cats gave up one explosive play up the middle but, for the most part, limited the Tigers to long drives when Central gave up points. Kason Rogers led the ‘Cats with 12 tackles. This squad still needs improvement, but Crane said that he saw improvement on the defensive front.

The contest against the Tigers came down to the Bobcats' inability to score in the red zone. Central had no trouble gaining yards and moving the ball, but penalties, turnovers, and broken plays ruined several possessions inside Belton’s 20. Abilene Wylie will punish Central if the Bobcats repeat that same performance this Friday.

Wylie currently sports a 2-2 overall record with losses to two really talented teams in the No. 7 ranked 4A Brownwood Lions and the Lubbock Monterey Plainsmen. While the Bobcats also played a tough schedule so far, they will need to be at their best to win this game. Last season, the ‘Cats won on a miraculous hail mary when Tyler Hill hit Ben Imler to take the victory as time expired. Central cannot rely on that kind of outcome again. If Central doesn’t turn the ball over and limits its penalties, the Bobcats should win this game.

San Angelo Central (1-3) travels to Abilene on Friday, September 22, to play the Abilene Wylie Bulldogs (2-2). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.