SAN ANGELO, TX — Central Bobcats head football coach Mark Smith was adamant after his team’s Week 1 loss that he didn’t believe in moral victories.
He seemed to soften just a bit on that stance after the Bobcats’ incredible comeback attempt against Amarillo High last week.
After falling behind 48-14, Central scored the next 31 points to charge back into the game before the Sandies hung on for a 48-45 win.
For a program that hasn’t won since Week 2 of last year, seeing that kind of resiliency was encouraging for the Bobcats’ first-year head coach as Central heads into this week’s game against Abilene Cooper at 7 p.m. Friday at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene.
“It’s a team that just had fight all the way, despite some pretty bad circumstances,” Smith said. “When you have five turnovers in a game, it’s extremely hard to win.
“I’m disappointed we lost. I felt like this was a game that was there for us to win if we had played cleaner. Nonetheless, we had a team that was really down and in a bad situation on the scoreboard, but I didn’t sense that on the sideline.”
Central quarterback Christian English threw for 287 yards and four TDs on 13-of-21 passing, and he had eight carries for 90 rushing yards. However, he also had three interceptions.
The Bobcats’ special teams fumbled a kickoff and allowed a blocked punt, which was returned for a TD.
Central had a significant loss to injury in the game as wide receiver Colton Hill suffered a sprained ankle that could keep him out of action for a couple weeks.
Other receivers stepped up, however. Jimmy Edwards had another strong game with four catches for 132 yards and two TDs.
Gavin Johnson had a breakout game with four catches for 102 yards and a TD.
Elijah Allen was again Central’s lead running back with 16 carries for 82 yards, giving him 176 yards on the season.
Central’s defense played a big part in the Bobcats’ comeback with one quick stop after another in the second half.
“It’s taken them almost six quarters of football to settle in, but those last two quarters they played really solid, and we’re just hoping to build on that,” Smith said.
Junior linebacker Mason Van Sickle led Central’s defense with a team-high 11 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
“He’s really grabbed the mantle of leadership within that group, and he’s backed it up with his play,” Smith said. “With an inconsistent overall defense, I think he’s been kind of that shining light there that we’ve had consistently performing at a high level, and he’s gathering people around him and getting them on his level, so to speak.”
San Angelo Central and Abilene Cooper have been playing since 1961, with Central holding a 27-22-1 series lead. The last five meetings have all been decided by eight points or less, including Cooper’s 53-45 win last year in Abilene.
Central’s game at Abilene Cooper is a homecoming for Smith, who graduated from Cooper and lived just down the road from Shotwell Stadium.
“I grew up like a stone’s throw away from the stadium, and there’s just a lot of really good memories there,” Smith said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for that school, and that place is special to me. I rode my bike up to the stadium. … I lived in a neighborhood just on the other side of the fairgrounds, and I’d look through the fence or gate there and watch whoever was playing.”
Like Central, Cooper has lost its first two games this season. The Cougars lost to Azle (41-34) and Abilene High (42-33). Central also lost to Abilene High in its season opener (60-36).
Cooper quarterback Austin Cummins has completed 33 of 58 passes for 386 yards and five TDs with one INT.
His top target is Zavian Alexander with 12 catches for 195 yards and four TDs.
Peyton Ewing leads the Cougars’ rushing attack with 24 carries for 124 yards and a TD.
Cornerback Jeramiah Appel already has two INTs for Cooper’s defense.
“What kind of strikes me about Cooper is they’ve got a solid team all the way around,” Smith said. “I don’t know if there’s particularly one guy where we say, ‘This guy’s a real problem, and we’ve got to have an answer for this right here.’ But they’re just an overall solid group that doesn’t beat itself very often.
“I think it’s going to be two hungry teams seeing if they can get it all together and click more than the other team.”
Central and Cooper have an underrated rivalry. They’ve been playing since 1961, with Central holding a 27-22-1 series lead.
The last five meetings have all been decided by eight points or less, including Cooper’s 53-45 win last year in San Angelo.
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