PREVIEW: Central Opens District Play Against Midland Legacy

SAN ANGELO, TX — The Central Bobcats (3-2) host the Midland Legacy Rebels (1-4) at San Angelo Stadium on Friday, Oct. 10, for the start of District 2-6A play. Each game from this point forward will have playoff implications as the Bocbats try to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2022.

Central is currently riding a three-game winning streak. After a rough start to the season against two of 5A's more talented teams in Abilene High and Amarillo High, the Bobcats ripped off a string of victories at home and on the road.

Central defeated Abilene Cooper, Belton and Waco High over the last three weeks.

During this win streak, the 'Cats saw improvement across the board. The biggest difference from the first two games of the season was the Bobcats' ability to take care of the football. Since the first two losses, Central has only turned the ball over one time, and that was off a tipped pass.

Quarterback Micah Smith seems more comfortable under center each and every week. His completion percentage, passing yards and touchdowns keep climbing, while he makes fewer and fewer inaccurate throws and interceptions. His touchdown-to-interception ratio has improved to 12-3, with the young quarterback's passing yards sitting just below 1,000 for the season. Smith continues to take steps forward in the passing game, and the Bobcats' three-headed monster in the backfield continues to show how deadly having three competent running backs can be.

Zey Johnson has cemented himself as the lead running back this season, coming off a two-touchdown performance against Waco. Still, Elijah Allen and Darius Huitt are the exact change of pace the Bobcats need to keep opposing defenses on their toes. The three running backs combined for 757 rushing yards so far this season, with Johnson leading the way with 316 yards and seven touchdowns. 

Central's defense would appreciate the help if the offense took care of the football against Legacy this weekend. Don't let Legacy's record fool anyone. Despite coming into this matchup 1-4, the Rebels are still a dangerous football team. In fact, the only game Legacy won so far this season, Abilene High, is the same team that beat Central by three touchdowns in a turnover fest in Week 1. Legacy has played a murderer's row of a nondistrict schedule. Losses against Allen, Euless Trinity, Lake Travis and Louisiana's No. 3-ranked Ruston might be tough, but it tempered this team against great competition.

"I joke that Coach Hartman scheduled the Green Bay Packers, the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, and whoever else would play," Coach Mark Smith said of the Rebels on Monday. "They've played a tremendous schedule of really quality opponents. Their record of 1-4 is not an indication of how good their team is, or not good. They have a really good football team."

Junior quarterback JP Reyes will handle the offense under center and is very capable of slinging the football all around the field. He had relatively low numbers against some of the 6A powerhouses this season, but lit up Abilene High for 472 yards. On the ground, Central's defense will have to deal with Hayes Hamm. Through four weeks that Legacy played Texas teams, Hamm has 74 carries for 344 yards and three touchdowns.

So how do the Bobcats win on Friday? Coach Smith has the answer.

"Line of scrimmage play," Smith said. "I think its going to come down to that. I just believe that to win in football, you have to win the line of scrimmage on both the offensive and defensive lines. There is going to be a lot of battles, you know, 175 individual battles throughout the course of the game. If you want to win the war, you have to win the majority of those battles."

Central matches up well on the offensive line. One of the Bobcats' biggest strengths over the past decades has been the big boys up front. Defensively, Central needs to continue to be a force against the run.

"If we can get a couple [of takeaways] and take care of [the football] ourselves and win the line of scrimmage, it will be a good day for the Bobcats," Smith concluded.

Kickoff for Friday's matchup, originally scheduled for 7 p.m., has been pushed back to 7:30 p.m. at San Angelo Stadium.