Midland Legacy Spoils Homecoming for the Central Bobcats

"We have to put ourselves in a better position to win," Head Coach Mark Smith said after the game. "We played well enough offensively to win the game. We did not play well defensively. They had some elite speed out there that we were chasing many times during the night, but we just couldn't get off the field enough."

On offense, Central's Colton Hill had a career night with two touchdown catches and nearly 200 receiving yards in the Bobcats' district opener. Micah Smith slung the rock all around the yard, completing touchdown passes to multiple receivers and scoring a rushing touchdown of his own. Zey Johnson scored a touchdown on the ground, but the 'Cats could never really get their running game going.

Trailing 38-35 at the half, it seemed like it would be a photo finish at the end, but the Bobcats only managed seven points in the final two quarters. Defensively, Central played much better in the second half, but by that time, the damage was done. Legacy took advantage of a special team's touchdown and seven points off turnovers in the ball game. No matter who you are, spotting a team 14 points is always difficult to overcome.

That said, it was not all doom and gloom on Friday night. Micah Smith and Colton Hill continue to prove to be one of the most lethal quarterback-receiver duos in West Texas. Hill made two spectacular grabs for touchdowns in the first half, and Smith put some footballs in tight windows all night.

On defense, Jakob Jackson made an athletic interception in the first half that set up a Bobcats touchdown. While Central struggled, the defense showed multiple instances of its ability to stop Legacy, but penalties and missed tackles ultimately took a victory out of their reach. 

"We have guys that fight, they play hard, and that's what the Bobcats do," Smith continued. "But we have to find a way to finish these games off."

Central falls to 3-3 on the season and 0-1 in District 2-6A play with the loss. The Bobcats need to regroup quickly because Central hits the road to Odessa next week to take on the Permian Panthers. Kickoff in that matchup is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. next Friday at Ratliff Stadium.