San Angelo Central Bobcats eyeing turnaround

Heading into Year 2 of the Kevin Crane era, the San Angelo Central High School football team is hoping to put the pieces together for a memorable season that might surprise a lot of people.

Central finished 4-7 overall and 2-4 in District 2-6A in Crane's first season as head coach last year, after a long tenure as offensive coordinator under former head coach Brent Davis.

The Bobcats have six returning starters on offense, including senior quarterback Tyler Hill and a solid group of receivers.

Defensively, Central will have seven new faces in the starting lineup.

The Bobcats opened preseason workouts bright and early Monday morning at San Angelo Stadium.

"Overall, it was a good first day," Crane said. "The kids showed up early and ready to go and there was a lot of excitement in the air to start the season. We're excited and hopeful. We've got a good group and we've got a lot of seniors coming back. Some of them played a lot of football last year, so that's a good thing.

"We do have some new faces as well, and so we've got to get those guys up to speed and get them ready to play on a Friday night. So every day, the idea is just to show up with a good attitude and work to improve every day, and if we can do those things, then hopefully we'll be where we want to be."

Central will open the season on the road against Killeen Shoemaker on Aug. 26. The district opener is scheduled for Oct. 7 at Midland High.

In Hill's first season as the Bobcats' starting QB, he threw for 1,962 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2021. He was Central's leading rusher with 102 carries for 820 yards and 10 scores.

Crane says the 6-foot-2, 185-pound dual-threat QB needs to take his game up a level in 2022.

"Yeah, absolutely," Crane said. "He's going to have to, if we're going to have the kind of season we want to. Last year, he did some good things but he wasn't consistent enough. We've talked a lot about it and he's had a good summer.

"We qualified for state in 7on7 and you can't do that without good quarterback play, so that's promising. He's gone to several camps this summer and worked hard. I think that he's going to have a really good senior campaign. We're excited to see how he progresses throughout the season."

Hill is expecting the Bobcats to have their claws out in 2022.

"Honestly, as a team, I feel like we're going to be a lot better this season," the second-year starter said. "We have a lot of people coming back and the run that we made as far as 7on7 goes, and I feel like even spring ball showed a lot, too.

"Going back to 7on7, we made it state and made it to the championship bracket for the first time in awhile, actually. So I feel like it was a big confidence booster for us. And so for me, and I've talked to other teammates as well, we feel like this year is going to go a lot better."

As always, the Bobcats' success on offense will depend greatly on the passing game and Hill says he's got a lot of talented targets.

"I think it's great," the Bobcats QB said of his receiving corps. "Our whole receiving corps is coming back, with the exception of one of our slots. We have Jacob (English) coming back, Keevon (Rice) and (Jaedyn) Gipson.

"And we'll have Ben (Imler) or Cedric (Fuentes) playing on that left slot receiver and both of those guys have potential of doing great things this season. So I feel like our receiving corps has a lot of potential this season. It's a great thing for us, knowing that we're a team that throws the ball a lot."

Fellow senior Ben Imler is a solid backup QB who the Bobcats plan to have on the field as much as possible. He had to finish things up in a first-round playoff exit last year.

"Imler's a good player and, obviously, he stepped in for us some last year," Crane said. "He's a smart kid and kind of a dual-role guy for us, a double dipper, where he plays quarterback but he also plays some receiver for us. We might even play him some at tight end. He's real versatile and can do several different things."

The Bobcats' running game will likely be a work in progress, as Tyree Brawley, Jayvion Robinson and some others try to take some of the heat off Hill.

On the other side of the ball, Crane isn't too worried about how the Bobcats will hold up their end of the bargain.

"We do have some new faces on defense, but I feel really good about our defense," Crane said. "They had a good spring and they had a good summer. Moving Darius (Floyd) over to linebacker I think is going to be a big help. He's going to be kind of the leader there in the middle.

"Both of our safeties have some experience, and we've got some cornerbacks with some experience with Jacoby Yates. Up front, D-line wise, we are going to have a lot of new faces. Those guys have got to get up to speed."

The Bobcats coach expects the offense put up some points, "but I also expect our defense to have a good year as well."

Crane talked about the strength of the nondistrict schedule.

"We've got a lot of good teams on the docket," he said. "We open up with Shoemaker and we've got to go to Killeen and that's always a tough road game. It's hard to win over there. They've got the best of us the last two times we've been over there. We hope to change those fortunes.

"El Paso Montwood's coming here. They've got a good team and I've got a lot of respect for those guys. Abilene Cooper is obviously a really good team and a really good program. We've got to go to Abilene to play them and then Belton and Abilene Wylie. It's a good non-district schedule and we're looking forward to the challenge."

Texas Football magazine has projected Central to finish fourth in district behind Midland Legacy, Odessa Permian and Frenship. Midland High and Odessa High are picked fifth and sixth, respectively.

"We can't worry about that," Crane said. "What we have to worry about is the things that we can control and we talked to our kids a lot about that.

"What we can control is showing up, working hard, being tough and being disciplined. If we can control those things, everything else will take care of itself."

Crane says it's always a tough district and is certainly a lot of fun to play against these longtime rivals in the 'Little Southwest Conference.'

"We've got great coaches in this district and we've got great players, " Crane said. "And so from the top to bottom, it's a really good district. Obviously, Midland Legacy's been on a roll. They've been really good and I think they'll be really good again.

"Permian is obviously a good program and a good team. We were right up there for several years and our goal is to get back there. We're fighting every day to get back there and be on top of our district."

Hill said being picked to finish fourth, "Should light a fire under us."

For Crane personally, he's a little more settled in now with one season under his belt as head coach and campus athletic director.

But he says things come across his desk every day that he's not expecting.

"Somebody told me a long time ago that as a head coach you're going to get a lot of things come across your desk you're not ready for," Crane said. "But I think, like anything, you get more used to it and more comfortable the longer you do something.

"I'm living out my dream. I've always wanted to be a head coach and to be a head coach at Central is really a dream come true for me. Every day I wake up, it's like I'm living out my dream. It's a lot of fun. We've got a great coaching staff and a lot of new faces, and really good kids that we're fortunate to work with."

Central has six new assistant coaches, including offensive coordinator Caden Coots, a former Pampa assistant who will replace Logan O'Brien. O'Brien was hired at Grapevine.

San Angelo Central Bobcats

District: 2-6A

Head coach: Kevin Crane (4-7; all at Central)

Last year’s record: 4-7, 2-4 district

Last district title/playoff appearance: 2017/2021

Enrollment: 3,158

Stadium: San Angelo Stadium

Returning lettermen: 22

Returning off./def. starters: 6/4

Base offense: Spread

Base defense: 4-2-5

Team strength: Athleticism

Team weakness: Inexperience on defense

Players to watch

QB Tyler Hill (6-2, 185), LB Darius Floyd (5-11, 225), WR Keevon Rice (5-10, 175), DB Austin Johnson (6-1, 190), WR Jacob English (6-3, 170), DB Jacoby Yates (5-9, 165), RB Tyree Brawley (6-0, 190), RB Jayvion Robinson (5-10, 155), DB Colter Farmer (6-0, 175), WR Jaedyn Gipson, DB Landon Cowley, OL Eric Martinez, OL Sterling Cumming, DL Cadin Pizzola, WR Ben Imler, DB Adam Robles, DB Connor Moriarty.

2022 schedule

Date     Opponent

Aug. 26 at Killeen Shoemaker

Sept. 2 El Paso Montwood

Sept. 9 at Abilene Cooper

Sept. 16 Belton

Sept. 23 Abilene Wylie

Oct. 7 at Midland High*

Oct. 14 Odessa High

Oct. 21 at Midland Legacy*

Oct. 28 Odessa Permian*

Nov. 4 at Wolfforth Frenship*

*District game

2021 results

Killeen Shoemaker W 43-28

El Paso Montwood W 34-29

Austin Vandegrift L 13-45

Amarillo Tascosa L 28-46

Wolfforth Frenship W 1-0 (forfeit)

Odessa High L 14-41

Midland High W 41-17

Odessa Permian L 7-21

Midland Legacy L 28-69

Abilene High L 14-49

El Paso Eastlake L 17-21

This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: San Angelo Central Bobcats eyeing turnaround in 2022