San Angelo Central Bobcats run out of gas against Odessa Permian in home finale
After leading by three points at the half, the San Angelo Central High School football team was held scoreless the rest of the way en route to a 43-31 loss against Odessa Permian in a key District 2-6A battle Friday night at San Angelo Stadium.
Permian running back Juzstyce Lara lit up the scoreboard with five touchdowns.
The Bobcats led 31-28 at the break in their home finale, but the Panthers took control in the second half.
Both teams have clinched a playoff spot with one game remaining.
The Panthers and Bobcats entered the night in a four-way tie for first place with Midland Legacy and Frenship.
Permian improved to 8-1 overall and 3-1 in district. Central dropped its second-straight game, falling to 5-4 and 2-2.
"We fought hard and we played hard," Central head coach Kevin Crane said. "The defense was out there for a lot of snaps and they kept fighting. Offensively in the first half, we played really well. We had some explosive plays and scored 31 points and we had some mistakes, too. Really, we could've scored more, but 31 points at the half against Permian is pretty good.
"We just weren't able to sustain the momentum in the second half. We tried to take the wind in the third quarter and tried to pin them deep and we just weren't able to get them stopped. And we couldn't really get anything going offensively in the second half."
Central quarterback Tyler Hill completed 13 of 21 passes for 309 yards and three TDs, including a 91-yarder and a 50-yarder to wide receiver Jacob English. The other TD connection was a 45-yarder to Tyler Walker.
Hill also ran for a team-high 82 yards on nine carries, including a 75-yard TD.
Former Central baseball standout Davis Martin, who is now a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, was honored before the game. Martin was drafted by the White Sox in the 14th round of the Major League Baseball draft in 2018 after a stellar career at Texas Tech University. He helped the Red Raiders reach the College World Series in 2016 and 2018.
The Bobcats will travel to Wolfforth on Friday, Nov. 4, to take on Frenship (7-2 and 3-1) in the regular-season finale.
Permian took a 28-17 lead after a 2-yard touchdown run by Lara at the 5:12 mark of the second quarter.
The Bobcats cut the deficit to 28-24 on the ensuing possession, as Hill connected with Walker for the 45-yard TD pass with 4:00 left in the half.
After forcing Mojo to punt, Central took a 31-28 lead on the 50-yard TD strike from Hill to English with 1:06 left in the second quarter.
The Panthers regained the lead on a 2-yard TD by Lara at the 6:08 mark of the third quarter. Isaac Herrera's two-point conversion run made it 36-31 Permian.
On the first series of the fourth quarter, Permian took over with great field position at Central's 42-yard line, and five plays later, quarterback Rodney Hall completed a 25-yard TD pass to Ja'Quan Richardson for the final margin.
The Panthers have some massive players on the offensive line, including 6-foot-5, 305-pound right tackle Harris Sewell, who has verbally committed to Clemson.
Permian's O-line hammered away at the Bobcats all night.
"It's a big factor," Crane said. "(Sewell) has committed to Clemson and he's a big-time football player. The right guard is just as big. It wears on you as the game goes on and they were able to milk the clock and run the ball and when you're able to do that, it's hard to get it stopped.
"I was proud of the way our kids fought to the end. We've got to rebound, watch the film, learn from it and get better and move on to the next one."
Hall and Lara were a formidable 1-2 punch for the Panthers' run-heavy offense.
"The quarterback's fast and a good player," Crane said of Hall. "He's been a good player for them for a long time. I know he's played two years and maybe three. He really makes the offense go. Hats off to those guys. They really played well."
Things got heated at the end of the game when the Permian QB took a kneel down and a Central player put a hit on him after the play was over.
But calmer heads prevailed during the post-game handshakes.
"I was disappointed at the end of the game," Crane said. "I'm not sure the kid saw (the Permian QB) go to a knee. I'm gonna find out. It's disappointing for it to end like that with a clean, hard-fought game for four quarters. But I thought we handled it here at the end really well."
Odessa Permian 43, San Angelo Central 31
Permian 14 14 8 7--43
Central 10 21 0 0--31
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
C -- Jacob English 91 pass from Tyler Hill (Chase Miller kick), 11:05
P -- Juzstyce Lara 1 run (kick blocked), 9:28
P - Lara 3 run (Caysen Clinton pass from Rodney Hall), 6:49
C -- Miller 27 FG, 2:23
Second Quarter
P -- Lara 1 run (Tate Terry kick), 10:17
C -- Hill 75 run (Miller kick), 9:57
P -- Lara 2 run (Terry kick), 5:12
C -- Tyler Walker 45 pass from Hill (Miller kick), 4:00
C -- English 50 pass from Hill (Miller kick), 1:06
Third Quarter
P -- Lara 2 run (Isaac Herrera run), 6:08
Fourth Quarter
P -- Ja'Quan Richardson 25 pass from Hall (Terry kick), 9:31
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: San Angelo Central falls to 2-2 in district after loss against Permian
