Central Bobcats to Host Spring Football Game Thursday

SAN ANGELO, TX — Central Bobcats football fans will get a treat when the Bobcats host their Spring Game at San Angelo Stadium on Thursday. The two-hour scrimmage will give everyone in attendance a chance to see Central in action for the first time since the 2025 football season concluded in the second round of the playoffs against Southlake Carroll.

• When: Thursday, May 14, 5-7 p.m.

• Where: San Angelo Stadium

• Entry is free and open to the public.

"I couldn't be happier with the overall development of the entire program," Bobcats head coach Mark Smith said ahead of the Spring Game. "Where we are right now compared to where we were in spring of Year 1 and spring of Year 2 and now into the spring of Year 3, we continue to take steps forward. I have high expectations for this team."

The Spring Game is not really a game in usual football terms. It will be an extension of the current spring football practice format with situational football scenarios in action that the Bobcats need to experience. Coach Smith will be on a microphone during the Spring Game to explain to the crowd what is happening and why the Bobcats are practicing certain scenarios before breaking those scenarios down. It will be an excellent chance for the fans to learn as much as the Central players learn during the event.

“I really like to explain that to the people who are in attendance, 'Here’s what we are emphasizing in this particular situation,'" Smith said.

If anyone has ever wondered how and why coaches and players do things at certain points in a football game, here is one of the best opportunities to learn.

Smith is excited and with good reason. Last season, the Bobcats improved again, claimed a playoff victory, and finished with their best record, 8-4, since 2017.

So what should fans expect on Thursday? Solid returners from last year, sure, but there will also be many new faces to watch, especially on defense.

Central stepped up on the defensive side of the football to limit teams in areas where past Bobcats' teams struggled. But as with all high school sports, players graduate. Central loses several of its top performers on defense to graduation this year, including Mason Van Sickle, who led the team with 138 tackles last season. With Van Sickle graduating in a few weeks, that production has to come from somewhere. Smith said that there are guys on the roster who will step up.

“From one season to the next, there is always a sense of ‘How will we replace ___?’” Smith continued. “The good teams do that every year. Those tackles will be made by new people, those yards collected by people, and those receptions will be caught by new people. So, people always step up into different roles. It may not be one guy; it may be a group of people in certain situations.”

This will be the second year for the Bobcats’ defense under the same scheme with the same defensive coordinator, Jacob Martin, who said his defense has already begun to gel together and play as a team. That comes with time and experience, something these Bobcats finally have.

“Now, you look out there, and I see 11 guys on the same page,” Smith said of his new defense. “You are seeing a collective group of guys on the same page. That’s when you start playing great team defense.”

On offense, losing layers like wide receives Colton Hill and Jimmy Edwards and tight end Casner Stribling will be a blow to the offense, but Smith still sounded excited about the guys he has coming back.

Most notably, the Bobcats return the man under center, Micah Smith. With 27 touchdowns through the air and three on the ground, a large part of Central’s success came from his arm. As a first-year starter, Smith struggled in some areas, yes, but looked to settle and continually improve as the season progressed. With another offseason under his belt, the young man is poised to do something truly special in the fall.

“He’s 20 pounds heavier than he was last fall,” Smith said of his quarterback. “I imagine he will be about 30 pounds heavier by the time we start this fall than he was last fall. That stature means a lot at that position. I want to run him more this year. So, that’s going to be a part of our offensive game plan going forward. His leadership and rallying the guys around him provide a level of comfort to the rest of the offense.”

Micah will have a chance to put his hard work on display on Thursday. 

Then you have what will become the Bobcats’ two-headed monster in the backfield, Zey Johnson and Darius Huitt. Johnson ran for over 1,000 yards last season as a sophomore and would probably have run for more if nagging injuries and split carries had not hindered the young running back in the middle chunk of the season. Johnson is a true bruiser who’s only grown in size and speed during the offseason and should be electric moving forward.

His counterpart, Huitt, was always the change-of-pace back in 2025. When the Bobcats needed 4 or 5 yards, Huitt was your guy. He also collected many passes out of the backfield and should embrace that role more this season.

Out wide, Gavin Johnson and Ellis Johnson step up to replace what Jimmy Edwards and Colton Hill gave the Bobcats in 2025 — explosive plays. A first-team all-district player in 2024 after Hill went down with a season-ending injury, Johnson took a secondary role in 2025. As one of the leading men on the Bobcats headed into 2026, his production should increase tenfold.

At tight end, look for Tucker Beaty to make an impact. Beaty mainly contributed on the defensive side of the football at linebacker last season, but he looks to make an impact on both sides of the ball in 2026.

Then there is the offensive line. Anchored by 6-foot-4, 300-pound guard Ethan Boyd, the Bobcats should deliver another solid offensive line in 2026. Boyd recently received significant interest from several D-I schools and has received offers from eight of them, including Oklahoma State, Texas State, UTSA and North Texas.

“He’s a unique player,” Smith said of Boyd. “He’s the anchor and the leader of that group. What I love about Ethan is his intelligence and his footwork. He’s very nimble for a 300-pound guy. He’s got long arms and great reach. He’s got a physicality to his play that is his strong suit.”

Smith said that since Boyd received his offers, it has only upped his motivation to succeed.

“When you have a guy that leads by example, it raises the level of play for everyone around him,” Smith said. “Ethan knows we are only as good as our weakest link. … (He's) certainly very deserving of the offers he’s received. Some guys start to get a few offers and start to feel really good about themselves. It’s only made him hungrier.”

Other returners on the line include Parker Havercroft, who started at center for the Bobcats last season, Jose Ibarra and some other young guys who are ready to step up.

As the only team in the Concho Valley with spring workouts — which took place over three weeks — the Bobcats will have to start their fall workouts a week later than everyone else in August.