The streak lasted almost three years.
Odessa High hadn’t won a District 2-6A game since Oct. 26, 2018 against Wolfforth Frenship.
Utilizing a new offense and returning experienced players on defense, the Bronchos broke that streak and defeated San Angelo Central 41-14 Friday at Ratliff Stadium.
“It was a collective effort, I have a great staff and it’s not just me,” Odessa High head coach Dusty Ortiz said after the victory. “These guys, the coaching staff, they’ve done a great job all week of preparing and just getting the kids in the right spot.
“It makes my job a lot easier when you have good people around you and I have some of the best.”
All week long the Bronchos knew they would face a team that used similar schemes on offense and defense.
It looked like the matchup would turn into an early shootout after both San Angelo Central quarterback Tyler Hill and Odessa High quarterback Diego Cervantes capped off their opening drives with 19-yard touchdown runs to tie the game, 7-7.
That wasn’t the case though, as the Bronchos capitalized on their opportunities and shut down Bobcat drives before they could reach the red zone.
Although Odessa High (3-3 overall, 1-1 district) surrendered 400 total yards of offense to San Angelo Central, the Bronchos defense showed it can make important stops when needed.
Defensive coordinator Ammad Quigley said his unit was prepared because it had faced a Lubbock Coronado team running similar concepts.
“When our kids aren’t thinking and they can just fly around, they have fun,” Quigley said.
The key for the defense to continue an upward trend is for every player to maintain a positive mentality and have fun, Quigley added.
Big plays from Cervantes and Javonte Delce would propel the Bronchos to a 21-7 lead at halftime.
Delce broke off a 41-yard run on a draw play that saw him finish in the end zone in the first quarter and Cervantes followed that up the next period with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Adrian Madrid on a crossing route through the middle of the field.
The third quarter seemed to belong to the Bronchos’ quarterback-running back duo as they combined to boost their team’s lead.
Delce showed off his speed again by turning the corner on a 37-yard rushing touchdown five plays into the second half, then Cervantes would find the running back for a 2-yard pass to push the lead to 34-7.
“It felt really good, my [offensive line] blocked for me every play,” Delce said following his 138-yard performance on the ground. “They don’t give up, no matter what the deal is.”
Cervantes connected with Blane Mendoza for a 24-yard touchdown pass before the Bobcats would score their final points of the night, too late to make a dent in Odessa High’s lead.
After seeing the competition the district has to offer the past two weeks, Ortiz knows his team has to keep fighting to stay in the fight for a playoff spot.
“Any given week any team can win,” Ortiz said. “It goes back to preparation, we’ve got to make sure we prepare Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to win the game on Friday.”
>>Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
ODESSA HIGH 41, SAN ANGELO CENTRAL 14
San Angelo Central… 7…. 0 0 7 — 14
Odessa High……….. 14…. 7 13 7 — 41
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
San Angelo Central: Tyler Hill 19 run (Erick Rodriguez kick) 8:35. Drive: 8 plays 41 yards, 3:15. Key play: A 56-yard kickoff return from Adam Robles set the Bobcats with a short field to work with.
Odessa High: Diego Cervantes 19 run (Camilo Nicolas kick) 5:56. Drive: 9 plays 75 yards, 2:39. Key play: Ceravntes picked up a first down with a 15-yard pass to Ivan Carreon.
Odessa High: Javonte Delce 41 run (Camilo Nicolas kick) 4:37. Drive: 4 plays 58 yards, 0:42. Key play: Cervantes kept the drive alive with a 14-yard run before handing the ball off to Delce.
Second Quarter
Odessa High: Adrian Madrid 6 pass from Diego Cervantes (Camilo Nicolas kick) 9:37. Drive: 12 plays 99 yards, 3:24. Key plays: Cervantes completed two straight passes for 24 yards before getting into scoring range.
Third Quarter
Odessa High: Javonte Delce 37 run (kick failed) 10:14. Drive: 5 plays 50 yards, 1:52. Key play: Delce converted a third down with a 4-yard run to keep the drive alive.
Odessa High: Javonte Delce 2 pass from Diego Cervantes (Camilo Nicolas kick) 7:23. Drive: 5 plays 41 yards, 1:20. Key play: A 7-yard run from Cervantes converted a third down to set up the pass.
Fourth Quarter
Odessa High: Blane Mendoza 24 pass from Diego Cervantes (Camilo Nicolas kick) 6:09. Drive: 12 plays 90 yards, 4:49. Key play: Cervantes completed a 12-yard pass to Terrance Samuel before finding Mendoza.
San Angelo Central: Darius Floyd 29 run (Erick Rodriguez kick) 5:07. Drive: 4 plays 90 yards, 1:02. Key play: Samuel Navarrete picked up a 22-yard run to move the Bobcats down field.
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TEAM STATISTICS
San Angelo Central Odessa High
First Downs…………………… 19……………….. 24
Total Yards…………………. 400……………… 412
Rushes-Yards………… 28-213…………. 38-260
Passing……………………… 187……………… 152
Comp-Att-Int……………. 18-29…………… 15-24
Fumbles-Lost………………. 2-0………………. 0-0
Punts-Avg……………….. 4-38.3…………….. 3-35
Penalties-Yards…………. 9-80…………….. 4-47
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INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
San Angelo Central: Samuel Navarrete 7-96, Darius Floyd 6-64, Tyler Hill 12-44, Tyree Brawley 1-8, Brock Miller 2-1.
Odessa High: Javonte Delce 11-138, Diego Cervantes 16-81, Dajuan Green 7-27, Adrian Madrid 1-15, James Fogle 3-(-1).
Passing
San Angelo Central: Tyler Hill 18-29—187.
Odessa High: Diego Cervantes 15-24—152.
Receiving
San Angelo Central: Jacob English 4-49, Jaedyn Gipson 4-48, Samuel Navarrete 3-37, Cayden Box 4-36, Trevor Scott 1-9, Markwill Holloman 1-9, Adam Robles 1-(-1).
Odessa High: Ivan Carreon 5-44, Adrian Madrid 2-31, Blane Mendoza 1-24, Terrance Samuel 2-23, Ethan Alvarado 2-16, Javonte Delce 2-15, Dreshon Douglas 1(-1).
