Before last season, the Permian football team had a five-game losing streak against San Angelo Central.
Then the series took a brief pause when the Bobcats were thrown into a district with Metroplex schools after a UIL shakeup in 2018.
When San Angelo Central was brought back to District 2-6A for the 2020-2022 realignment, the series was renewed for the Panthers and Bobcats.
Permian was able to bounce back with a strong 58-38 win in San Angelo last year and the Panthers will look to add a second straight victory, this time on their home turf, at 7 p.m. Friday at Ratliff Stadium.
The Panthers come in at 6-2 overall and 3-1 in district play, with a three-game winning streak going after defeating Midland High 34-23 last week.
Permian head coach Jeff Ellison said he has seen San Angelo Central become a stronger team throughout its first season under new leader Kevin Crane.
“I think he’s done a great job and you can see their improvement throughout the year,” Ellison said. “Don’t go back and look at scores, go back and watch the film.
“They’ve improved and they’re a good football team.”
The Bobcats will go into the tilt with a 4-3 overall record, sitting at 2-1 in district play after the UIL State Executive Committee ruled that their loss against Wolfforth Frenship earlier in the season was now a victory after the Tigers used an ineligible player.
Permian currently has a 33-16-1 record in the all-time series against San Angelo Central.
>> HOLDING ON TO THE FOOTBALL: In their win against Midland High, the Panthers fumbled the ball four times and lost three of those.
Their offense was able to use long drives and strong clock management to power through the setbacks.
Ellison believes focusing on good technique will help his players minimize those errors.
“That’s something we address daily, we’ve got to do a better job of focusing like we do in our practice,” he said. “We’ve got to do a great job with it, great technique and it’s something that’s important.”
>> STRONGER COMMUNICATION: Throughout their three-game winning streak, the Panthers have made the most of their opportunities on offense and defense.
When the ball is in the offense’s hands, Ellison has seen his players communicate well when an opposing defense throws a different look at them.
That comes with more players getting meaningful snaps under their belt as the season moves forward.
“They’ve done a good job of communicating what teams do to give us something different,” Ellison said. “They do a good job of communicating out on the field, on the sideline and at halftime as well.”
>> THEY SAID IT: On San Angelo Central’s end, Crane said he has seen the high level of play Permian’s skill position players have exhibited throughout the campaign.
He believes Permian is doing well running its normal veer offense, along with adding new wrinkles in the passing game.
Crane added that he and his players love taking the field at Ratliff Stadium because of the tradition it has.
He hopes his players can have stronger showing than the last time they played there in a 41-14 loss to Odessa High at the start of the month.
This will be the second straight game that the Bobcats will see the veer offense after defeating Midland High at home two weeks ago.
“I do think it helps being able to see that offense a couple weeks in a row,” Crane said. “It’s an offense that you don’t see week in and week out.
“It’s similar, but they do have some differences in their offenses. I do think it was beneficial, but at the same time we’re going to have to be prepared for what Permian does as well.”
>> SUBVARSITY: The Permian subvarsity teams came away with some mixed results in last week’s games against Midland High.
Both freshman teams fell in their matchups, while the junior varsity teams picked up a win and a tie.
The Freshman White team lost 15-6 against Midland High and Freshman Black fell by a 14-10 score.
Junior Varsity White defeated the Bulldogs 21-12 and JV Black tied 12-12 with Midland High.
Both JV teams will hit the road this week against San Angelo Central, with JV White kicking off at 5 p.m. and JV Black playing at 6:30 p.m.
The freshman teams will host San Angelo Central at the Ratliff South Turf Fields, with Freshman White playing at 5 p.m. and Freshman Black starting at 6:30 p.m.
>>Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
San Angelo Central at Permian
>> When: 7 p.m. Friday.
>> Where: Ratliff Stadium.
>> Last Season: Permian 58, San Angelo Central 38.
>> Records: San Angelo Central 4-3 overall, 2-1 District 2-6A; Permian 6-2, 3-1.
>> Radio: KHKX (FM-99.1).
>> Live Updates: Follow on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya.
PERMIAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JUZSTYCE LARA
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 160
Class: Sophomore
Position: Running Back
Last Week: Stepped in at running back, picking up 104 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown in Permian’s 34-23 win over Midland High.
This season: Has raushed for 318 yards and three touchdowns, gaining more carries after injuries in the Permian backfield.
