By Mark Schafer | The News-Review
SIGOURNEY – It wasn’t the scoring pace that won them the game, instead it was the often times invisible force that delivered a win, and a sense of healing.
Friday night, the Sigourney-Keota football team didn’t start out the game with terrific scoring pace, but what they did bring to the gridiron was a brute force that eventually led to the pain from the near past heal.
On Friday night the Cobras made a statement as they were able to shutout Interstate 35, 45-0 to advance to the second round of the playoffs. With the victory, the Cobras were able to erase a bit of the lingering pain they felt from their first round playoff defeat to West Branch a year ago.
Early in the game, the Cobras wanted to take control of the game. They did so by using their physicality and running game.
All the momentum for the game seemed to come off the first drive the Cobras had when they were able to march down field and take the lead. On top of that, they took more than enough time off the clock too.
“That first drive of the game really sets the tone,” Jared Jensen, the head coach for the Sigourney-Keota football team, said. “When you’re a team that can just get the three and half yards, play after play, that is demoralizing for the opponent. Interstate 35 tried to stop us, but we just had so many holes, that our guys were able to find the hole and attack it. The offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage, and our backs were able to get those three and a half yards, especially on the first drive.”
Little by little, the Cobras were able to get their backs through the holes. The drive ended when sophomore running back Blake Baker was able to stomp across the goal line from one yard out for the score.
At the end of the drive, the Cobras not only took the lead, but they also had eaten more than eight minutes off the clock.
“If you can control the game from the first drive, then that is huge because you can set the tone for the rest of the game,” senior quarterback Brayden Wood said. “If you’re setting the tone like we did, then the other team has to think, how are we going to stop them? Once you get them to think that, then the mental mistakes are just going to continue to come. When you can milk the clock, then that is going to just keep things going well.”
In the closing minutes of the second quarter, the Cobras would use their defense to create an opportunity for their offense, and kill off the momentum that the Roadrunners seemed to be building.
The Roadrunners had thrown the ball well throughout the drive and were threatening to score. As they neared the end zone, the Roadrunners went for a corner pass at the goal line. As the ball floated through the air, a sophomore defensive back for the Cobras, Landon Fisch, tracked the ball down.
Fisch was able to jump in front of the ball to get the interception. He was able to return it for 18 yards before he was tackled.
“That interception by Landon was absolutely huge,” Jensen said. “They were able to make some ground up. Then Landon made that play and was able to really step up. For a sophomore player that has played JV most of the season, he was able to get a big time play. He’s a player that everyone is going to know really quick.”
With the ball back, the Cobras used their physicality to drive down the field and add to their lead after Carson O’Rourke rushed it in from five yards out.
The modest 14-0 halftime lead would soon ramp up as the physical play of the Cobras would wear down I-35 during the second half.
“I think when you can set the tone with physicality early on then you have a great opportunity to bury a team early on,” Wood said. “It’s not like we were able to bury them early with the score, but we were physical the whole game. We got some turnovers off of that, and then we wore them down and that was a big part of the difference tonight.”
The Cobras came out on a mission in the second half as they scored off a 28-yard field goal, before adding a 12-yard touchdown pass from Wood to John Berg. The third quarter ended when Baker scored his second one yard touchdown rush of the game.
“We just wore them down,” Wood said. “We knew if we kept the physicality up throughout the game, then eventually they were going to break down.”
The scores kept up into the fourth quarter. Landon Conrad scored off a six-yard touchdown run. O’Rourke capped off the scoring with a nine-yard touchdown rush with 4:12 left in the fourth quarter.
More importantly, the Cobra defense kept Interstate 35 completely off the scoreboard.
“When we started to sub there at the end, our coaches told the players we needed to keep the zero on the board,” Jensen said. “It motivated them. Defense has kept us a float most of the season. Tonight, our offense was able to compliment our defense. To get a shutout in the playoffs against an evenly matched team and hold them to zero points is something that we can build off of.”
Not only does the win advance the Cobras to the next round of the playoffs, it helps eliminate the sour taste left in the mouth from last year’s early playoff exit.
“It is great to get this win,” Wood said. “Last year was tough because you never want to walk off your own field like that. To not only get the win, but also put up that goose egg on the scoreboard and score 45 is huge for everyone.”
The Cobras finished the game with 285 rushing yards, led by Blake Baker, who had 13 carries for 125 yards and two scores. Landon Conrad added 60 yards off 14 rushes and a touchdown. Wood had 41 yards off 10 rushes.
Wood completed two of his three passes for 18 yards and a touchdown. Berg caught a 12 yard pass and Hunter Sellers brought in a six yard reception.
The defense of Sigourney-Keota held Interstate 35 to just 80 yards of offense.
Chase Clarahan had five tackles to lead the team. Owen Menke added three tackles of his own. Blake Baker had 3.5 tackles, Jacob Libe and Ryker Van Den Heuvel had two tackles each.
Menke recovered a fumble. Fisch and Baker both had an interception each.
The win advances the Cobras to the second round of the playoffs where they will take on Beckman Catholic (8-1) in Dyersville on Oct. 31.
