Cobras Spoil Mid-Prairie Homecoming 21-14

Jace Chalupa puts the hit on the Mid-Prairie runner.

Written by Clint Dye

Deadlocked 14-14 in the fourth quarter of their rivalry tilt with Mid-Prairie last Friday, September 13, the Sigourney-Keota special teams provided the Cobras with the play of the game in their 21-14 come from behind victory. 

With Mid-Prairie lining up to punt, Cobra senior Billie Kindred broke through the line of scrimmage before laying out and blocking the punt. 

Kindred’s teammate, junior John Berg, was right there next to him for the recovery. A few plays later, senior Isaac Bruns crossed the goal line for the second time, securing the Cobra victory. 

“What a play that was,” said Sigourney-Keota head coach Jared Jensen. “We work punt blocks each week, finding different angles to attack. Billie laid out like Superman to give us one of those huge backs against the wall type plays.”

Brady Clark #10 and John Berg #25 celebrate the Cobra blocked punt and recovery.

Neither team got much going in the opening stanza, one filled with short drives and a plethora of Mid-Prairie penalties. 

In the second quarter, Cobra sophomore Ike Molyneux broke the scoreless tie with a two yard touchdown run, his first of the season. 

An interception in the final two minutes of the first half led to Mid-Prairie’s first score of the game, a two yard touchdown run of their own. 

The Golden Hawks extended their lead to 14-6 midway through the third quarter with an 86-yard touchdown pass. Missed tackles after the short throw is what led to the opening for the score. 

Trailing by eight, the Cobras eventually put together one of their best drives of the season, riding the legs of Bruns and Molyneux before Bruns capped it off with his first score of the night. 

With under a minute to play, Mid-Prairie had one last opportunity to tie the game but the Cobra defense put a final stamp on the night with quarterback pressure and a final stop during the Golden Hawks attempt at a hook and ladder. 

“I thought our defense played extremely well all night,” Jensen said. “We limited their yardage and first downs, I think they only ended up with maybe six. We were great in coverage and our rotation up front added that little extra gear we needed."

Ashton Schwab with a big on Friday night against Mid-Prairie.

Leading the defense were Kindred and fellow senior Jace Chalupa, both finishing with six tackles. Ike Molyneux had five while senior Cael O’Rourke ended with four. 

The offense was led by the running game and Isaac Bruns who carried the ball 27 times for 116 yards with two scores. Molyneux carried the ball ten times for 59 yards with a touchdown. 

In the passing game, junior Brayden Wood is still trying to find his rhythm as is the pass protection up front but he did complete a jump pass to tie the game in the fourth quarter. 

With the win, Sigourney-Keota enters District play with a 2-1 record, something Jensen feels is huge for their confidence going forward. 

“There are a lot of unanswered questions within our District,” Jensen said. “Everyone is still figuring things out, including us. But we’re feeling good about ourselves and the fight we’ve shown this year. What we’ve done so far and this game was a big boost to our confidence heading into Districts.”

This Friday is homecoming for the Cobras and the beginning of Iowa Class 1A District 6 play begins with Cardinal (0-3). 

The Comets are a young team who have only scored six points so far this season, but Coach Jensen won’t let his team overlook this young squad. 

“They are learning on the run,” Jensen said. “We’re going to focus on ourselves but prepare for what they bring to the table. This week will be all about bettering ourselves in practice as we get ready for a long run in Districts.” 

Sigourney-Keota leads the all-time series 7-0, including last season's 67-0 victory.