Cobras adding more bite for 2015

Returning the district?s skill player of the year would be cause for any football team to be hopeful entering a new season, but that buck doesn?t stop there for the Sigourney-Keota football team.

Senior Peyton Crawford will headline a Cobra offense that will look to make another trip to the playoffs in November, and he says the experience the team gained last season will only help.

?It?s going to help us a lot, because a lot of guys were able to get a lot of playing time last year, especially in the playoffs,? Crawford said. ?I think we are ready to go back to where we left off.?

On paper, the offense figures to be the strength for the Sigourney-Keota football team in 2015, with three of the five starting offensive linemen returning, as well as the majority of the athletes in their skill positions (running back and wide receiver).

Perhaps the biggest offensive loss in the skill position department is Nate Owen, who was the top receiver for the Cobras in 2015. Owen reeled in 32 catches for 357 yards and four touchdowns as the primary tight end last season, but head coach Jared Jensen already has his eyes on a player to fill Owen?s role.

?Isaiah Hahn has really come on,? Jensen said. ?Last winter, he started really lifting hard and through the summer has put on a ton of mass. He?s more physical. We feel like he?ll do a pretty good job as our strong end, and he?s a valuable pass catcher as well. Hopefully he can fill Nate?s role and we?ll keep on going.?

Crawford?s 1,708 rushing yards, 22 touchdowns and 9.4 yards per carry average helped lead the strong running attack for Sigourney-Keota last season, but he won?t be the only head returning for a multi-talented backfield.

Nate Sieren (5.4 yards per carry, six touchdowns) and Jacob Wickencamp (4.7 yards per carry) will be prominent features in the rushing attack for the Cobras, as well as whoever wins the starting job under center, which Jensen said is currently between three different athletes.

?If you are a running team, you can?t count on having one or two guys take the full load,? Jensen said. ?By the end of the game, they?ll be so tired that you wouldn?t get a fourth quarter run. Having a multitude of backs that we think can get on the field is huge.?

With two open spots on the offensive line, the Cobras have been utilizing their camp time to shake out the starting spots.

?It?s early, but I think that after Simpson camp, we had some pretty valuable work,? Jensen said. ?We have a couple of key guys returning, but we are still trying to mix-and-match and figure out who fits where. Three of the five are returning, but we have to find their spots.?

With the competition on the line, one senior has noticed a lot of the younger athletes stepping up and competing for valuable playing time this season.

?We are doing pretty good right now,? senior Lane Boender said. ?We have a couple of younger guys stepping up, and filling in the gaps of the seniors who left last year. They got a lot of experience on junior varsity last year, so hopefully that can carry to this year.?

Boender will be a key part of a defense that will have a big makeover up front.

The Sigourney-Keota senior led the team in tackles last season, recording 58.5, including an 18-tackle game against Eddyville-Blakesburg in the middle of the season.

?I?m ready to get going,? Boender said. ?I want to pick up right where I left off last season and keep on going.?

Jensen said he will be looking to Boender and the rest of the experienced linebacker corps to step on the field for the Cobras.

?Defensively, we lose our entire defensive line,? Jensen said. ?We have most of our linebackers, but we also lose most of our defensive backs from last year. We think that the kids that are filling in have some experience, but we are still moving things around.?

As they fit the pieces in place, one that will remain the same is Boender in the middle linebacker role, a spot he took over last season that allowed him to be able to provide key leadership.

?(Lane) is the type of kid who is level headed,? Jensen said. ?He doesn?t get too high, but doesn?t get too low. He?s going to stay the same no matter what is going on. That?s huge as a middle linebacker, especially if something bad happens. He is ready for the next call and just does it. We know he can play. He?s a quiet kid, but his game speaks for itself.?

Regardless of where the Cobras line everyone up, there is going to be one constant on the field: Speed.

?We are going to be really fast,? Crawford said. ?That?s going to be the key, that we have to gang-tackle. We don?t have many big guys, except for a couple of guys on the line, but I don?t know if we go past 180 pounds. We have to be fast. I think our speed and athleticism are going to help us a lot.?

The Cobras will officially open their season on Aug. 28 when they host BGM, Brooklyn.