Cobras strike repeatedy in victory

OTTUMWA -- Sigourney-Keota and Pekin met at Schafer Stadium Friday because of storm damage to Pekin's field.

The Cobras came away with a 34-14 win.

'We played one of the best defensive game we have played in years,” SK coach Jared Jensen said. 'The guys did their job which allowed the guys next to them to make plays. Offensively, we won the line of scrimmage, which in our offense is huge.”

JD Stout ran 24 times for 195 yards with a touchdown and Cobra running back Sam Sieren had two TDs and 128 yards on 17 carries. Brady Duwa added 88 yards and two TDs on just four totes.

Big plays defensively on four straight possessions turned the tide for the Cobras. Brady Duwa had three interceptions and Sam Sieren had one.

'We need to continue to block until we hear the whistle, not just chip block and assume the play is going by us,” Jensen said.

The Cobras host Lynville-Sully Friday while Pekin plays at Mid-Prairie.

'I felt we came out the second half and played much better,” Pekin coach Bud Blakely said. 'Games like this will provide you an opportunity to grow from and I think our kids will respond. It's easy to get caught up with all the negatives but we punted the ball real well, we didn't commit the amount of penalties that we fought last year especially for the first game of the year. Most importantly, we had many kids that played their first time on Friday night at different positions and gained some great experience. Our kids never quit. Despite the scoreboard, we did do some things well.”

Blakely said that his team's execution was not pretty and turnovers were a glaring point in the game.

'Sometimes those things go hand in hand,” Blakely said. 'Just cleaning those things up will help tremendously in getting back where we need to be.

In Blakely's four years as head coach, the home team in the 'Backyard Brawl” has never won.

'I really appreciated the hospitality of Ottumwa School District for allowing us to use their beautiful facility. I'm very grateful they allowed us the opportunity.”