Sig-K runs past Highland

With the air brewing with potential storms on Friday night, the Sigourney-Keota football team wasn?t worried about it affecting their game plan.

Running their traditional single-wing, run-heavy offense, the rainy first-half conditions didn?t faze the Cobras, as they jumped out to an early lead in their district-opening contest with Highland.

The Huskies, however, turned the ball over a few times in the first half, including a pair of interceptions, one of which was the direct result of a wet football.

?Everything was slippery, and the weather affected us a bit, but with what we do in the run game, it didn?t affect our offensive backs, other than we put the ball on the ground a few times because the ball was slick,? Sigourney-Keota head coach Jared Jensen said. ?It affected both teams, because Highland likes to throw the ball, and rain can do that to you. It was in our favor, I felt.?

That favor resulted in a 16-0 first-half lead for the Cobras, who cruised to their third-straight win to open the year, 38-8, as they improved to 3-0 (1-0 is district play) for the first time in six seasons, according to Jensen.

The Huskies suffered their first loss of the season, falling to 2-1 (0-1 in district play).

?I felt like the rain and wind may have got into our heads a little bit and it definitely plays into S-K offense,? Highland head coach Joe Donovan said. ?They are a running team, so it definitely played into their hands.?

Avery Moore continued to solidify his presence as one of the top playmakers in the district in the first half of the contest, using his athletic ability to break open the game.

The Cobra senior (12 rushes, 161 yards) posted touchdown runs of 44 and 55 yards in the first half, with sophomore Carson Crawford punching the ball in for two-point conversions on each of the PATs, making it 16-0 Cobras early in the second quarter.

?We are mentally, a pretty tough team,? Moore said. ?The weather wasn?t the greatest, but our line held up great. The holes were huge.?

Late in the second quarter, the Huskies were driving, looking to get on the scoreboard, but a pass intended for the end zone ended up in the arms of Sigourney-Keota?s Luke Greiner, who made a diving catch to end the scoring threat, and hold the shutout until halftime.

?We had our defense set up and I was supposed to follow the receiver,? Greiner said. ?He released deep, and I spun around. The ball was right there. I went for it.?

In the second half, the rain tapered off, but the Cobras had all the momentum in their favor, as they took the opening kickoff and marched down the field for a 12-yard touchdown run from Crawford (23 rushes, 91 yards), making it 24-0.

On the next possession, Greiner (12 rushes, 91 yards) got in on the scoring action, running in a touchdown from 35 yards out, and adding another score in the fourth quarter from 20 yards away, putting the Cobras up 38-0 to kickstart the running clock.

?We felt at half time we still were in the game,? Donovan said. ?We drove the ball deep into their territory just before half so we felt like we could do it again. We just had too many mental mistakes the second half.?

The Huskies put together a drive on their final possession of the game, as Trent Lasek caught a 21-yard pass from Jake Wood to prevent the shutout with 38 seconds left in the contest.

?It was a big game,? Moore said. ?We knew we had to go for it hard this week. Highland is a good team and they returned a lot of people back. We knew if we made a statement tonight, it would favor us.?

The Cobras will enter week 4 with a crucial 1-0 record in district play, as the Sig-K head coach believes every game from here on out is going to be crucial toward making a playoff run.

?Every district win, with only two teams making it, is the biggest win of the season,? Jensen said. ?You drop one early, you are setting yourself up for failure. The odds are in your favor if you haven?t lost yet, and we are in it to win it. We had a little lack of focus this week until about Thursday, but we were focused and ready to play tonight. The guys rallied around it tonight.?

The Cobras will now prepare for arguably their toughest test of the season, as they will travel to face perennial No. 1 ranked Regina in a district contest. They are confident heading into the high-profile matchup.

?Fundamentals (are key),? Greiner said. ?Regina is a fundamentally sound team, and if we play fundamental football, I think we can play with them and maybe even escape with a win.?

For the Huskies, they will travel to face Wilton, who comes in after a shutout of Columbus in their district opener.

?We just need to go out and play our game,? Donovan said. ?I feel like if we can just go out and play our game we can score points. Our defense will need to get to the ball carrier, as they have a big running back.?

Both contests are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday night.