Singular plays make difference

SIGOURNEY - There are many plays in a football game but few that fans remember. The touchdowns are what get etched in fans minds and postgame revelry.

But memorable wins often have forgotten plays that are the real difference and highlight the importance of playing hard every single tick of the clock, maybe harder when the clock isn't recording those seconds. In Friday's Class 1A quarterfinal, each team scored five touchdowns in SK's 35-32 win over visiting Waterloo Columbus Catholic. The point after touchdown conversions were the difference in the game.

'We have to be consistent on every single play and treat it like it's our last,” Sigourney-Keota junior linebacker and spin back Cade Molyneaux said.

CC ran 40 plays from scrimmage and SK 68. A few of them were difference makers that people remember, a few overlooked and forgotten, but maybe more important.

'I think all of our guys know that little things can win the momentum battles and get the team going,” SK's all-state senior defensive back and running back Brady Duwa said.

Those PATs are not counted among the 108 plays from scrimmage. SK junior Colten Clarahan successfully converted all five PAT kicks.

'I never kicked before this year, but a week before the first game I saw seven guys out here competing and I'm a competitive guy, so I tried it and got the job,” Clarahan said.

Columbus missed its first PAT kick, and made the second, The Sailors fourth possession yielded their third score, an exciting 18-yard scurry around end by Alex Feldmann. A two-point conversion was unsuccessful because Duwa's ability allowed him to knock away a pass that looked to tie the game at 21. Instead, it was a 21-19 SK lead going into halftime.

'In the heat of the moment, it didn't seem that important,” Duwa said. 'You look at the final score and see if they had that two points, then they could have tied it at the end when they scored or went for two to get the win.”

Little plays that don't seem to matter can make all the difference.

A big play happened on the third CC possession of the game. Cobra senior Carson Sprouse slithered past a Columbus blocker and made a tackle, forcing a punt.

'It was third-and-long so they are definitely going to pass and my goal was to sit outside and contain, but I saw an angle, so I shucked off the tackle and went and sacked the quarterback,” said Sprouse, who plays center and end on defense.

To get a three-and-out after giving up two TD drives of 80 and 65 yards was huge, especially since the 6-0 and 13-7 scores were the first time the Cobras trailed this season. The field position resulted in a six-play drive that ended with 6 minutes, 42 seconds in the first half and a 21-13 Cobra lead on Brady Duwa's 47-yard touchdown scamper, a play people remember.

But if the line hadn't cleared the way for Sam Sieren on the fourth play of the drive, the Cobras would not have had the ball for Duwa to produce a TD.

'I like offense so I can be the attacker,” Cobra offensive guard and defensive tackle Zach Smithart said. 'We are all in unison, working super well together to make things happen.”

Together the offense converted a fourth-and-2 as Sieren bulled forward for that crucial pair of hash marks. First down was one of three incomplete SK passes on the night and second down was seven points.

Blocking gets overlooked even though that's what enabled the first down and the touchdown.

'I can speak for all of us linemen, we just want to win,” Sprouse said. 'We don't care who gets credit or gets publicity as long as the Cobras get the win.”

Turnovers contribute to wins or losses and interceptions are memorable big plays, especially if it's the only takeaway in a game. SK junior Levi Crawford's interception came at a crucial time and kept momentum for the Cobras. Sieren's 70-yard run on the third play of the second half was nullified by offsetting penalties. The Cobras ran 13 more plays before a failed fake field goal gave the Sailors the ball. A holding call and two incomplete passes preceded the third-and-20 Sailors pass that was snagged by Crawford at midfield.

'Levi made a great play,” SK head coach Jared Jensen said. 'I thought their kid caught it but they went to the ground and Levi popped up with that ball. That was huge. Levi is such a player.”

A six-play drive included a 28-yard Duwa run then Sieren's TD for a 28-19 lead. With 1:06 left in the third quarter, the Cobras had run 22 plays, the Sailors three.

'We want to control the time of possession,” Sieren said. 'That is a big thing for us.”

Two Sailors runs totaling three yards ended the third quarter. The first play of the fourth quarter, third-and-7, become a fourth-and-14 and a punt when Clarahan blew up an end around.

That was a play nobody remembers but it was the second possession for Columbus that yielded nothing and the Cobras drove from their own 9 to the Columbus 43, taking 5 minutes off the clock, before a bad snap forced a punt. Duwa hustled to cover the football laying on the ground, and the punt left Columbus at its own 13. If Duwa hadn't covered it, the Sailors would have had the ball 38 yards upfield.

Again, the Cobras' hustle and treatment of every play like its their last make even the forgotten plays big ones in a memorable game that has the N. 3 Cobras in the UNI-Dome Saturday at 12:30 in a semifinal gainst No. 1 OABCIG.