OTTUMWA — The Sigourney-Keota Savage Cobras honored the players involved in the past 25 years of tradition-rich football at halftime of their Class 1A, District 6 contest against West Branch.

It just didn’t turn into the kind of game that anyone in attendance hoped for.

The visiting Bears scored on each of their eight possessions and went on to down S-K 55-20 Friday night in Sigourney.

The win was the 250th in the career of West Branch coach Butch Pedersen.

The game started just like the wild, high scoring S-K win of two weeks ago. S-K failed to score on their first possession. The visitors scored on their second play from scrimmage. Cade Jones scored on a five-yard run for a 6-0 West Branch lead.

The Cobras quickly answered with a two-play drive of their own. Colton Greiner took it in from 72 yards out to tie it at six.

Then the visitors unleashed the powerful running game that they have featured all season. Bo Bower and Mike Gould each added touchdown runs to give West Branch a 20-6 first quarter lead.

S-K would be unable to sustain a drive in the second quarter and the visitors added five more touchdowns to lead 55-6 at the half.

Bower would add two more rushing touchdowns and Jones another to close out the rushing touchdowns of the opening half.

The visitors would rush for 291 yards in the opening half. Jones (143) and Bower (117) each surpassed 100 yards rushing to put S-K in a hole they would not be able to fight out of.

“We knew they would run the ball hard and often,” said S-K coach Jared Jensen. “We used some blitzes and just tried to get guys around their backs. We did that early, but couldn’t get them to the ground.”

Quarterback Cole Cook would be involved in the final two West Branch scores. Having established the run, Cook and the Bears used two touchdown passes of seven and 25 yards to close out the first half scoring.

The running clock and a host of new Bears could not keep S-K from scoring in the final half. After a scoreless third quarter, the Cobras put two touchdowns on the board in the final 12 minutes of play.

Two big runs by Cobra backs were used for the scores. On the second play of the fourth quarter, Cole Streigle went 54 yards for the first S-K touchdown. Streigle then hit Jackson Davis with the extra point pass to make the score 55-14.

West Branch had an eight-play drive, but the S-K defense forced a Bear punt. The visitors pinned the Cobras deep, as the punt rolled out of bounds at the two.

Generally, when a team scores on a 92 yard drive, it takes a long sustained drive. The Cobras did it in just three plays. The first two running plays took the ball to the eight and then Greiner picked up nearly half of his game-high 186 yards on the next play. He went 92 yards for the game’s final score.

“We told our guys at the half that this would be a great chance to practice against a very good team,” said Jensen. “We think it will take two more wins to make the playoffs, and I think the second half gave us momentum for that.”

S-K (2-4, 1-2) will travel to Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont next Friday for a pivotal district match-up for both teams.

West Branch 55, Sigourney-Keota 20



W.B.        20    35    00    00    —    55

S-K         6    00    00    14    —    20



Scoring By Quarters

First Quarter

WB — Jones 5 yard run (kick blocked)

SK — Greiner 72 yard run (kick blocked)

WB — Bower 6 yard run (Brandon Wasion kick)

WB - Gould 24 yard run (Wasion kick)

Second Quarter

WB — Bower 14 yard run (Wasion kick)

WB — Jones 26 yard run (Wasion kick)

WB — Bower 62 yard run (Wasion kick)

WB - Cook 7 yard pass to Drew Walter (Wasion kick)

WB - Cook 25 yard pass to Nevin Tucker (Wasion kick)

Third Quarter

Fourth Quarter

SK — Streigle 54 yard run (Streigle pass to Davis)

SK — Greiner 92 yard run (run failed)

TEAM STATISTICS

                WB        S-K

First downs    21         7

Rushes-yards    40-341    38-278

Passing yards    84        21

Total Yards    425        299

Comp-Att-Int    6-8-0    2-4-1

Return Yards    8-112    10-115

Fumbles-Lost    4-1        1-0

Penalties-Yds    2-15    5-28

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

West Branch

RUSHING — Jones 12-143 yards, Bower 7-113 yards, Gould 2-28 yards, Cook 2-7 yards, Mathis Kane 7-13 yards, Nick Westcott 5-4 yards, Coleman Fenner 1-(-5) yards, Jon Gingerich 4-38 yards.

PASSING — Cook 6-8, 84 yards.

RECEIVING — Walter 4-40 yards, Tyller Donovan 1-19 yards, Tucker 1-25 yards.

INTERCEPTIONS — Bower.

TACKLES — Garett Lynch 8.

Sigourney-Keota

RUSHING — Greiner 11-186 yards, Luke Lyle 1-2 yards, Peyton Crawford 7-12 yards, Chase Tremmel 8-21 yards, Streigle 5-61 yards, Blaine Gretter 4-(-7) yards, Derek Berg 2-3 yards.

PASSING — Lyle 0-2, 0 yards, Gretter 1-1, 18 yards, Streigle 1-1, 3 yards.

RECEIVING — Davis  2-21 yards.

INTERCEPTIONS — none.

TACKLES — Crawford 6.