Cobras pull out another win, clinch playoff seat

    The Cobras went on the road this past Friday to face the Hempstead Bobcats. Both teams went into Friday looking for a win. For the Cobras, a win meant a playoff seat.
    Athletic Director Kensey Allen said the coaches are very proud of the team. “We cut down on a lot of mistakes we’d made in the past. Our offense is really starting to click thanks to the hard work and attitude of the kids,” he said. “They are really playing selfish football and that’s what it takes to be a great team.”
    Hempstead won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. The Cobras kicked a return on the field to begin the first half of play. #30 Ethan Brown received the kickoff and was stopped on  the Cobra 27-yard line. A catch by #10 Brock Werckle led to a first down, and a few plays later #28 Avery Milner rushed down field for a 48-yard touchdown, and #83 Alberto Pineda’s point after attempt was good.
    With 9:02 left in the first the Cobras had 7, Bobcats 0. The mighty Cobra defense took the field and quickly stopped the Bobcat offense forcing a punt. The Cobra’s next drive was stopped on the Bobcat 20-yard line unable to convert, and the Bobcats took over. Cobras stopped the Bobcats again forcing a punt and the Cobras began their drive on their 49-yard line. Milner off the left tackle took the ball 51 yards for a Cobra touchdown and PAT was good with 2:27 left. Cobras 14, Bobcats 0.
    A sack by #19 Nick Kouches at the end of the first quarter set the Bobcats 3rd and 15 from their 40-yard line to begin the second quarter. The powerhouse Cobra defense shut down the Bobcat offense and Cobras began their drive on their 45 yard line with 11:42 left in the quarter.
    The Cobras drive ate up five minutes and faced with 4th and 15 the Cobras opted to kick a field goal and missed wide left. The Bobcats next series led to an 80-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion was stopped, bringing the to the score to Cobras 14, Bobcats 6 with six minutes left in the half.
    The Cobra offense marched 60 yards down field with #11 Logan Gabrysch and a 10-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown and point after attempt was good. The Cobras had 21 points and the Bobcats had 6. In the final seconds of the second Cobra’s defense set up a wall to keep the Bobcats from scoring with six seconds left. #60 Wesley Sliva intercepted the ball and took it to the 30-yard line. The first half of play came to an end, and the cobras played a phenomenal half of football, using their arsenal from the ground and air the offense blew past the Bobcats quickly.
    Cobra defense takes the field to start the second half, #42 Matthew Shelton sacked the quarterback and #25 Trevor Ressman with a great tackle. A host of Cobras stopped the Bobcats on a third down. The Bobcats forced to punt, and Cobra Gabrysch received and took to the ball to the Cobra 20-yard line to start the Cobra drive. The drive ended with a punt and the Bobcats started inside Cobra territory.
    Cobras were unable to convert #25 Ressman with a 60-yard punt to place the Bobcats on their 19-yard line. With 10:02 left in the fourth the Bobcats scored six points and then went for two points, bringing the score to Cobras 21, Bobcats 14. The Cobras were unable to convert on the next drive and punted it away. The Bobcats responded with a touchdown and the point after attempt was good. The score was Cobras 28, Bobcats 14 with 6:23 left in the fourth.
    With three minutes left in the fourth the Bobcats were knocking on the door of another touchdown, sitting deep inside the red zone. The Cobra defense did not let up and stopped the Cats short. The Cobras started on their two-yard line after a few hard fought yards and tried to eat up as much time as possible. Cobras were forced to punt with 42 seconds left and the Bobcats last drive started from the 45-yard line with 11 seconds left. The Bobcats scored and the two-point conversion was good.
    “Our offensive line had a very strong performance friday which allowed us to have a lot of success running the ball. We are going back to work this week once again looking to continue to improve and cut down on our mistakes,” Allen said. “We are getting more and more consistent each week and want to keep going in that direction.
    “We are looking forward to our matchup with Edna this week. They are a good team and also being a rivalry game we are excited to have a big game such as this one on our district schedule,” Allen continued. “It will be a tough match-up, but our kids have not backed down from anything they have faced yet, so we are excited abut the opportunity we have.”
    The Cobras had 290 yards of total offense and had 285 yards rushing. Milner led the way with 173 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns, Gabrysch had 82 yards on 13 carries and one touchdown. Milner added a 44-yard interception return for a touchdown and Sliva also added an interception.
    The final score was Cobras 28, Bobcats 22. Next week the Cobras play at home against the Edna Cowboys, and game time is Friday, Oct. 23 at 7:30.