Cobras unable to pull out a win against Rice

    Last Friday the Industrial Cobras traveled to Rice field to face off against the Rice Raiders (1-2) with a final score of 44-13.
    Athletic Director Kensey Allen said the Cobras started off good and scored first, but penalties and mistakes got to them on Friday. “We had eight penalties for 95 yards and even had some when we gained 15, 16 yards,” he said. “It’s the same enemy that has killed us all year.”
    The Cobras kicked off to the Raiders and the Cobra defense took the field quickly shutting down the Raiders opening drive forcing a turnover. As the Cobras began their opening drive a Raider defender stripped the ball headed into Cobra territory before being taken down.
    The Raider offense took the field for a quick three and out before the Cobra offense took control of the ball. #28 Avery Milner scored on a 50-yard run and #82 Alberto Pineda kicked it through the uprights for the point after. The Raiders quickly answered with a run of their own and point after tying up the game 7-7 with 5:45 left in the first quarter.
    The Cobras and Raiders tussled back and forth neither willing to budge for the remember of the first.
    The start of the second had the Raiders third and 19, and 11 seconds in the Raiders scored with point after good, giving Rice Consolidated the lead. The next series for the Cobras was met with disaster as the Cobras fumbled the ball inside their 30-yard line.
    The Raiders scored with the point after good, but the Industrial Cobras quickly answered with a touchdown of their own off a quick dump pass from #11 Logan Gabrysch to Milner the point after blocked and returned by a raider for two points.
    With 10:11 left in the second the score was Raiders 23, Cobras 13. Industrial struggled to move the ball the remaining minutes of the second quarter forcing the Cobra defense to push back the Raiders. #54 Devon De Los Santos, #20 Bailey Kolb and a slew of other defenders helped stop the Raiders bringing up fourth and 20 forcing a punt. At the end of the first half the Raiders had 30 points and the Cobras 13.
    Industrial received to begin the second half of play. Starting 1st and 10 from their own 20-yard line the Cobras found themselves set back by penalties forcing the Cobras to punt. As the time continued to tick down disaster struck again as a pass intercepted by the Raiders inside the Cobra 20-yard line. The third quarter came to an end Raiders 44, Cobras 13.
    The Cobras came out strong in the fourth with a quick pitch to #30 Ethan Brown and a pass upfield to Gabrysch for a 60-yard gain. Again plagued by penalties the Cobras were unable to convert and the game ended Raiders 44, Cobras 13.
    The Industrial Cobras (2-2) have a home conference game against the Hitchcock Bulldogs (3-1) this Friday night, Nov. 6. Kick-off is set for 7:30 p.m. If the Cobra lose this Friday they will be sitting in fourth place, but if they win, they will be in a three-way tie. Regardless, the Cobras will find themselves in the playoffs this year.
    “We’re going back to work this week and clean up the mistakes,” Allen said. “Not to mention building more discipline. We have a tough road ahead of us and we need a little more fight.” He added the team got the wind knocked out of them and they haven’t recovered properly yet.
    “We’ve got to get over the obstacles,” he said. “You’re going to have ups and downs and you can’t let your lows get too low and your highs too high.”