Sep. 11—CENTERVILLE — In a battle of top-ten ranked, unbeaten football clubs only one could rise unscathed. On Friday, it was the Sigourney-Keota Cobras.
They scored first and never relinquished the lead, using its tricky single-wing formation offense of reverses, options and spinning backs to beat the Centerville Big Reds 42-7.
The Centerville defense made a stand early in the game, with Kade Mosley intercepting a pass in the end zone, but the stall was short-lived. Sigourney-Keota’s Colten Clarahan nabbed the ball and the Cobras would ultimately clear the way for a one-yard touchdown run by Cade Molyneaux.
The score put the Cobras, ranked fifth in Class 1A, ahead of Centerville 7-0 with less than four minutes to play in the opening quarter.
The Cobras went up by two touchdowns two minutes later, with Levi Crawford running it in from 24 yards out to make the score 14-0.
Class 2A’s sixth ranked Centerville scored what would be their only points of the game a minute into the second quarter. The touchdown came on 4th and 5 when Sawyer Wardlow threw a four-yard pass to Jayden Ruiz to make the score 14-7. The play capped a 61-yard drive for the Big Reds.
It was all Sigourney-Keota from there. Molyneaux and Crawford each tallied two more scores.
The Cobras went up 21-7 with a 15 yard touchdown run. Crawford would score on a five-yard run to give Sigourney-Keota a 28-7 lead at half.
A 53-yard touchdown reception by Crawford and a four-yard touchdown run by Molyneaux were split between the final two quarters of play.
Sigourney-Keota improves to 3-0. They host Pleasantville in their homecoming game and district opener next week.
Centerville falls to 2-1. They open district play at Davis County on Friday for the Pennant Game and the Davis County homecoming game.
Kyle Ocker is the editor of the Ottumwa Courier and the Oskaloosa Herald. He can be reached at kocker@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kyle_Ocker.