Last Friday night, the Industrial Cobras took on the Van Vleck Leopards in the Snake Pit and won their first game of the season 27-19, improving their season record to 1-5 and their district record to 1-1.
The Cobras won the coin toss and chose to defer, opting to begin the night on defense. Though the Leopard offense moved downfield into the Cobras’ red zone on their first possession, the Cobra defense stiffened, holding the Leopards to sequential runs for three losses and no gain.
“Our defensive line had a really good game,” Cobra Head Football Coach Matthew Luddeke said. “Just maintaining their gaps against the offense and putting us in a great position to handle their running game.”
Junior and Player of the Week, Leon Dean, agrees that the defense did well. Van Vleck, a running offense, was held to 139 rushing yards against the Cobra defense, which was led by Dean, Jeramiah Herrera, Logan Thomas and Colt Charbula.
“I feel like we get better every week and we really showed out this game,” Dean said. “We proved that we’re not just an 0-5 team, but that our practice is paying off.”
The Cobra offense also came to play, led by Quarterback Cooper Francis, Bryce Sykes, Ryan Riddle, and Ga’ziah Lopez. Francis went 8-14, throwing for 118 yards— including a 39-yard-pass to Lopez, as well as a 39yard-run himself. By deferring the coin toss at the beginning of the game, the team was able to keep their momentum going by scoring an opening drive at the start of the second half, which has been a season-long goal.
“An opening drive score is a big momentum shifter in any game, especially because it’s one of our goals,” Luddeke said. “We accomplished that goal this game, and I think it put us in a great position to win.”
Another strong performer for the Cobra offense was senior and offensive tackle Fred Smith. He enjoyed the win and feels the offense did well, but said there’s always room for improvement going into the next game against Rice.
“I think we need to go 100% for the whole game,” Smith said. “It felt good to win, and hopefully we can keep winning for the rest of the season.”
Luddeke said he is ready for the team to come out Friday and play the game the way it was meant to be played.
“I just want our boys to stay focused, and go grab that second win as we try to find a way to make it to the playoffs,” Luddeke said.
Hungry for another win, the Cobras (1-5) will gear up to play the Raiders (0-6) at Rice on October 17. Kickoff is at 7:30.
