On Friday, the Industrial Cobras traveled to Altair for a showdown against the Rice Raiders. The Cobras defeated the Raiders 33-19, building on both their district record (2-1) and their overall record (2-5).
“I’m very proud of our boys right now,” Cobra Head Football Coach Matthew Luddeke said.
“After a tough 0-5 start, we have continued to improve in all three phases of the game each week. I’m extremely proud of how we have started to respond to adversity in games, and the level of speed and physicality we have been playing with.”
The game began after Rice won and deferred the coin toss. The Cobras received the ball and fumbled, giving Rice possession. After a tackle for a loss, followed by an interception, the Cobras regained possession and took the ball in for a touchdown.
“It was nice to start off on a one play drive after a big turnover, and I thought we moved the ball well,” Luddeke said. “One turnover hurt us a little bit, and we got behind the chains sometimes, but for the most part our offense moved the ball well.”
The Cobra offense gained a total of 301 yards, and was led by quarterback Cooper Francis, Ryan Riddle, Logan Thomas, Bryce Sykes, and Ga’Ziah Lopez. Francis went eight for 10, throwing for 92 yards, including a 42-yard-pass to Thomas. “I think something the offense really did well on was being physical the whole game,” Francis said. “Even when we were up, we were still putting it to them every play.”
The Cobra defense— headed by Gaziah Lopez, Jeramiah Herrera, Logan Thomas, and Austin Arias—also did well, holding strong against the Raiders’ offense and held them to 308 yards. Lopez, the Athlete of the Week, feels that the defense played well overall, but there is always room for improvement.
“I think we did well knowing our areas and just being disciplined on the field,” Lopez said.
“Just being able to do our job and come downhill to hit the holes.”
The key to the game for the Cobras this week won’t just be strong stops on defense and running the Cobra offense, but being the most physical team on the field.
“Boling’s a very ground and pound style offense which we match up well with,” Luddeke said. “So I think being the most physical team is going to make a difference in the game on Friday.”
Ready to bring the heat, the Cobras (2-5) will fire it up to beat down the Bulldogs (1-6) at the Snake Pit on October 24. Kickoff is at 7:30.
The Cobras currently sit in fourth place in district, in the final playoff spot. A win on Friday locks up a playoff spot for Industrial.
