On Friday, the Industrial Cobras battled the Boling Bulldogs in the Snake Pit and pulled off their third consecutive win of 43-28, making their district record 3-1 and their overall record 3-5. The win also locked up a playoff spot for the Cobras.
“I was very proud of our boys Friday night,” Cobra Head Football Coach Mattew Luddeke said. “It was a true team win. Any time we fell short in a phase of the game, someone stepped up.”
The game kicked off after the Cobras won the coin toss and chose to defer. The first half was a shootout, with both teams bringing in four touchdowns. In the second half, the Cobra defense held strong, giving the Bulldogs no chance to score.
“I feel as a team, we played together overall,” senior running back and linebacker Jayden Kemp said. “We did very well, as defense had their moments, offense had their moments, and we just worked together to win.”
The Cobra offense performed very well against the Bulldogs, scoring a season high. Some of the strongest contributors included senior and Athlete of the Week, Ryan Riddle, quarterback Cooper Francis, Easton Larew, Ashton Mendoza, and Ga’Ziah Lopez. Francis went four for eight, throwing 37 yards, including a long pass to Lopez.
“One thing the offense did well on was blocking and doing their job every play,” Riddle said.
Though the Cobra defense gave up 28 points in the first half, they stepped it up in the second half, pitching a shutout to the Bulldogs.
“Looking back on the game, I was really proud of the way our players responded in the second half,” Luddeke said. “There were moments in the first half where it felt like we were struggling to slow down Boling, but our boys stayed persistent, and trusted our adjustments.”
After their third district win Friday, the Cobras have secured a spot in the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean they won’t keep pushing hard to face the East Bernard Brahmas.
“It always feels good to get another win, but we can’t stay focused on the last win,” Kemp said. “We have to go to the next one.”
Hoping to pull off another win, the Cobras (35) will gear up for a showdown against the Brahmas (5-3) in East Bernard. Kickoff is at 7:30.
