The Cochrane High School (CHS) Cobras put an exclamation point on their perfect season with a 44-0 win over the Chestermere High School Cowboys Oct. 27 at CHS.
The Cobras finished the Rocky View Sports Association season with a 5-0 record and now face Calgary’s Rundle College Cobras in a tilt to determine who advances to provincial playoff-round action.
Justin Mount and Josh Gingrich-Hadley ran for two touchdowns each with Justin Kwasnicki scoring on a five-yard pass and Dean Cheadle sprinting for a 62-yard score in the win over Chestermere. Mike Quillian added two points on defence with a safety.
Quarterbacks Kelton Beach and Cody Stevens both saw ample playing time in frosty conditions at CHS field. The weather appeared to be having its way with Cobras receivers, as they were handling the ball more like a live hand grenade than a pigskin.
“We had a couple of drops,” said Stevens, who was on target with several passes only to see them ricochet off his receivers to the ground. “We came out on top in the end.”
Cobras coach Rob McNab was upbeat about the performance of both his quarterbacks. It’s not easy running a two-QB offence, but Stevens and Beach both appeared prepared and comfortable taking turns under centre.
“Our quarterbacks threw the ball right on the money,” McNab said. “The receivers were struggling a little with the hard ball. That ball gets slick. We just have to concentrate more.”
Especially against Rundle Cobras, who beat Okotoks schools Holy Trinity Academy 30-1 in the Big Rock Conference semifinal and Foothills Composite 49-30 in the final.
“I know Rundle has a middle linebacker who comes to play every week,” Beach warned. “Another thing that’s going to play a factor is definitely their zone pass coverage. In this league, we’re used to seeing a lot of man coverage. So going against a team that plays a lot of zone is going to be a change we have to be prepared for.”
