Cobras bounce back in see-saw affair

By Tim Bryson WCCHS Cobras football
An 18-point win might seem comfortable, but it was anything but, as the Willow Creek Composite High School Cobras scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Rocky Mountain Rams of Cranbrook 37-19 last Friday, Oct. 2, in high school football action at the Snake Pit.
The Rams are football orphans, as their location leaves them out of any leagues further west in BC, so they play a lot of US teams, but will switch things up to play any Canadian teams they can when they can. As a result, they play a mix of US rules (the punt rules used Friday, for example), and Canadian rules. BC high school teams play 11-a-side US rules, so some of what they adjusted to Friday, they hadn’t seen all year.
The Cobras got on the board first on a 28-yard field goal by Hugo Pazos for a 3-0 lead, but the Rams responded later in the quarter, going on an 85-yard, eight-play drive to take a 6-3 lead.
The Cobras responded by marching 80 yards in nine plays featuring a heavy dose of Easton Wright and the Cobras ground-and-pound game. Wright carried the load on six of those plays, scoring from 10 yards out.
It looked like the half would end that way, as the Cobras took over at their own 39-yard line with less than a minute left in the half, but Wright hauled in a Colton Cutler pass, broke a couple tackles and rumbled 71 yards for a 17-6 Cobra lead at the half.
The Rams were able to get back in the game early in third by taking advantage of a Cobra turnover at the Cobra 15-yard line and scoring two plays later. They took their first lead early in the fourth quarter with a 73-yard pass-and-run touchdown to push the score to 19-16 for the Rams.
The Cobras answered right back, as Wright ran it in from 14 yards out and a 23-19 Cobra lead.
The Cobra defence stiffened on the next series, forcing a turnover on downs at the Ram 41-yard line. Five plays later, Wright scored his third rushing TD of the night to stretch the lead to 30-19. The Cobras put the game away on the next series, when Ty McLean intercepted a pass and rumbled 45 yards for a “pick six” on his first ever interception.
The Cobra ground game was paced by Easton Wright, who picked up 213 yards on 22 carries. Jacob Penner chipped with 38 yards on nine carries, while Ty McLean added 22 yards on five carries. Colton Cutler completed 2 of 6 passes for 76 yards, giving the offence a respectable total of 347 net yards.
The Cobra defence was able to hold the Rams to 55 yards on 18 carries, but the Rams were able to do damage through the air, as they completed 19 of 37 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns. Much of that damage happened on five plays covering 194 yards, as a green Cobra secondary had to adjust on the fly to the first proficient passing attack they’d seen this season.
The defence was paced by Evan McIleer, who had easily his best game as a Cobra, registering 10 tackles (nine solo/lead tackles, with four tackles for losses). Easton Wright had seven tackles and a quarterback sack, while Jacob Penner had seven tackles and a pass defended. Caiden Ramsdale continued his strong play on both sides of the ball, as he didn’t come off the field until late in the fourth quarter.
With the win, the Cobras moved their record to 3-1. Next action is tomorrow at 5 p.m. at the Snake Pit against Millwoods Christian of Edmonton. Millwoods was provincial 6-a-side champion in 2024 before making the jump to 9-a-side last year, so this should be an entertaining affair, featuring the Cobras heavy ground game up against the aerial circus of our guests from the north.