Head coach Jared Jensen and the Sigourney-Keota Cobra football team start 2022 tonight when they welcome the Durant Wildcats to the Snake Pit in their non-district opener. SK was 10-1 a season ago, taking home a district title and coming up just one round shy of a return trip to the UNI-Dome. They scored 34 points per game while giving up just 13 and racking up 356 total yards per game, 309 of that on the ground with the state’s second best rushing attack. The Snakes graduated 13 seniors from that team including offensive leaders Cade Molyneux with his team best 2,063 all-purpose yards, 1,990 of that on the ground and 28 touchdowns. Colten Clarahan also moved on through graduation after a year where he compiled 1,162 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns. Defensively, as a unit, they forced 21 turnovers, but lose their top trio of tacklers with Clarahan, Molyneux and Evan Dawson having combined for 113 and a half stops, seven sacks and 16 tackles for loss. Leading returners for SK on offense include Cole Clarahan and Reid Molyneux with a combined 155 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Jack Clarahan is back after a 33 and a half tackle year.

SK’s opponent tonight, Durant, was 2-7 a season ago. They reached the postseason by virtue of a third place finish in Class 1A District Five. The Wildcats allowed 26 points per game while scoring just 20, averaging 265 yards per game, 187 of that on the ground. They graduate nine seniors from a season ago including their top five receivers led by Ethan Gast with 21 catches for 338 yards and four touchdowns. Back are all-state running back Nolan DeLong after a junior campaign of 1,591 yards and 18 touchdowns on 230 carries, and quarterback Charlie Huesmann after 32 of 65 through the air for 407 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions. Defensively, as a unit, they forced 18 turnovers last year and DeLong returns to lead that side of the ball after 60 tackles, eight for loss, last year. This week, Cobra head coach Jared Jensen talked about the lead-up to the opener for SK and getting ready for Durant. “It’s going to have to be team defense. To have one guy try to tackle Nolan DeLong is a tough task. They’ve got some big guys up front offensively and defensively. We’re going to have to be ready for a little bit of everything but we don’t have to change a lot of what we do. We’re getting three and a half yards no matter who lines up in front of us and that’s our mindset. We just have to make sure that we are ready to be as physical up front as we ever have been because their defensive line is large and physical. We are going to have to match that if we are going to be successful.”

Sigourney-Keota beat Durant twice last year including a 23-20 victory in the opener and a 34-8 playoff win in the first round. Action starts tonight at 7p.m. in the Snake Pit in Sigourney.