Cobras Beat Troy To Advance To Sectionals Against Rossville

Jackson Heights High School’s Cobra football team continued to roll over the competition with a 38-6 Class 1A regional playoff win against Northeast Kansas League foe Troy at home on Friday night, Nov. 8, the undefeated Cobras getting their 10th win of the season.

“Our defense stole the show. They only allowed two yards in the second half, and Troy only had 10 plays,” Cobra Head Coach Caleb Wick said of the win against Troy, whose 2024 season ended at fifth place in the NEKL and with an overall record of 6-4. “The game got a little sloppy in the second half, when the rain started to come down, but we turned to our running game and was able to have success.”

The win puts the Cobras, ranked at the top of the East playoff division in 1A, into a sectional playoff game against fourth-ranked Rossville (7-3) at JHHS this Friday. Rossville advanced to the sectional round with a 44-0 shutout of McLouth (7-3) last Friday; a total of eight teams will be advancing to Class 1A sectionals.

Coach Wick said there “should be a great atmosphere” for Friday’s game between the Cobras and the Bulldogs.

“Rossville is very well-coached and executes better than any team we have seen up to this point in the season,” Wick said. “They are sound in all three areas and they will not beat themselves. We are going to have to play gap sound on defense, and offensively, we are going to have to execute long drives and finish drives.”

Troy took the opening kickoff but went three-and-out, and the ensuing punt fell at the Troy 36-yard line, giving the Cobras good field position on their first possession. But despite a 17-yard quarterback keeper from junior Drake Mellies and an offsides penalty against the Trojans. the Cobras could not get the ball past the Troy eight-yard line, and junior Jan Ludvik put the team’s first three points on the board with a field goal.

On their next possession, the Trojans used their passing game to get as far as the Cobra 39-yard line before Heights junior Titan Eisenbarth picked off a pass, setting up an 84-yard touchdown drive including a 55-yard QB keeper from Mellies and capped by a five-yard TD run from senior Austin Zeller with 51 seconds left in the first quarter. Ludvik’s PAT kick was blocked, however, but the Cobras still led 9-0.

Troy’s next possession ended quickly on an interception by Cobra senior J.W. Moore, giving Jackson Heights the ball at the Troy 35-yard line as the first quarter ended. Three plays later, senior Titus Eisenbarth broke several Trojan tackle attempts on a 13-yard run into the end zone, and Ludvik’s PAT put the Cobras up 16-0 with less than a minute gone in the second quarter.

The next Trojan possession ended after six plays when Mellies intercepted a pass and returned it 20 yards to the Troy 41, leading to a 20-yard TD pass from Mellies to Titus Eisenbarth five plays later. Ludvik’s PAT kick appeared to be deflected but still made it through the uprights, and the Cobras led 23-0 with eight minutes left in the first half.

Another Trojan three-and-out followed, and the ensuing punt gave the Cobras the ball back at their own 20-yard line. Jackson Heights responded with a Mellies QB keeper for 27 yards and a 15-yard dash from senior Kade Holliday, but the Trojan defense held and forced a turnover on downs at the Troy 27-yard line.

From there, the Trojans passed their way to their only score of the night, senior quarterback Gannon Bowe leading the way with a 44-yard pass and ending on a five-yard TD pass to senior Logan Blevins at the back of the end zone to narrow the Cobras’ lead to 23-6 with three seconds left in the half. The score stayed there at the end of the half following a failed Trojan conversion attempt.

Jackson Heights’ second half-opening possession saw the team getting within five yards of the end zone, but the Trojan defense held again and the Cobras settled for Ludvik’s second field goal of the night, putting the Cobra lead at 26-6 halfway through the third quarter. Troy’s next possession was another three-and-out, highlighted by a QB sack by Titus Eisenbarth, and the ensuing punt rolled to the Cobra two-yard line.

The Cobras were able to overcome the challenge of being deep in their own territory, setting off a nine-play, 98-yard touchdown drive that ended on an 18-yard Mellies keeper into the end zone, giving the Cobras a 32-6 lead with less than a minute left in the third quarter after Ludvik’s PAT attempt was blocked.

Troy’s next possession started with good field position at their own 45-yard line but were forced to punt on a three-and-out, the ball rolling to the Cobra 12. But the Cobras took another long trip to the end zone with a 32-yard run from Titus Eisenbarth and a pair of first-down runs from Zeller, who capped the drive with a three-yard TD hop to make the score 38-6 following a failed conversion attempt.

Overall, the Cobras racked up 487 offensive yards on the night, 20 of those yards coming on Mellies’ sole pass completion to Titus Eisenbarth for a TD and the rest on the ground. Mellies was the top rusher with 152 yards and a TD on 12 carries, followed by Titus Eisenbarth with 123 yards and a TD on 11 carries, Holliday with 102 yards on 17 carries, Zeller with 77 yards and two TDs on 11 carries and sophomore Brody Browning with 13 yards on three carries.

Leading the Cobra defense were Zeller and Titan Eisenbarth, each with two tackles and two assists, while juniors Teagen Bowhay and Cooper Hewitt, senior Max Watkins, Holliday and Moore also contributed two tackles each. Zeller and Moore each added a sack, while Watkins added two tackles for losses and Moore also added a TFL.

———

In other Class 1A playoff action in the East division, second-ranked St. Marys-Colgan of Pittsburg (9-1) took down seventh-ranked Riverside (7-3) 19-0 to advance, while third-ranked Centralia (9-1) won a tough 40-26 battle over sixth-ranked Olpe (7-3) to move ahead. Centralia will play at Colgan in this Friday’s sectional game.

In the West division, top-ranked Conway Springs (10-0) beat ninth-ranked Marion (7-3) 21-6, fourth-ranked Plainville (8-2) beat fifth-ranked Sedgwick (8-2) by a 12-6 score, 10th-ranked Medicine Lodge (7-2) edged out 15th-ranked Trinity Catholic of Hutchinson (4-6) in a 22-20 game and third-ranked Valley Heights (8-2) took out sixth-ranked Sterling (6-4) in a 24-19 contest. Conway Springs will host Plainville and Valley Heights will host Medicine Lodge this Friday.