JHHS Football Preview

By Brian Sanders

Last year, Jackson Heights High School’s Cobra varsity football team had a banner year, finishing the 2024 regular season at the top of the Northeast Kansas League standings and making a run at the state championship that got as far as the sectional round.

This year, Cobra Head Coach Caleb Wick expects more of the same from the team, with 16 lettermen and seven starters on both sides of the ball coming back to make the 2025 season an even bigger year for the Cobras.

“Coming together as a team will be crucial this year, especially the offensive line,” coach Wick said. “This is a team that does not care about individual accolades and wants to watch everyone succeed.”

The Cobras’ 2024 regular-season record was 7-0 in the Northeast Kansas League and 8-0 overall, including six shutout victories that saw Jackson Heights scoring more than 50 points against their opponents.

In the postseason, the Cobras beat Erie 56-8 in the first round and took a 38-6 win over NEKL foe Troy in the regional round before suffering a 42-38 loss to Rossville in the final minutes of the sectional round game, ending with a 10-1 record.

Coming back for one last shot at a state playoff run is senior Drake Mellies (5’10, 160 lbs.), who had a breakout season on both sides of the ball last year — Mellies passed for 15 touchdowns, making 54 of 91 pass attempts, and rushed for 1,037 yards and 13 scores on 97 carries in 2024. Mellies has been named to the All-Area and All-League teams in all three of his previous Cobra seasons.

Also coming back for more are All-League and All-Area standouts, including senior Austin Zeller (6’4, 215), who caught 15 passes for 328 yards; junior Sir Peek (6’2, 195), who had 12 receptions for 87 yards; senior Teagen Bowhay (5’9, 170), a three-year starter who added 126 receiving yards last year; and seniors Ian Allen (6’0, 150), Titan Eisenbarth (5’7, 140), Jace Doyle (5’10, 220) and Anthony Gulotta (6’1, 215).

On defense, Zeller, Peek, Doyle and Gulotta will be back to prevent opposing teams from scoring with a strong front line, with Bowhay leading the linebackers and Mellies, Allen and Eisenbarth returning in the secondary. Junior Brayden Innes (5’9, 190) is expected to step into a larger role this year, it was reported.

The NEKL is “wide open” in the upcoming season, said coach Wick, who added that Riverside and Jefferson County North are “the teams to look out for in the league” this year.

Wick, who is starting his 14th year as the Cobras’ head coach and has racked up an 88-42 career record, will be assisted again this year by Greg Nilges, Brett Plattner, Matt Schumann and Branden Schumann.

The Cobras will begin their 2025 season with a Friday, Sept. 5 home game against league foe Riverside before heading to Maur Hill-Mount Academy for a Friday, Sept. 12 game and returning to their home field on Friday, Sept. 19 for a homecoming game against Horton.