Mellies sets new JH rushing record during JH-Onaga shutout

By Brian Sanders

Jackson Heights High School senior Drake Mellies set a new school record for most rushing yards in a single game during the Cobras’ 55-0 Class 1A district shutout of Onaga on Friday, Oct. 10.

Mellies racked up 334 total yards on 11 carries — including five touchdown runs, two of them for 70-plus yards each — beating the previous record set on Oct. 19, 2018, by Cooper Williams, who had 312 yards in 18 carries against Lyndon in that game. Williams was the second Cobra to pass the 300-yard milestone after Clay Manthe, who rushed for 310 yards in a 1991 game.

“Breaking such a longstanding single-game rushing mark suggests not just talent, but dominant blocking, good scheming and possibly that the opposing defense was forced to wear down over time,” Cobra Head Coach Caleb Wick said of Mellies’ efforts. “This kind of performance is exactly what elevates a season — big games like this become signature moments and can shift how opponents prepare for future weeks.”

For the Cobras, the win — their third shutout of the 2025 season, the other two coming against Riverside and Horton — puts them at 5-0 in the Northeast Kansas League and at 6-0 overall. Onaga dropped to 2-4 overall after the loss.

This Friday, Oct. 17, the Cobras will wrap up district play on the road against NEKL foe Valley Falls, now at 1-4 in the NEKL and 1-5 overall after a 48-0 shutout loss at the hands of league foe Jefferson County North, also at 5-0 in the league and 6-0 overall.

“Valley Falls will know what they’re up against. It’s likely they will prepare for the run-heavy attack, so staying disciplined, not overcommitting and adjusting mid-game will matter,” coach Wick said. “But we don’t want to become too predictable. Even if Mellies is the engine, having an effective passing element, even if modest, can force defenders to respect that threat.”

The Buffaloes got the first possession of the game and kept the ball mainly on the ground, chewing up the first-quarter clock and marching the ball into Cobra territory. They got as far as the Cobra 35-yard line before getting hobbled by penalty flags and a quarterback sack by Cobra senior Austin Zeller, forcing a punt that Mellies returned to the Cobra 41.

“I thought the defense started the game a little slow, but they were able to pick it up as the night went on,” coach Wick said. “We are getting better each and every week, and that is all a coach can ask for.”

Following quick passes from Mellies to junior Sir Peek and Zeller, Zeller took a shotgun hike and picked up the first six points of the game on a three-yard hop into the end zone. That was followed by the first of seven successful PAT kicks in the game from Zeller, giving the Cobras a 7-0 lead with 2:39 left in the first quarter.

Onaga’s next possession was a three-and-out that stretched into the second quarter, with the punt falling near midfield and the Cobras launching a 51-yard scoring drive that ended on a keeper from Mellies, this time from 24 yards out, and another Zeller PAT upped the score to 14-0 with less than three minutes gone in the second quarter.

The next Buffalo possession nearly resulted in some points for the team, as Onaga senior Gavin Kolterman took the handoff at the Buffalo 25, carried the ball 40 yards and seemed poised for a run into the end zone. But Kolterman’s run ended when Mellies caught up to him at the Cobra 35 and tackled him, forcing him to drop the ball, which Cobra junior Brody Browning recovered at the Cobra 27.

On the very next play, Mellies took off on a 73-yard dash through an open field into the end zone, and another Zeller PAT put the score at 21-0 with about eight minutes left in the half. The Buffaloes’ next possession was another three-and-out, and a bobbled punt play saw the Cobras taking over at their own 49-yard line for the second time in the game.

From there, the Cobras mounted another 51-yard scoring drive, ending on a 14-yard pass from Mellies to senior Titan Eisenbarth and capped by another Zeller PAT, extending the Cobra lead to 28-0 with about three minutes left in the half. Onaga answered with another three-and-out, the punt falling at the Cobra 36.

Two plays later, Mellies hooked up with Zeller for a long-bomb touchdown pass, but the score was called back on an offensive penalty. But two plays after that, Mellies took off on a 74-yard dash into the end zone, and Zeller’s PAT kick made it 35-0 with about two minutes to halftime. Onaga ran the clock out from there to intermission.

Onaga’s second-half kickoff put the Cobras at their own 42-yard line, and the Cobras made their way to the Onaga 24, where Mellies launched his fifth touchdown keeper, followed by another Zeller PAT to put the score at 42-0 with little more than two minutes gone in the third. The Buffaloes picked up a pair of first downs on their next possession but ended up punting into the end zone.

From the Cobras’ own 20, Mellies ran a 24-yard keeper, then hooked up with Peek for a 56-yard touchdown pass that made the score 48-0 after Zeller’s only missed PAT of the night and gave the Cobras a running-clock advantage for the rest of the game. Onaga’s next drive, another three-and-out, extended into the fourth quarter.

The Cobras’ next possession began at the Onaga 39-yard line.  Mellies immediately took off on another dash into the end zone, setting the school record for rushing yards in a single game, and Zeller booted his seventh PAT of the game to give the Cobras a 55-0 lead with about 7:30 left in the contest. Onaga’s final possession of the game was another three-and-out, and the Cobra junior varsity offense came in to finish the game.

Overall, the Cobras racked up 538 offensive yards in the game, with 167 of those yards in the air, Mellies making six of nine pass attempts with two touchdowns. That included two receptions by Peek for 73 yards, including a touchdown, a 40-yard reception from freshman Tatum Eisenbarth, a 31-yard catch by Zeller, a 14-yard touchdown catch from Titan Eisenbarth and a six-yard catch from senior Ian Allen.

In addition to Mellies’ record-setting rushing work, sophomore Sawyer Shupe added 16 yards on a carry, along with eight yards from Browning on a carry, seven from Zeller on two runs and sophomore Luke Schierling and freshman Tatum Eisenbarth each adding three yards each for a total of 371 rushing yards.

On defense, senior Teagen Bowhay led with six tackles and four assists, including a tackle for a loss (TFL), followed by Zeller with four tackles, three assists and two sacks; senior Anthony Gulotta with four tackles and two assists; Titan and Tatum Eisenbarth with three tackles and two assists each; and two tackles each from Peek, Browning, sophomore Kolby Bowhay and senior Cooper Hewitt, with Kolby Bowhay adding a sack and Hewitt adding a TFL. Senior Jace Doyle also had a TFL in the game.