Destiny Dashed: Sigourney-Keota falls to OABCIG in the Iowa Class 1A Semifinals

Sometimes in football you come across a team that just has your number.

Unfortunately for Sigourney-Keota that team was OABCIG.

This past Saturday, Nov. 14 the Cobras 2020 season came to an end at the hand of the Falcons during their 43-21 loss in the Iowa Class 1A Semifinals.

"You got to give those guys credit, they are a phenomenal football team,” said Sigourney-Keota head coach Jared Jensen. “Our guys gave it everything they absolutely could today, they just made a few more plays than we did.”

In a battle of contrasting styles, the Falcons' spread it out, air it out approach ruled the day. 

After holding Sigourney-Keota to a three and out on the game's opening possession, OABCIG, the defending Class 2A State Champions, quickly took advantage with an 80-yard drive that was capped off with a one-yard quarterback sneak for the game's first score. 

The Cobras responded on their next possession, utilizing their run heavy offensive approach to put together a five-minute, 73-yard drive before tying the game on a nine-yard touchdown run by senior Sam Sieren. 

Quickly responding and tying the game was something Coach Jensen felt was very important to keeping them in the contest early. 

“That was huge, we knew we had to counter punch,” Jensen said. “You can’t get down a couple scores right away. If you do then you’re going to be in trouble. Our guys stuck to the game plan and played their butts off, today we just ran into a better team.”

Falcon senior quarterback Cooper DeJean led his team to back-to-back touchdown passes on OABCIG’s next two possessions. 

The future Iowa Hawkeye showed just how good he is with a 411-yard, five touchdown performance. 

“That kid can do it all,” Jensen said. “He buys time and sees the field so well. He’s comfortable back there even when there is pressure, and you don’t see that a lot with high school kids.”

Down two scores, Sigourney-Keota cut the lead in half with a five-yard touchdown run by junior Cade Molyneux. 

However, they gave the ball back to OABCIG with two minutes left in the half, which proved enough time for the Falcons to score once again, this time on a fourth and twenty conversion that turned into a 38-yard touchdown pass. 

In the third quarter, OABCIG scored two more times before capping their scoring off with a 93-yard touchdown pass from DeJean to Easton Harms. 

Never a team to quit, no matter the deficit, Sigourney-Keota scored their final touchdown of the 2020 season on a 13-yard touchdown pass from junior Colten Clarahan to senior Brady Duwa late in the fourth quarter. 

In his final game as a Cobra, Sam Sieren went out in style with a 31 carry, 231-yard, one touchdown performance. 

His partner in the Sigourney-Keota one-two punch of dangerous running backs Brady Duwa, finished with 41 yards on 11 carries with one receiving touchdown. 

Cade Molyneux, who will be a centerpiece of the Cobra offense in 2021, carried the ball 17 times for 84 yards with one score of his own. 

On the defensive side of the ball, setting the tone for Sigourney-Keota was senior Wyatt Sieren with 11 total tackles and an interception while sophomore Cole Clarahan finished the game with five tackles of his own. 

With the loss Sigourney-Keota finished the 2020 season with a 10-1 record, a Class 1A District 6 Championship and reached the Semifinals for the first time since 2005. 

“The amount of support we got, even before this, was tremendous. Community support, family support, it was amazing,” Jensen said. "This year blew that out of the water, from the beginning of the year to now, it got the excitement rolling again. We showed a lot of people that we are a really good football team. The excitement this year brought is going to carry over for years to come.”