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No. 7 Cobras stunned by WB
by Gregory R. Norfleet · Sports · October 30, 2024
On paper, a cub faced a King Cobra.
But on Friday, West Branch — which eked into the playoffs — stunned District 6 champion and No. 7-ranked Sigourney-Keota, 41-33, in a major upset in the first round of the playoffs on Friday.
And, according to Bears’ football Sports Information Director Jason Miller, West Branch was the first No. 4 seed in Class 1A to beat a No. 1 seed since the Iowa High School Athletic Association narrowed the playoffs to just 32 teams.
“How ‘bout that game!” Head Coach John Nestor shouted as he charged into the middle of the post-game huddle of celebrating players.
After the exuberant response calmed down, the coach praised them for coming from behind and taking control of the game.
“Way to battle! Man, you guys fought! Nestor said. “We had some crappy games for the last eight weeks and tonight we found a way, didn’t we?!”
More cheers from the team.
“No one’s going to want to see us after that. Hell of a job! Enjoy it! Be smart tonight!” he said, telling them that they could take the weekend off, which drew more cheers.
With the win, West Branch advances to play 7 p.m. Friday at Grundy Center against the No. 1-ranked, 9-0 Spartans.
The Bears last played a November football game in 2022.
Nestor said West Branch brought “a different energy” against Sigourney-Keota.
“I can’t tell you what it was. I don’t know what it was. We worked hard. It wasn’t something different that we did in practice,” he said. “Our guys were having fun. I don’t think we wanted this season to end. As corny as that sounds, they just fought.”
The coach said he was not sure where the “turning point” happened.
“But when you make plays, your guys believe, ‘Oh, we can do it.’ ‘Oh, the coaches aren’t just saying that,’” Nestor said. “We had guys out here making plays tonight. We told them they could do it, but it was a matter of executing.”
The head coach expressed astonishment that the Bears scored 41 points for the first time this season while facing a ranked team.
The Bears and Cobras only meet in the playoffs and have only played each other four times since 2012. West Branch has managed to win each of those contests, and Sigourney Head Coach Jared Jensen said that history reminded Sigourney to never take the Bears for granted, regardless of their record.
“We knew this wasn’t a typical four-seed with the losses they’ve had. They stubbed their toe last week, but every other loss was against a Top Ten or Top 5 team,” he said. “We knew it was going to be a battle and I didn’t expect anything different than it coming down to the end.”
Jensen said the Cobras gave up too many big plays and turnovers at key times.
“In playoff football, you just can’t do that,” Jensen said.
The statistics going into this game made it seem like an easy win for the first-seed, 7-1 Savage Cobras, who averaged 41.2 points per game and only gave up 16.9. West Branch came in with a 2-6 record and No. 4 seed, giving up 26.6 points while only scoring 17.9.
With those numbers, no one was surprised when Sigourney ran up a 14-0 lead after just seven minutes of play.
But when junior kickoff returner Brandon Pedersen ran back 92 yards on the very next play, West Branch found its spark.
And. Put. On. A. Show.
Interceptions, fumble recoveries, sacks, bomb throws, hard-to-handle kickoffs, and a maddening defense — the team that struggled to find itself finally did, at do-or-die time.
Senior Connor Rios called the win “really big.”
“This is a Top 10 team and it’s going to look really good for us,” he said. “We, obviously, didn’t get the seed we wanted but we’ve got to roll with it and keep working every week to get better and better.”
Oddly enough, when looking at many of the statistics after the game, one might wonder where West Branch got those 41 points. The Cobras collected 25 first-downs to the Bears’ 9; Sigourney had 264 rushing yards to West Branch’s 19; the hosts only had 17 yards of penalties to the visitors’ 55, and the district champion team possessed the ball for 34.5 minutes to the fourth-seed’s 13.5. Lastly, Sigourney only punted once to West Branch’s three times.
‘Clicked tonight’
One statistic where the Bears stood out was in its passing game. It was junior Nolan Staker’s second start but his only full game since injuries led to a revolving door under center.
He completed nine of 14 passes for 228 yards and four touchdowns, then ran a fifth one in on a sneak.
“Nolan Staker — he wasn’t the quarterback all year — and comes into a situation like this. He looked like a seasoned vet out here,” Nestor said. “He went through all his progressions and was putting the ball on the money.”
Against a team with a No. 7 state ranking, Staker averaged 25.3 yards per connection, completed 64.3 percent of his passes, and finished his first full game with a jaw-dropping quarterback rating of 295.5.
“First of all, I just want to give all the glory to God, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. I couldn’t have done this without him,” Staker said. “I want to thank my parents and all the coaches for believing in me.”
The junior said quarterback injuries put the team in a “tough spot,” since Rios hurt his shoulder and junior Brennen Dale hurt his arm.
“I’m just so thankful for the opportunity,” Staker said. “This week in practice, we never had the mindset that we weren’t going to move on to the next game.”
He said some of West Branch’s losses came down to a single bad quarter.
“We knew were this type of team and it just all clicked tonight,” Staker said.
Staker threw some long passes that fell right into the bread basket, sending fans into a cheering frenzy equal to that of the touchdowns that followed, including a 36-yard pass to senior Nathan Hills, a 67-yard pass to Rios, and a 73-yard pass to junior Brandon Pedersen.
“It all started earlier in the season when I decided that, ‘Hey, I’m going to play scout team quarterback,’ and I get guys on the scout team like (senior) Ethan Miller and (junior) Maddux Rushton — who can just run — and kept practicing throwing those balls every day against our varsity defense. It’s just been fun. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to do this out here with my guys. It’s just awesome,” Staker said.
Pedersen said the aerial attack provided the boost that West Branch needed.
“Those touchdowns really brought the momentum to the game,” he said. “We just need to keep it going.”
Scoring in the last second in the first half and getting a 26-21 lead seemed to give the Cobras their confidence back, but the Bears rattled them again immediately after the break. Sigourney started with the ball, lost 20 yards on a high snap, then suffered an interception that led to a West Branch go-ahead touchdown.
For the rest of the game, a conference champ found themselves playing catch-up to a team that, by their record, finished District 5 in a three-way tie for last place.
“It feels pretty good to finally be able to put together a full game and do what we’re supposed to do — just go out there and win,” Pedersen said.
Sigourney’s offense for years has used two quarterbacks side by side, both of whom can throw but one typically does more rushing. On Friday, junior Braden Wood handled the throwing, completing seven passes for 116 yards, or 16.6 yards per connection, with one touchdown and two interceptions. His counter part, senior Isaac Bruns, rushed 33 times for 174 yards and two touchdowns.
“Those guys have been steadfast and a huge part of what we do offensively,” Jensen said. “West Branch did a really good job of getting on these two. We were getting the holes, we were getting through, but we were meeting bodies. Obviously, they had a pretty good defensive game plan. I don’t think we executed as well as we probably could have, but that’s football.”
‘Whole package’
Nestor credited the Bears’ defense for “a whole package” of plays toward the win: three sacks for 15 yards, five tackles for loss for 17 yards, two interceptions including one in the endzone by Keaton Gates, and a fumble recovery.
“Everybody was aggressive,” he said. “We didn’t want to send our seniors out on a 2-6 record.”
He called the previous week’s loss to Durant, “awful,” and said “we know we’re a better football team.”
“For us to come here, the hour and 15-minute bus drive and do this on their field, and take it to ‘em? Take it to a team that is known for their physicality because of the style of offense that they play and establish the line of scrimmage back on their side? It was just huge!” Nestor said. “The defense played lights-out.”
The coach remembers telling Offensive Coordinator Jarod Tylee, “Get to 42, and we’re good.”
He felt equally good about the special teams’ effort, which averaged 38 yards on kick returns, 35 yards on punts, 49 yards on kickoffs, put in five of six extra-points, and scored a touchdown on Pedersen’s 92-yarder.
“They were huge,” Nestor said. “That’s the thing about Brandon: He hits a little crack — and he’s a skinny dude — he gets a little seam and he’s gone. You’re not catching him.”
The coach said Pedersen may be the fastest player in Class 1A, and possibly up to 5A.
“He has the Division 1 speed,” Nestor said. “We tell him: Just go.”
The coach said the Bears practice special teams work daily, and knew that “at some point, we’re going to break through.”
The Bears proved strong in all three phases of the game, Nestor said.
“It was a total team effort. Every phase of the game — special teams, defense had a couple of turnovers, offense moved the ball up and down the field,” he said.
Defensive effort
Senior Connor Rios played with an injured shoulder but moved from quarterback to receiver, representing one of the team’s big moves to keep top players on the field while still filling key roles.
“We knew (Sigourney) is a very run-heavy team, so we really emphasized defense this week and knowing what gaps we need to fill and how the D-line is supposed to align,” he said. “Offensively, we let Nolan, who stepped in two weeks ago at the quarterback position, just work. His work these past few weeks at the quarterback spot was great. He was able to put balls in the right spot. And it really showed today.”
Staker highlighted junior Conner Capper’s interception in the third quarter that set up West Branch just 10 yards from the endzone and led to the Bears’ go-ahead score.
“Conner Capper — huge role with that pick — the whole offensive and defensive line, freshman Cooper Hartz stepping it up (with quarterback pressure). It was great defensive effort by the whole team,” he said. “I thought we played very well. (Sigourney was) a very, very good offensive team on the film and their 7-1 record.”
Pedersen’s kickoff return for a six-pointer came when he found and open hole and outran the kicker.
“I just saw a whole and took the opportunity and it came out well,” he said. “It feels good.”
Rios scored the third touchdown of the night with that 67-yard catch and said the Bears practiced the air game in the offseason and kept pressing on it in practice, though mostly with Dale and Rios.
“It really showed off today,” he said. “We got a little bit more offensive work with Nolan just in general because he needed to get back in the groove. We knew he might have had a few not the greatest passes in the world, but we kept his confidence up and he was able to make huge plays for us.”
District 6 closes
Jensen said the postseason loss “isn’t going to define us.”
“We knew it was do or die, but I don’t think too many people thought we were going to have the season we had this year because we lost such a big group last year,” he said. “Our kids buy in and work hard. To lose that first game and bounce back to win seven straight, that’s what we expect.”
He said West Branch’s tradition of “greatness” despite this past year’s record.
“We knew they were going to be a talented football team,” Jensen said.
Jensen thanked the Cobra fans from both Sigourney and Keota.
“We’ve got two communities that are bonded into our program. Players are committed. Parents are committed. Fans are committed. We’re all on board on the same ship and we appreciate all the time and effort,” the coach said, from meals to organizing camps. “A lot of appreciation toward everybody involved.”
District 6 football teams that made the playoffs had a hard night in the opening round of the playoffs, with all of them losing. Though Sigourney came in as a ranked team and lost to an unranked team, the unranked teams all lost to ranked teams: Pleasantville lost to No. 4 Regina, 30-21; Pella Christian fell to No. 5 South Hardin, 40-7; and Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont lost to No. 1 Grundy Center, 55-16.
Highlights
Sigourney-Keota kicked off and West Branch went three-and-out after gaining only a yard to their 30. Junior Nolan Staker’s punt was returned to the Cobra 40.
Sigourney running quarterback and senior Isaac Bruns ran three plays to cover the distance, scoring from 45 yards away. Senior Caden Clarahan kicked the extra point, and the Cobras led, 7-0, less than 2 ½ minutes into the game.
Bear junior Brandon Pedersen returned the kickoff to the West Branch 25, and the Bears got a first down, but went to punt at their 39 when a Cobra rush caught Staker on the 31.
With a short field, Sigourney needed only five plays to score, with junior quarterback Braden Wood rushing in from two yards away. Though Clarahan’s PAT just barely got over the crossbar, the home team extended their lead to 14-0 in just over seven minutes.
But the two-possession lead did not last long.
Pedersen took the kickoff from a bounce at the West Branch 10 that he nabbed near the eight-yard line inside the left hashmark. He headed straight ahead, then saw a gap to his right and angled across the field behind sophomore Keaton Gates. Gates blocked the kicker enough to put him off-balance while Pedersen whizzed past. Clarahan made a desperation dive in hopes of a shoestring trip, but missed as Pedersen two-stepped into the endzone.
And in just 12 seconds, West Branch answered.
Junior Reese Gingerich added the extra-point, getting the score at 14-7, Sigourney.
Gingerich’s kickoff got past the returner causing him to scramble backward, giving West Branch time to catch him at the Sigourney 9.
The Bears made the Cobras’ return drive slow and the home team only earned a fourth-down conversion on a hard-count offsides to keep the drive going. They managed to convert a second fourth down on a Bruns run to get close to midfield. But on the next play, the quarterback dropped the snap and Bear junior Oliver Trepanier dove onto it for the recovery at the Sigourney 42.
It Pedersen’s kickoff return did not rattle the Cobras, what happened next may have done the job. Sophomore running back Keaton Gates ran twice for seven yards, then quarterback Nolan Staker sidestepped a tackler then tossed a high pass to his left toward senior Nathan Hills, who leaped into the air to make the catch over a defender. Hills tipped the ball to himself, regained control at the Cobra 15, and turned toward an open field for a quick run to the endzone.
Gingerich made the chip-shot PAT and, all of a sudden, West Branch closed the gap just inside the second quarter.
The kickoff return by Cobra sophomore Carson O’Rourke looked like it might copy Pedersen’s run, but Gingerich snagged him at the legs when he reached the West Branch 45. Wood and Bruns handled rush-only drive, with Bruns finishing the final seven yards for the score with 5:25 left to the half.
But this extra-point attempt fell underneath the crossbar, and West Branch fans saw an opportunity for the Bears.
And they got it.
Senior Connor Rios caught a two-yard pass to reach the Bear 32, but move from the flank to the inside lane on a second attempt. There, he ran up the left side, cut away from his primary defender and behind a second, giving Staker a wide-open target. The secondary defender tried leaping for the ball and by the time the primary altered course, Rios caught the ball at the Cobra 47 and was 10 yards ahead with nothing but green in front of him as he cruised for the endzone.
Gingerich got back on the field for another PAT, and the team that trailed by 14 in the first now took its first lead midway through the second. This response came 51 seconds after the last Sigourney score.
The Cobras’ return drive began at their 25 and reached the Bear 15. But West Branch stopped the fourth-down conversion and took the ball back near their 14.
West Branch went three-and-out with no forward progress and the short punt went out of bounds at their 34.
Sigourney answered with a single trick play — a double reverse to a pass from Wood to Bruns in the endzone as time expired on the first half. The Cobras tried a two-point conversion, but dropped the snap and the Bears tackled the runner at the line.
At the break, the home team regained the lead, 26-21.
West Branch kicked off to start the second half and the ball hopped and took an awkward roll under the legs of the returner, giving the Bears time to catch him at the Sigourney 19. The Cobras reached the 30 for a first down, but a high snap led to a fumble which Sigourney recovered 20 yards backward. Facing second and 30 from their 10, the Cobras went back to the air. But senior lineman Tate Frantz get a hand on the ball, tipping it into the hands of junior Conner Capper who returned it eight yards to the Sigourney 10 to further rattle the Cobra cage.
On the second play of the return drive, Capper caught a pass and ran to the Sigourney 1, but a facemask call against the Bears put the ball back on the 13.
On the next play, Staker found Pedersen inside the right corner of the endzone for another West Branch lead, 27-26.
The Bears asked for the ball on the left hash mark to try a two-point conversion and Staker connected with Pedersen again just inside the goal line, but a holding call against West Branch set the ball back 10 yards. The team called out Gingerich again and, even from 30 yards away, he made the extra-point look easy as the visitors retook the lead, 28-26.
Gingerich’s kickoff was a line drive bouncer that Sigourney scooped up at their 12 and returned to their 32, but the ball came loose when junior Logan Christoffel and senior Sullivan Brooke smashed into him. Players piled on, but junior Haydon Haines won the scrum and recovered the ball for West Branch.
The rattling continues.
Staker threw a flare-out pass to Rios on the Cobra sideline, and he turned it into a 27-yard pickup.
It took three tries to cover the final few yards with Staker running a sneak from a yard away to score.
Gingerich went to kick the extra point, Sigourney got called offsides, referees placed the ball on the 1.5-yardline, and the redo attempt from 18 yards sailed in for the 35th point of the Bears’ game.
Up by 11 points, West Branch now had a two-possession lead over the No. 7 Sigourney-Keota team, putting them now in catch-up mode.
Rattled? Yes, but not out.
The return drive started on the Cobra 28 and moved steadily down the field. A pass-interference call against the visitors moved the ball to the Bear 35, but a chop-block against the home team took away 10 yards.
Sigourney kept the legs churning on their ground game, reached the West Branch 9, and handed it to sophomore Ike Molyneux for a run to the corner to score.
Clarahan bounced the ball off the right upright, but the extra point went in.
With the score now 35-33, West Branch, the hosts now only needed a field goal to retake the lead as the game entered the final quarter.
The Bears ran one play to close out the third, got nine yards out of Gates, then Staker ran a sneak for a first down.
On first and 10 from the 30, a pass under pressure turned into a 50-50 ball. West Branch’s Capper and Sigourney senior Brady Clark crashed into each other as both got their arms around the ball and fell to the ground. After a conference by the officials, they determined Capper would be awarded the catch — tie goes to the offense — but West Branch was penalized for an ineligible man downfield, putting the ball on the Bear 25.
Gates ran the ball for two, then Staker went to the air again for his longest throw of the night.
The junior quarterback launched the ball 41 yards, right into the arms of a sprinting Pedersen, who got behind his defender along the West Branch sideline by a single stride, then turned on the jets to score on the 73-yard touchdown play.
Sigourney managed to block the extra point attempt but with a 41-33 lead, the home team needed a touchdown and a two-point conversion just to tie the game.
The Cobras returned the kickoff to their 36, but West Branch’s Frantz sacked the quarterback for a three-yard loss, then junior Lincoln Naber and senior Dylan Schiele teamed up for another sack that took away seven yards.
Sigourney punted on fourth and 18 from their 24, using up a valuable 2 ½ minutes of the fourth quarter as the ball rolled to West Branch’s 48 after Frantz partially blocked the attempt.
But a fumble on the snap turned fortuitous for the Cobras as they landed on it on the West Branch 33 for a second chance and a short field.
Sigourney covered 10 yards for a first down, then threw the ball into the left corner of the endzone. There, Bruns and Gates had ahold of each other as they closed in on the goal line, but Gates turned and caught the ball before falling into the endzone. Bruns protested, looking for a pass-interference call, and Sigourney Head Coach Jarod Jensen came onto the field to argue, but officials waved the both off and West Branch got the ball on their 20 with 5:44 to go.
The Bears took their time, running down the clock before each snap, but the Cobras only allowed a net eight yards and West Branch punted on fourth and 12 from their 28.
The punt went over the Sigourney returner’s head and stopped at the Cobra 25.
The clock read 2:57 and the home team needed to cover 75 yards. A couple of runs got nine yards, but junior Oliver Trepanier and freshman Cooper Hartz punched through for a sack that took away five.
On fourth and six, Sigourney converted with a 15-yard pass to senior Jace Chalupa, then a four-yard run by Bruns got to the 45. Bruns caught a 34-yard pass to reach the Bear 21 that invigorated the home crowd, but the clock kept ticking down. With under a minute to play, three incomplete passes made it fourth and 10 with 37 seconds to go.
Molyneux caught a 13-yard pass to the Bear 8 and Sigourney called a timeout with six seconds on the clock.
Coming out, the Cobras attempted two quick passing plays but could not connect, leaving the final score at 41-33, West Branch, with a stunned No. 1 seed closing out its season.
West Branch 41, Sigourney-Keota 33
Scoring
West Branch 7 14 14 6 41
Sigourney-Keota 14 12 7 0 33
WB Sig-Keota
First downs 9 25
1st downs: Rush-pass-penalty 3-6-0 18-5-2
Rushing yards 19 264
Passing: Completions-Attempts 9-14 7-15
Passing yards 228 116
Passing: TD-Interceptions 4-0 1-2
Total plays 34 78
Offensive yards 247 380
Fumbles-lost 1-1 3-2
Penalties-yards 6-55 2-17
Defensive sacks-yards lost 5-15 0-0
Time of possession 13:27 34:33
3rd down efficiency 3 of 7 6 of 15
4th down efficiency 0 of 1 6 of 7
Punts-average yards 3-34.66 1-28
First quarter
Sig: Isaac Bruns 45 run; Caden Clarahan kick; 9:41
Sig: Brayden Wood 3 run; Clarahan kick; 4:50
WB: Brandon Pedersen 92-yard kickoff return; Reese Gingerich kick; 4:38
Second quarter
WB: Nolan Staker 36-yard pass to Nathan Hills; Gingerich kick; 11:17
Sig: Bruns 7 run; kick failed; 5:25
WB: Staker 67-yard pass to Connor Rios; Gingerich kick; 4:34
Sig: Wood 34-yard pass to Bruns; two-point conversion failed; 0 seconds
Third quarter
WB: Staker 12-yard pass to Pedersen; Gingerich kick; 8:11
WB: Staker 1 run; Gingerich kick; 6:41
Sig: Ike Molyneux 9 run; Clarahan kick; 0:16
Fourth quarter
WB: Staker 73-yard pass to Pedersen; kick failed; 9:54
Passing: Nolan Staker 9-228, 4 TD
Rushing: Keaton Gates 12-36; Nolan Staker 7-(-3), 1 TD. Team totals: 20-19, 1 TD
Receiving: Oliver Trepanier 1-4; Connor Rios 4-103, 1 TD; Brandon Pedersen 2-85, 2 TD; Nathan Hills 1-36, 1 TD. Team totals: 9-228, 4 TD.
Tackling (solo-assist-sack): Jarrett Ellyson 2-3-0; Brennen Dale 4-5-0; Oliver Trepanier 1-3-0.5, 0.5 TFL, 1 fumble recovery; Brandon Pedersen 3-2-0; Logan Christoffel 1-2-0; Nathan Hills 0-1-0; Keaton Gates 6-5-0, 1 INT; Cooper Gates 5-6-0, 1 TFL; Conner Capper 11-4-0, 1 INT; Lincoln Naber 2-3-0.5, 0.5 TFL; Sullivan Brooke 1-2-0; Finn McCullough 0-3-0; Tate Frantz 7-1-1, 1 TFL; Haydon Haines 0-1-0; Dylan Schiele 1-2-0.5, 1.5 TFL; Cooper Hartz 0-1-0.5, 0.5 TFL; Reese Gingerich 1-0-0. Team totals: 45-44-3, 5 TFL, 2 INT, 1 fumble recovery.
Kick return: Brandon Pedersen 2-106, 1 TD; Keaton Gates 2-46; Haydon Haines 1 fumble recovery. Team totals: 4-152, 1 fumble recovery, 1 TD.
Punting: Nolan Staker 3-104.
Kicking: Reese Gingerich 7-340
Game preview: West Branch at No. 1 Grundy Center
7 p.m. Nov. 1, at Grundy Center Spartan Stadium; Class 1A Round of 16
West Branch Grundy Center
Record 3-6 9-0
Last week 41-33 win over Sigourney-Keota 55-16 win over Eddyville-BF
Like opponents 49-7 win over Columbus Cath. 48-6 win over Columbus Cath.
27-0 loss to Dike-NH 21-7 win over Dike-NH
All-purpose yards 2,102 3,093
Rushing 810 1,393
Passing 1,292 1,700
Ave. points per game 20.44 40
Ave. points allowed 27.33 6.89
QB Nolan Staker, Sr. Judd Jirovsky, Jr.
23-351, 15.3 YPC, 99-1,569, 15.8 YPC,
5 TD, 1 INT 18 TD, 1 INT
Rushing leader Cooper Gates, Jr. Brody Zinkula, Sr.
85-492, 5.8 YPC, 5 TD 94-530, 5.6 YPC, 9 TD
Receiving leader Brandon Pedersen, Jr. Tiernan Vokes, Sr.
15-330, 22 YPC, 7 TD 44-773, 17.6 YPC, 12 TD
Tackling leader Cooper Gates, Jr. Ryker Thoren, Sr.
31 solo, 24.5 AST 20 solo, 21 AST
7 sacks, 11.5 TFL 2.5 sacks, 5 TFL
Conner Capper, Jr.
36 solo, 18.5 AST
0.5 sack, 5.5 TFL
Punt returns Brandon Pedersen, Jr. Judd Jirovsky, Jr.
13-209, 16.1 YPR, 1 TD 5-59, 11.8 YPR
Kick returns Brandon Pedersen, Jr. Brayden Davie, Jr.
8-229, 1 TD 7-251, 35.9 YPR, 2 TD
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