The seventh-grade West Falcons were undefeated going into the final game of the Lawrence Youth Football season on Sunday at Youth Sports Inc. Standing in the way of a second-straight LYF championship were the South Predators.
And through three quarters of football it looked as if the Predators might end the Falcons' perfect party.
But that was before T.J. Cobbs got his hands on the ball in the fourth quarter. Cobbs scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to finish the day with three as the Falcons rallied to defeat the Predators, 20-14, and claim the LYF title.
The game seemed to go nowhere early on, as both teams had little success in moving the ball in the first quarter and into the second.
But late in the second, the Falcons broke the deadlock when Cobbs rounded the right corner of the Predator line and found himself with a clear, 60-yard path to the end zone. Ten seconds later Cobbs had given his team a 6-0 lead with his lengthy run.
The Predators however, were not impressed, and on the very next possession drove down to the Falcons' 5-yard line. There, South quarterback Brad Strauss broke through the Falcon defense to tie the game. South added a two-point conversion to take an 8-6 lead into halftime.
South wasted little time capitalizing on its momentum as the opening offensive possession yielded a drive to the West 20-yard line. From there, Strauss lobbed a pass to the corner of the end zone where Justin Riley hauled in the ball to give South a 14-6 lead.
The defensive pressure escalated well into the third quarter as the Falcons found themselves with little room to maneuver as the running game stalled.
But when the fourth quarter began things changed, and quickly.
South punted the ball to the West 5-yard line where it looked as though the Predators would make a stop and ratchet up the momentum even further.
But no one told Cobbs, as he grabbed the ball on the first play of the series and galloped 95 yards for a touchdown. The conversion failed, but the Falcons were within two, 14-12.
The Predators did little with their next possession and had to give the ball back.
On the ensuing punt in what was perhaps the play of the game the Falcons' Demarko Bobo breached the offensive line and cleanly blocked the punt. West recovered at the South 30-yard line.
Then Cobbs put the finishing touches on the comeback.
On the second play from scrimmage, Cobbs found a hole on the right side and sprinted 30 yards for the go-ahead score. The conversion was good and the Falcons found themselves up by six.
South found itself with an enemy in the clock and had no choice but to go to the air. The strategy proved unsuccessful as the Falcons got the ball back on downs late in the game and ran out the clock for the victory.
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