Healthy QB has Louisburg primed to contend

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Louisburg head coach Gary Griffin remembers how difficult it was to watch Kody Cook relegated to the sidelines.

Cook, then a junior, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the first half of the first game of the 2009 season.

“I’ve known him since the day he was born, so I know how difficult it was for him,” Griffin said. “I know how much athletics mean to him. It almost made me cry to see him on the sidelines last year.”

What a difference a year makes.

After surgery and months of rehab, Cook is back under center for the No. 4 ranked Wildcats and has them poised to make a run in Class 4A.

That was evident from the way Louisburg dismantled the Eudora Cardinals 33-6 on Friday night.

And from the beginning, it was Cook who was at the controls.

On Louisburg’s first possession, Cook faked a handoff and took around the end for a 52-yard touchdown run.

“He was pretty good as a sophomore, and he hasn’t missed a beat,“ Griffin said. “That touchdown really gave us a boost.”

“He ran the ball hard. He wasn’t gun shy. I think it was big for him.”

Oddly enough, that opening score was similar to the play that knocked Cook out of last season.

“It was almost the exact same play,” Griffin said. “It was the same end zone. The same area.”

This time, however, the knee was good to go.

“The knee feels really good,” Cook said. “It’s probably stronger than before the injury, if that’s possible.”

A healthy Cook led the Wildcats as he completed 10 of 18 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown and rushed five times for 81 yards and a touchdown.

His ability to beat the defense with his legs, as well as him arm may be the difference as Louisburg attempts to improve on last year’s 10-2 mark.

“It helped a lot having him back,” senior lineman Tyler Ewy said. “Drew (Harding) did a good job stepping in for him last season, but it’s really nice having Kody’s arm in there.”

And it was mostly Cook’s arm that directed the Louisburg offense about 70 yards down the field for a touchdown to take a 20-0 lead into halftime.

Louisburg received the ball at the 2:07 mark of the second quarter. Four Cook passes and two Cook runs later, the Wildcats had the ball at the Eudora 19 with 27 seconds remaining.

Junior running back Garrett Griffin followed with a 13-yard run down to the 6-yard line. A play later, Cook hit senior wide receiver David Embers in the end zone to cap the two-minute offense.

“We took what they gave us,” coach Griffin said. “They stacked nine or 10 in the box, and you’ve got to be able to throw the football. He led us down on that drive before the half. He really opened things up.

“There were a couple of plays where he pulled up a little early to throw. He’s got a good knack for when to get rid of the ball. That’s instinct you just can’t teach.”

Cook is among a talented group of 20 seniors that includes linemen Ewy and Ross Dvorak and running back Alex Gentges. Ewy was a first-team All-State selection a year ago and is receiving interest from Big 12 schools, including Kansas State.

He and Griffin led a defense that bewildered Eudora and kept bruising fullback Boomer Mays in check except for a touchdown run in the fourth quarter against the second unit.

It was in many ways a statement game for Louisburg as it defeated a Cardinals team that was predicted by many to be a contender in 4A. Eudora was listed among the others considered in the preseason rankings by Kpreps.com. Louisburg was fifth in the initial rankings.

“We’re ready, and we’re here,” Cook said. “I don’t think people put us where we should be. It was a good win for us.”

Now, the Wildcats look to take care of business on the road against the Ottawa Cyclones in week two this Friday. It’s still early in a difficult schedule that includes Silver Lake, Baldwin and Paola, but Louisburg’s opener can serve as a big confidence builder.

“Our aspirations are high,“ coach Griffin said. “We know we have a lot of potential.”