Amateur to Professional Developmental Football League

With the Amateur to Professional Developmental Football League’s Game of the Week being postponed last weekend, attention quickly turned to the other match-up of Top 10 opponents between the Georgia Cobras and the Tuskegee Ayrmen, which the Cobras pulled out 20-14.

“It was a tough fought game,” Cobras owner Antonio Ivey told Developmental Football USA. “We stuck to our game plan. I knew they had a good defense and a good defensive line. I know a bunch of those guys from previous years like Patrick Campbell, he’s one of the top defensive linemen and was up for Defensive Player of the Year last year and Greg Moss, I remember him from playing the Opelika Chiefs. I knew we had to start off fast and get ahead of those guys because they have a high-powered offense.”

The Ayrmen, which many believe is a team capable of contending for The President’s Cup are loaded on both sides of the ball. With weapons everywhere and depth to bolster each spot, the Ayrmen isn’t a team you want to play if your team is having a bad day.

“We knew getting behind on the scoreboard wouldn’t be a good thing,” Ivey said. “We stuck to our guns and it was a hard fought game, I must admit.”

The Cobras held on to a 6-0 lead entering the fourth quarter, which is too close for comfort against any opponent, especially in this league.

“This game was the reason you sign up to play in the APDFL, to play big boy football,” Ivey said. “It was a nailbiter game, not one of those blowout games. Both teams were really like one play away from taking the momentum and both defenses played really well.”

Cobras running back Jarrod Lewis went down with an injury, dealing a major blow to Georgia, but their receiving corps stepped up in a major way.

“Javier McGriff, Levon Downes and Iquan Deed were all making big catches,” Ivey said.

Ivey’s younger brother, cornerback No. 16 Jarrod Marable stepped up in a big way on defense.

“We went up against their No. 1 receiver, No. 3 and he somewhat held him at bay all night,” Ivey said. “He slightly pulled his groin, but refused to come out of the game. Wherever No. 3 went, that’s where he went. We knew going into the game that was one of their go-to guys, big-play guys. I put my brother on him and he did well.”

The Cobras remain perfect in APDFL, with their only loss coming in pre-season to the Space Coast Tarheels, which have made some noise in Florida this season.

“We were definitely missing a lot of guys in that game and we really hadn’t practiced that much, especially as a team,” Ivey said. “That was our offensive lines first time gelling together, but in my opinion, the Tarheels are a really good team. I think the defense is the strength of their team. They have a lot of speed on defense. I’ve seen their ranking and I do feel like they are a Top 20 team because football is won on defense and those guys swarm to the ball.”

This weekend the Cobras face the Tri-County Venom in APDFL play.

“Each game is business as usual,” Ivey said. “I was grateful for the win and grateful for beating the Tuskegee Ayrmen, but I didn’t go into that game to lose. Going into this next game, we go in to do what we do and that’s dominate for four quarters and come out victorious.”