By CONOR NICHOLL cnicholl@dailynews.net

VICTORIA -- Victoria prep football coach Doug Oberle estimated Landon Cook played "maybe five downs" in 2008. Cook suffered a back injury during a practice before the season opener against Macksville, had two fractures and could rarely dress for games, unable to play the sport he loves. He watched from the sideline as Victoria went 12-1 and finished as Eight-Man, Division II state runner-up.

"It was pretty painful," Cook said. "But the most pain was just not being able to get out on the field. That was probably the hardest pain there was."

Cook consulted often with parents and doctors about his future. He decided to play his senior season this fall.

"I was scared. It gave me a lot of motivation," he said. "Like anybody else, if they had an injury, I think it would motivate them 10 times more to come back out the next season and do the best they possibly can. Work hard so they can get their team to the state championship, which is what every one of us is trying to do this year."

This season, Cook has started at linebacker and tight end and helped keep the Knights as one of the state's powerhouses. Victoria is 7-0 and ranked No. 1 in the state-wide media poll in Eight-Man II. Victoria will play host to Otis-Bison (7-0) on Friday night at Knights Field. The winner will earn the district championship and earn a first-round home playoff game.

"It's an inspiration," senior fullback Austin Roth said. "Seeing him play through as much pain as he is going through, it just inspires the whole team to try to play through everything. Landon is the kind of guy that will play through anything."

Cook, who is listed as questionable for this Friday's game against Otis-Bison, remained healthy before he suffered a knee injury late in last Friday's 52-0 victory against Logan. Cook, a first-year starter, paces Victoria with 57 tackles. He also has collected a tackle for loss and a sack. In addition, he has made multiple tackles on kickoff coverage and sees time at tight end.

"He was a question mark coming into the season, because we didn't know what we were going to be able to get," Oberle said. "We felt like, at any point in the season, he could do something wrong and just be unable to play. Having said that, he has exceeded all of our expectations. He has played more snaps and more reps that I thought."

Cook, one of multiple seniors in their first year of starting, has helped Victoria carry on the tradition that has produced two state titles and a runner-up finish since 2004. The Knights are on a 21-game regular season winning streak, second-longest in the area behind Smith Center, and are 38-4 under Oberle.

This fall, Victoria has outscored opponents 384-144, an average of 54.9 points per game. That is the highest since the Knights moved to eight-man football earlier this decade and ranks fifth in scoring offense among all Kansas squads. Victoria has remained close-knit and dominant despite losing three all-state players and most of the offensive line to graduation.

Cook said not all of the players are good friends, "but when it comes to football season, we all come together as a team. Say you took my ex-girlfriend, but out on the football field, you are my friend, you are my buddy.

"That is kind of the way it is. We come together as a team, got a great coaching staff that pushes us, motivates us to do everything we possibly can in our power. Give all the credit to them with us becoming a team," he added.

Throughout his career, Cook always has loved every aspect of football. During Wednesday's practice, Cook was on the sideline in shorts and a white T-shirt that read "No Excuses," but was still involved in practice. During summer, he and his teammates woke up at 5 a.m. every day to lift and work out.

"The worst feeling in your mind is the day that football is going to be over," he said. "That's probably the worst feeling a person could have in their life. Most people hate practice, but I am one of those persons that I guess just likes to come to practice and do stuff. I like to learn. I like to feel like I am getting better in what I do. It always gives you a good feeling in your stomach."

Cook, though, did little practicing or playing in 2008, but he wanted to remain part of the squad. In the four playoff contests, including the state championship, Cook couldn't play, but wanted to be in uniform. 'Coach, I just want to suit up and go through the warmup,' " Oberle recalled Cook saying.

Cook, though, was OK to play this fall.

After he recorded five tackles in a 30-6 Week 1 victory versus Macksville, the 165-pound senior has collected at least seven tackles in every game, including 13 versus Stockton in Week 4, the highest single-game total by a Knight all season.

Cook, who Oberle said "sets the tone," has led a defense that includes senior Kamron Dinkel (55 tackles, 4 tackles for loss), junior Steven Hotaling (53 tackles, 6 sacks, 3 tackles for loss), and senior defensive backs Brett Ottley and Garrett Dreiling. Victoria ranks seventh defensively in Eight-Man II, allowing 20.6 points per game.

"I am just happy to be back, playing as a team," Cook said. "I couldn't do it without them. I trust the person to the left and right of me."

On special teams, Oberle said Cook struggled against Palco in Week 6. A week later, Cook made multiple special teams plays as Victoria won 52-0, its first shutout of 2009. Overall, Cook made seven tackles in the win, another strong game in a comeback season.

"I think he made every tackle on our kickoff and he has no speed," Oberle said.

"I mean, he cannot run at all. He just has a heart and a motor that won't quit. Real happy. ... He is just a great kid and has worked hard to be where he is."