Mid-Prairie was the only team in Class 2A District 6 to finish the non-district portion of the season with two wins, and it shows the district is wide open for the taking.  

Williamsburg, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont and Davis County won one game and Central Lee and Albia are currently 0-4. 

My take is that the district is likely to be a two-team race between Mid-Prairie and Williamsburg and with the weak showing from the district to start the season, an at-large playoff qualifier isn’t likely due to the way the ratings percentage index formula works.

The two contenders play at Williamsburg on Oct. 4, but have to take things one step at a time as they host Central Lee this week. 

The Golden Hawks’ two wins have shown their strengths and their two losses their weaknesses.  On the strong end, Mid-Prairie has started games strong, with four touchdowns in four games on opening drives. Those drives have featured big passing plays, long rushing plays and consistent blocking from the offensive line. 

The Golden Hawks have to figure out how to translate that to sustained offensive performance throughout the game, especially against some defenses that have struggled to start the season. 

Every other team in the district, Williamsburg included, has given up at least 40 points in a loss once this season. As a whole, the other five teams in the district are giving up 40.5 points per game. Through the four non-district games, Mid-Prairie leads Class 2 District 6 in scoring with 109 total points, including 13 rushing touchdowns. 

The points should come for the offense, but the key to winning will be limiting turnovers. The Golden Hawks have lost a pair of fumbles and thrown five interceptions so far this season. Limiting those turnovers will allow the Mid-Prairie rushing attack to control the game clock. 

Mid-Prairie’s last playoff appearance came in 2015 after the Golden Hawks finished 7-2 and reached the second round of the playoffs. They will need a similar record this year, likely having to run the table from here on out to make the playoffs. 

That was Mid-Prairie coach Pete Cavanagh’s message to his team after their 2-2 start to the season. After their 33-6 loss to Liberty, Cavanagh told his team it was possible, but they had to get better. 

“We start districts next week, so we’re 0-0 moving forward,” Cavanagh said. 

Mid-Prairie kicks off against Central Lee at 7 p.m. on Friday. 

Class 2A District 6 Prediction

1. Mid-Prairie (7-2, 5-0)

2. Williamsburg (5-4, 4-1)

3. E-B-F (4-5, 3-2)

4. Davis County (3-6, 2-3)

5. Albia (1-8, 1-4)

6. Central Lee (0-9, 0-5)