Golden Hawk hat trick

Three consecutive district titles.

Before Friday night, it had never been done by the Mid-Prairie football program.

With Friday’s dominant 56-14 win over Mediapolis, the Golden Hawks clinched their three-peat, winning their 16th consecutive district game in the process.

“It feels amazing,” senior lineman Tommy Miller, who had a rushing touchdown in the game, said. “All the hard work we have been putting in as a team, seeing the new guys coming up since I’ve been on this varsity team the past few years, it’s just been great to see.”
The Golden Hawks jumped out to an early 14-0 first quarter lead, but when the field flipped to begin the second quarter, Mediapolis began to resist the march of the Golden Hawks. 

Mid-Prairie set up a screen pass to open the second quarter, but the Bulldog pass rush got to quarterback Brady Weber before the play developed, batting his pass high in the air. The ball fell into the hands of Mediapolis linebacker Kale Lange, who was dragged across the goal line for a pick six by the Bulldog defensive line.

That mistake didn’t rattle Weber one bit, though, as on the very next play from scrimmage he launched a 62-yard touchdown pass to Nolan Jergens to immediately extend the Golden Hawk lead back to 14. 

That became a cycle, as Weber faced the most adversity he’s seen this season, throwing 3 interceptions to match his season total, but coming back out slinging every time, hitting Jergens and Carson Humphrey for deep pass after deep pass, culminating in a 358-yard, 3-touchdown night to offset his turnovers. 

“At one point I told him, ‘Remember you’re all-state and own every passing record, and don’t you forget that,’” Mid-Prairie head coach said of Weber. “He kind of smirked… He’s his own hardest critic, but the way he stepepd up, hitting big plays and getting points on the board really led us on the way [to victory.]”

On a mixed night by Weber’s standards, though, his teammates picked him up.

Junior running back Ryan Henry ran like a bolt of lightning, churning out 191 rush yards and 4 touchdowns to fuel the offense.

“The plan was just to run hard, try to hit someone, and later in the game there will be one to get loose on,” Henry, who had a 70-yard touchdown run in the second half, said. “That was just the gameplan.”

As for the Golden Hawk defense, it had its best night of the season.

Mid-Prairie gave up just 65 passing yards on the night and gave up just 7 defensive points while generating 4 turnovers to keep the Bulldog offense off the field.

“Each and every week, they’ve gotten better at playing assignment football,” Lambert said of his defense. “You could tell that they were invested in the scout this week. They were calling things out based on formations and alignments from the offense, and that allows you to play fast. Those guys did a great job.”
The highlight of that defensive communication came late in the first half, when the Bulldogs went to execute a trick play, pitching the ball to the halfback before attempting to pass it back to the quarterback. The Golden Hawks sniffed it out before the ball was even snapped, screaming “Halfback pass!” and jumping on the tailback for one of Mid-Prairie’s 3 sacks on the game.

Humphrey produced a dominant all-around game, working his way to 104 receiving yards and a touchdown offensively, moving to 4th in career receiving touchdowns and 7th in career receiving yards for the Golden Hawks in the process, while picking off a pass and recovering a fumble on defense.

“We’re always in sync when the play’s broken and he’s running around,” Humphrey said of his connection with Weber, particularly in scramble situations. “I always know to put my hands up and come back to him, and that usually works for us. I always know when to get open, and he makes a great throw every time.”

Jergens and Weber also made their marks in the record books, as Jergens moved to 5th in career touchdown receptions, while Weber set a new school record in career completions.

“He’s the best quarterback to come through in Mid-Prairie history,” Henry said of Weber. “It’s going to happen, he’s going to throw picks, but we picked him up and he never played with his head down. He still threw the ball amazingly, just like always.”
With their biggest regular season goal now in the rear-view mirror, Mid-Prairie’s eyes now turn to the postseason, where the Golden Hawks have unfinished business after last year’s narrow quarterfinal loss.

“It’s hard for me, in my senior year, to realize that this is the last chance I get to do it, and I want to make the most of it,” Humphrey said of his team’s goal to reach the UNI Dome. “We just really have to come together as a team, just like we did this week, and keep pushing forward.”

Despite those further goals, though, the Golden Hawks took a moment to soak in their accomplishment, posing for a photo to commemorate the district title after making their way through the handshake line.
“I love being a part of this team,” Humphrey said. “I’ve been here all three years of this run, and it feels so great making history.”

Mid-Prairie will conclude the season against West Burlington/Notre Dame on Friday, an opponent that Lambert emphasized his team couldn’t overlook.

“We haven’t lost a district game in 3 years, and we don’t want to lose next week just because we wrapped it up this week. Now we’re playing for playoff seeding, we’re playing for rankings, and the job’s not finished.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. in Wellman on Friday, when the Golden Hawks will celebrate Senior Night, honoring a class that has taken the program to new heights.