MEDIAPOLIS

Since losing its first three football games, all to ranked opponents, Mid-Prairie has fired up its offense. And its defense.

By the time defending district champion Mediapolis had finally found the end zone last Friday night on its home field, Mid-Prairie junior running back Hudson Ehrenfelt had already scored three touchdowns, Ace Peck had caught a scoring pass and the Golden Hawks were dancing around the field with a 24-point lead.

Consider the champs dethroned.

Mid-Prairie walked off with a 24-8 victory, its third straight district victory and the only unbeaten record in District 2A-5.

“That was the message,” Golden Hawks head coach Daren Lambert said. “Not just win, but dominate.”

“I couldn’t be more happier for just all of our guys,” quarterback Brady Weber said.

The Golden Hawks host Central Lee on Friday night.

Ehrenfelt has scored 13 touchdowns in the last three games and Weber has thrown for 5 touchdowns and more than 500 yards, but plowing the way in front of them is an offensive line that is dominating the line of scrimmage and a defensive line doing the same.

Things were so good in Mediapolis that senior lineman Quinn Callahan was calling plays to the sidelines.

“They have confidence. I had a couple times tonight where linemen came off the field, told me what they wanted me to call,” said Lambert, who coordinates the offense. “At one point, Quinn came over and told me, ‘Run it to me, run it to me.’

“I think we ran that play three straight times,” Lambert said.

Ehrenfelt tied a school record two weeks ago by running for six touchdowns against Davis County. Last Friday, he ran for three in the first half. Game over.

The celebrations in the end zone are turning into as much a party for the linemen as they are for Ehrenfelt.

“I don’t think enough praise can be put on our offensive line,” Weber said. “That game, smashmouth football, they opened up so many holes. Hudson’s a great running back, Hudson can make his own holes, but tonight he really didn’t need to do that a whole lot. He went through the holes, did a great job making guys miss, but our offensive line just did a great job moving guys.”

Ehrenfelt rushed for 141 yards on 34 carries, a busy night, following up a week in which he ran for more than 300 yards.

Weber completed 10-of-15 passes for the second straight week, including a 29-yard touchdown toss to Peck in the second quarter.

The Golden Hawks pitched a shutout until late in the game, when Mediapolis quarterback Reese Campbell passed four yards to Gannon Gunn for a score with 2:24 remaining. It was the first touchdown scored in two weeks against the Golden Hawks.

“Defensively, phenomenal job,” Lambert said. “I felt like our guys were prepared. They were calling stuff out. They were a step ahead, just based on certain alignments. That comes from the work they did this whole week.”

Kaden Kos led Mid-Prairie with 7 tackles and three Golden Hawks recovered fumbles: Peyton Fox, Conner Wiles and Cyris Christner.

GAME STATS

MID-PRAIRIE 24, MEDIAPOLIS 8

Mid-Prairie      0    18    6   0   --  24

Mediapolis      0      0     0   8   -- 8

M-P: Hudson Ehrenfelt 2 run (kick failed)

M-P: Ace Peck 29 pass from Brady Weber (PAT failed)

M-P: Ehrenfelt 2 run (PAT failed)

M-P: Ehrenfelt 10 run (kick failed)

M: Gannon Gunn 4 pass from Reese Campbell (Gunn pass from Campbell)

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Passing: M-P, Brady Weber, 10-15, 136 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; M, Reese Campbell, 10-18, 81 yards, 1 TD.

Rushing: M-P, Hudson Ehrenfelt, 34-141, 3 TD; Peyton Fox, 3-18; Blake Swart, 1-18; M, Noah Schmidgall, 20-102; Campbell, 6-20; Alton Wonderlich, 2-3; Gannon Gunn, 1-2.

Receiving: M-P, Ace Peck, 3-71, 1 TD; Swart, 2-30; Tatem Telfer, 2-19; Ehrenfelt, 2-12; Cobi Hershberger, 1-4; M, Gunn, 5-46, 1 TD; Schmidgall, 3-14; Connor Schutz, 1-17; Braeden Oliver, 1-4.

Tackling leaders: M-P, Kaden Kos, 7; Hershberger, 5; Fox, 4.5.

This week: Central Lee at Mid-Prairie.