WELLMAN

An exciting season on the pitch, Mid-Prairie boys soccer did plenty for the players, coaches, and fans to be proud of and recognition was given to their impressive play when four Golden Hawks were chosen for all-conference teams. 

Led by a strong group of seniors, Mid-Prairie soccer put together a 10-8 season, one more win than the year prior. It also marks the third time in the last four years the Hawks reached double digit wins. 

“These seniors have done a great job all year motivating these younger kids, letting them know what they’re doing well, encouraging them, telling them, hey, next year this is you,” Mid-Prairie coach Wyatt Cady said. 

Mid-Prairie won its first two playoff games, defeating Sigourney and Hillcrest, to advance to the substate final against conference foe Regina. With a state bid on the line, Regina ended Mid-Prairie’s season by defeating them, 2-0. 

While on the road, Mid-Prairie went 3-5 and at home they went 5-2. As a team the Hawks scored 30 goals and their goalkeepers racked up 125 saves. 

The ever-reliable Joe Hall saw the most playing time as goalie for Mid-Prairie this season. Hall, a senior, was sensational for the Hawks all season long, tallying 107 saves for a save percentage of 82.3%.  

“All the time I’ve been coaching, this is the truest goalie that we’ve had as a program,” Coach Cady said about Hall after a playoff game. “This kid can do it all. He was making the saves, he was punting the ball past the circle in the air, he was commanding the defense. He’s just a great player.”

Mid-Prairie had two talented players be selected for first-team all-conference, seniors Beau Flynn and Daniel Rodgers. 

Flynn finished his final year at Mid-Prairie with four goals, with three of them coming from a hat trick in a game against Columbus. He also had one assist. His goal total was a career high. As a freshman and a sophomore, he scored one goal each. 

Rodgers, one of three captains on this year’s squad, scored a career high four goals as a senior. As a junior and as a sophomore he scored one goal each. When it came to assists, Captain Rogers ended with three, the second highest on the team. 

More Mid-Prairie senior talent found themselves on an all-conference team, with Tucker Miller being selected for second-team all-conference. 

Playing all four years for Mid-Prairie, Captain Miller ended his final season with Mid-Prairie with five goals and a team leading six assists. 

Overall Miller has scored 20 goals as a Golden Hawk and has accumulated 19 assists. His junior year is where he reached his career highs in goals (8) and assists (8). 

Earning honorable mention all-conference was sophomore Peyton Fox. In his first year playing high school soccer, Fox led the Hawks with seven goals. Three of his goals came when he completed a hat trick in a playoff game against Sigourney-Keota. He also had two assists. 

Mid-Prairie says goodbye to 11 seniors: Tucker Miller, Daniel Rodgers, Beau Flynn, Joe Hall, Drake Price, Hugo Banuelos, Sawyer Hough, Dylan Henry, Drew Schlabaugh, Anthony Culbertson, Jackson Miller.

“It always hurts to lose one of your strongest senior classes ever,” Coach Cady said after a playoff game. “But the way they’re bringing up these other kids, I think they’re still doing their job.”