Miller's 69-yard pick-6 finishes off Golden Hawks' win against Central Lee

WELLMAN

With less than two minutes left in Mid-Prairie’s third straight District 2A-6 win Friday night, Golden Hawks defensive end Kale Miller discovered a gift in the middle of all that mud.

Teammate Ryan Henry had hit Central Lee quarterback Brett Cook as he was attempting a pass. The ball popped into the air and right into the hands of Miller.

Miller looked ahead. There was nobody in front of him, not for nearly 70 yards of grass and mud.

So, he ran toward the end zone for his second touchdown of the night, careful not to slip in the mud, finishing off a 56-21 victory.

“That was nice,” Miller said.

And he caught his breath enough to kick the extra point following an interception return (69 yards) that was the fourth longest in school history.

“Definitely a dream come true for a defensive lineman,” Henry said.

The touchdown, which came with 1:04 left in the game, completed a night in which Mid-Prairie senior quarterback Brooks Weber passed for six touchdowns, tying a school record for the second time, and 353 yards, increasing his career passing total to a school-record 3,567 yards.

On a night that seemed more destined for power backs to sloshing through a muddy field that was created by three days of rain, Weber unleashed scoring passes of 63 and 64 yards to Henry and Bronx Miller in the opening quarter. The Golden Hawks scored on their first three possessions and were ahead 28-0 before Central Lee’s Carver Hayes scored on a 16-yard just before halftime.

The Golden Hawks ran more passing plays (26) than rushing plays (22), and Weber wound up with an efficiency rating of 193.3. Carson Humphrey and Bronx Miller each had five catches and combined for three of the six TD receptions.

All that mud and soft footing? Mid-Prairie head coach Daren Lambert saw that as an opportunity for the passing game.

“Our guys did well with it,” Lambert said.

Bronx Miller, a sophomore who scored on a 42-yard punt return, averaged more than 24 yards a catch and his first TD came on a 64-yard pass play from Weber.

Henry, a two-time state sprint finalist in track, burned Central Lee with a 63-yard scoring reception on Mid-Prairie’s first possession.

Humphrey caught a pair of TD passes in the second half and had five catches for the second consecutive game.

Peyton Brenneman, a freshman, took over as quarterback in the second half as the Golden Hawks emptied portions of their bench. But after Central Lee scored a pair of touchdowns, including a 79-yard scoring pass from Cook to Evan Fogarty with 9:24 left in the game, Weber and the other starters re-entered the game for a quick scoring drive that pushed the score to 49-21 with 6:57 left.

All that was left was the longest interception run of Kale Miller’s varsity career. Well, actually, it was his first interception ever.

“He’s been huge this season,” Lambert said. “To have that moment is awesome for him.”

BY THE NUMBERS

MID-PRAIRIE 56, CENTRAL LEE 21

Central Lee       0    7     0   14  --  21

Mid-Prairie     21    7   14   14   -- 56

M-P: Ryan Henry 63 pass from Brooks Weber (Kale Miller kick)

M-P: Bronx Miller 64 pass from Weber (Kale Miller kick)

M-P: Nolan Jergens 26 pass from Weber (Kale Miller kick)

M-P: Kale Miller 6 pass from Weber (Kale Miller kick)

CL: Carver Hayes 16 run (Evon Merritt kick)

M-P: Bronx Miller 42 punt return (Kale Miller kick)

M-P: Carson Humphrey 38 pass from Weber (Kale Miller kick)

CL: Odin Mullins 2 run (Merritt kick)

CL: Evan Fogarty 79 pass from Brett Cook (Merritt kick)

M-P: Humphrey 8 pass from Weber (Kale Miller kick)

M-P: Kale Miller 69 interception return (Kale Miller kick)

PASSING LEADERS

Central Lee, Brett Cook, 4-9-103, 1 TD, 1 INT; Mid-Prairie, Brooks Weber, 18-26-353, 6 TD, 0 INT.

RUSHING LEADERS

Central Lee, Carver Hayes, 7-97, 1 TD; Cook, 18-78; Odin Mullins, 9-32, 1 TD; Johnathan Seyb, 12-25; Micah Ashmore, 1-10; Mid-Prairie, Lenox Miller, 10-53; Ryan Henry, 7-20; Kael Grout, 1-3.

RECEIVING LEADERS

Central Lee, Evan Fogarty, 1-79, 1 TD; Mullins, 1-24; Mid-Prairie, Bronx Miller, 5-123, 1 TD; Carson Humphrey, 5-94, 2 TD; Henry, 3-72, 1 TD; Kale Miller, 3-34, 1 TD; Nolan Jergens, 2-30, 1 TD.

TACKLING LEADERS

Central Lee, Cook, 9.5; Kellen Weber, 5.5; Mid-Prairie, Caedyn Huston, 9.5; Bronx Miller, 7.5; Cecil Kelley, 7.5; Max Kipp, 5; Lenox Miller, 4.