Sometimes it’s not about what you want, it’s about getting what you need to paraphrase Mick Jagger. On Friday night, Mid-Prairie needed everything it got to hold off class 3A Clear Creek Amana in Wellman by a 10-0 score. The defenses dominated most of the game especially the first 20 minutes before Mid-Prairie got on the board with a two yard touchdown run by back up tailback Essa (Ee-saw) Baylor. The scoring dive capped a dominating 12 play 72 yard drive with 4:50 left first half. Baylor spoke in the post game show about his scoring run.
“It felt good, just running and following [Powell] and good blocking,” Baylor said, “Getting my first touchdown of the season felt good.”
The Golden Hawks would strike again just before the half as kicker Austin Errthum (Earth-um) stepped into a kick and into the Mid-Prairie record books. The kick officially traveled 58 yards, a new Mid-Prairie record, and put the Golden Hawks up 10-0 heading to the break and capping an eight play 34 yard drive. In the post game Head Coach Pete Cavanagh talked about the decision to send Errthum out for the kick.
“Even I thought that was out of his range,” Cavanagh said. “We’d take a stab at it. I asked him before the play, ‘What do you think?’ [He was unsure] so I said ‘Treat it like a kick off, just put the ball into the endzone,’ and great protection up front, great hold, and that is what he is capable of right there. He’s a heck of kicker and a great weapon, and it’s kind of nice when you have that as an option.”
The majority of the second reverted back to a defensive stalemate before Clear Creek pulled within 10-7 with 6:17 left in the game on a 6 yard quarterback draw from Konrad Moore. Mid-Prairie posted one more drive to get within field goal range and after failing on a fake field goal in an attempt to ice the game the Golden Hawk defense was called on once more to protect the lead. On the first play of the series Golden Hawk linebacker Canaan Powell flew in untouched and planted Moore for a sack. Cavanagh spoke in the post game show about Powell’s play and his defense.
“Great effort, and he’s a effort kid, so he deserves it, we had that kid running all night, and even when we didn’t get to him we kept the pressure,” Cavanagh said. “I mean that is part of the reason we didn’t kick the field goal at the end, I knew we would be okay. Just a great effort by the defense moving forward, and that makes me sleep a little better knowing that the defense can play.”
Mid-Prairie would force the Clippers to turn it over on downs after failing on a fourth and nine. The Golden Hawks were led by Baylor’s 98 yards on 23 carries on the ground, quarterback Reid Miller was 7 of 16 for 26 yards and an interception. The Golden Hawk defense posted seven sacks. Clear Creek was led by Moore who was 13 of 27 through the air for 151 yards, Moore was the leading ground gainer for the Clippers with 80 yards on 22 carries. Clear Creek out gained Mid-Prairie 210 to 198 With the win Mid-Prairie is now 1-1 after completing non-district play. The Golden Hawks open up district action on the road next Friday at Central Lee. Hear all of the action live on KCIIradio.com with pre game at 7PM and kickoff at 7:30.