On Homecoming Friday last night at Dwight G. Sattler Field in Wellman, the #10 ranked Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk football treated themselves and their fans to a rout, beating #15 West Burlington Notre Dame, 27-0.
In a game heard on AM and FM KCII, weather conditions dictated game action for much of the night with both teams relying heavily on the rushing game and concerned with footing and turf conditions. Following a three and out by each team, the Golden Hawks were able to break through on their second possession when Ricky Vargas swept the left side of the field and raced 37 yards for a touchdown. The extra point made it 7-0 Mid-Prairie. Just 30 seconds later the Hawks were in the end zone again, this time it was Levi Duwa recovering a fumble in the end zone as the shotgun snap sailed over the head of Falcon quarterback Spencer Ferguson.
The Mid-Prairie defense would score again early in the second quarter when Nolan Faselt jumped a passing route to pick off Ferguson and raced 57 yards for the pick six. The extra point made it 21-0 Mid-Prairie, and that’s where the score stood at the half. In the second half the wind and the rain continued as Mid-Prairie protected their lead with ball control offense, letting the offensive line, Nolan Faselt and Ricky Vargas pound away on the Falcon defense and run the clock. After a scoreless third quarter, the Golden Hawks put the finishing touches on the win offensively when Faselt rushed 14 yards for a score to make it 27-0 following the missed extra point.
The Golden Hawks were dominant in the win, especially on the defensive side of the football, holding West Burlington Notre Dame, the number two rushing offense, top five total offense and top 10 scoring offense in the state, to just nine total yards in the first half and 35 yards combined for the game. The Falcons had a negative number in the total yards category until the final drive of the night against the Mid-Prairie reserves.
Mid-Prairie outgained West Burlington 218-35 on the night including 198-26 on the ground. Faselt led the way for the Hawks with 116 yards on 21 carries and a score, Vargas had 81 yards rushing, Ryan Cortum was one of two through the air for 20 yards. With the win Mid-Prairie is now 4-0 on the year, 2-0 in district play. Next week they travel to Sigourney-Keota to renew their rivalry with the Savage Cobras. You can hear all of the action on AM and FM KCII with the Washington HyVee pregame show live at 7PM.