After suffering their first loss of the season last week, the #10 in class 2A Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk football team faces another stiff challenge this week.
A week ago that loss came to the #7 in class 2A Williamsburg Raiders. This week the Golden Hawks welcome #11 in class 2A Central Lee to Dwight G. Sattler Field.
The Central Lee Hawks enter tonight’s contest with a 5-1 mark for the season, they are 3-1 in district play after stomping West Burlington Notre Dame last week 63-14. Central Lee threw just one pass the entire contest, which fell incomplete, but were dominant on the ground rolling up 317 yards on the ground and eight rushing touchdowns. Ethan Barnett led the way last week for the Hawks with 159 yards on 22 carries and five touchdowns.
Barnett leads the way for the Hawks as a team with 836 yards on 124 carries for the season with 16 touchdowns. Garrett Holtkamp is second with 472 yards and seven touchdowns on 66 carries. Led by Barnett who ranks sixth in the state in rushing yards and fourth in rushing touchdowns, Central Lee is the best rushing team in all of class 2A with 2149 yards on the ground for the year, a nearly 400 yard per game average. However, the Hawks do have trouble through the air, quarterback Garrett Holtkamp is only six of 18 for the season for 106 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Central Lee defense is opportunistic. They are fifth in the state with nine interceptions on the year and second with 10 fumble recoveries. The Hawks scoring defense is fourth best in the state allowing just nine points per game.
Mid-Prairie is also 5-1 on the year with a 2-1 mark in district play, in a virtual tie with Central Lee for the second spot in class 2A district five. The Golden Hawks are led on the year by Ryan Cortum who is 30 of 62 through the air for 560 yards, five scores and two interceptions. Through the air, Cortum’s favorite target is Junior Tight End Levi Duwa, he leads the team with 285 yards on 14 grabs and three touchdowns. Mid-Prairie’s passing offense is predicated on the big play ranking number five in the state in yards per completion at 19. On the ground, Mid-Prairie is led by Ricky Vargas with 690 yards and eight touchdowns on 83 carries, he’s averaging 8.3 yards per touch, putting him in the top 10 in the state in yards per carry. Nolan Faselt is second for the Golden Hawks with 75 carries for 444 yards and five touchdowns. On the defensive side of the football Mid-Prairie is ranked sixth in the state in scoring defense, allowing 13 points per game and they are opportunistic as well ranking fourth in the state with 10 interceptions on the year.
Action between Mid-Prairie and Central Lee kicks off tonight at Dwight G. Sattler Field in Wellman at 7:30. You can hear all of the action live on AM 1380, FM 102.5 and KCIIradio.com with the Washington HyVee Pregame show on the air at 7PM. KCII is the one to count on for today’s local sports coverage.