The #14 Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk football team used a big second half to erase a halftime deficit and score a road district win at Memorial Stadium in West Liberty Friday night 43-20.

In a game heard on KCII, the first half saw the Golden Hawks as their own worst enemy. Mid-Prairie failed to score on three trips inside of the West Liberty 25 yard line due to turnovers and penalties. In total the Golden Hawks fumbled four times in the first half, losing all of them and commit five turnovers in total. The Golden Hawk defense kept Mid-Prairie in the game despite the turnovers but the Comets would twice take advantage of miscues on a pair of Joe Kelly touchdown runs, the first a six yard scamper, the second a one yard dive, giving West Liberty a 14-0 lead at the break.

Following halftime adjustments and a long halftime conversation in the south end zone of Memorial Stadium the Golden Hawks flipped the switch in a big way. Mid-Prairie took the second half kickoff and marched 50 yards on three plays behind the power I formation with Ricky Vargas getting Mid-Prairie on the board with a 25 yard touchdown run. After a missed extra point the Hawks trailed 14-6. The Mid-Prairie defense forced a three and out and the offense went right back to work with Vargas finding the end zone on a one yard dive, after the two point try the game was tied at 14 just four minutes into the second half. The last bit of momentum the Comets had on the night came in a big Tanner Isky kickoff return to the Mid-Prairie 32 yard line. The drive stalled and the Comets tried a 40 yard field goal with Andres Garcia-Vargas that came up just shy leaving the game tied.

Mid-Prairie promptly took the football and put it in the end zone again, this time the Hawks went up top as Ryan Cortum found Blake Schwartz behind the defense for a 43 yard touchdown pass giving Mid-Prairie the lead at 22-14. The Hawks continued to pour it on, following another three and out by the Comets, Ricky Vargas needed just one play to go 48 yards for another touchdown, his third of the night, making it 30-14. Following a West Liberty fumble on their next possession, Mid-Prairie cashed in again, this time with a Nolan Faselt 25 yard touchdown run right up the middle, following a failed two point try the Hawks lead was 36-14. The final of Mid-Prairie’s 43 straight second half points was a Karson Gingerich touchdown pass to Carter Renier from 15 yards out.

On the night Mid-Prairie was led by Ricky Vargas with 185 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Nolan Faselt also had a scoring run. Ryan Cortum was three of five for 82 yards and a touchdown. Blake Schwartz was Mid-Prairie’s leading receiver with two catches for 74 yards. During Mid-Prairie’s second half comeback they outgained the Comets 325-20. With the win and West Burlington Notre Dame’s 19-14 loss to Mediapolis, Mid-Prairie clinches a playoff spot in 2015 and will play the MEPO Bulldogs next Friday for a chance to improve their playoff seed. You can hear that game on KCII with the Washington HyVee pregame show at 7PM and kickoff at 7:30.