The countdown has come to an end. High school football is back in Southeast Iowa beginning tonight with Week 0 games and scrimmages across the area. The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks will see their first action of the year under the lights tonight when they travel to Memorial Field for a scrimmage against West Liberty. In 2021, the Hawks finished with a 6-4 overall record, including a 4-1 mark and runner-up finish in Class 2A District Six. Their schedule remains the same as a season ago with non-district bouts against West Burlington Notre Dame, Sigourney-Keota and Iowa City Regina while Class 2A District Six still features defending champion Williamsburg along with Central Lee, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, Centerville and Davis County.
On offense, the Hawks scored 34 points per game last season, rolling up 312 yards per game, 200 of that on the ground. Mid-Prairie will be without their leading ground gainer, passer and receivers from last season after the graduation of seniors Tyler Helmuth, Will Cavanagh, Jack Pennington and Jarrett Hoffman. Helmuth led the Hawks with 771 yards and 16 touchdowns on 106 carries. The all-district back finished his Mid-Prairie career ninth in Golden Hawk history for rushing touchdowns in a single year, ninth in points for a single season. Cavanagh was 88 of 145 through the air for 1,086 yards, 14 touchdowns and five interceptions. He was a second team all-district and academic all-state performer. His 61% completion percentage was fifth in 2A, his five interceptions were the third fewest in Iowa and his single year and career touchdown pass marks were third and eighth most respectively in Mid-Prairie history. On the receiving end, Pennington and Hoffman combined for 49 catches, 549 yards and eight touchdowns. In the run game, the Hawks return their second leading rusher from a season ago. Braden Hartley carried the ball 80 times in 2021 for 582 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 7.3 yards per touch, tied for the team lead. Under center, Collin Miller saw time behind Cavanagh. The junior completed a pair of passes last season. Cain Brown is the top returning pass catcher with 10 catches for 168 yards and a pair of scores last year. Defensively, the Golden Hawks surrendered just 19 points per game and forced 15 turnovers total in 2021. They will need to replace the season’s leading tackler Justice Jones. The all-stater posted 69 and a half stops the previous year, the third straight year he led the team. He finished second in program history on the tackle chart with 267. Hartley was second a season ago with 47 and a half stops and returning defensive lineman Terry Bordenave was third on the team as a junior with 37 and a half tackles last year.
West Liberty was 3-6 a season ago, finishing with a 3-2 mark in Class 2A District five. Their wins came over Monticello, Tipton and Anamosa while falling to Solon, Regina, Independence, Camanche, Northeast Goose Lake, and Waukon. The Comets averaged 286 total yards per game last year, 166 of that on the ground, scoring 22 points per contest. Two players split time at quarterback for the Comets last year with junior Drake Collins and senior Caleb Wulf combining to go 75 of 154 for 1,031 yards, five touchdowns and 14 interceptions with Collins and his 703 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions returning. Senior Jahsiah Galvan led the West Liberty ground attack with 160 carries 1,305 yards and 16 touchdowns. Collins is the leading returner on the ground after a 2021 with 67 carries for 122 yards and four touchdowns. The Comets do return their top receiver in Josh Zeman with 19 grabs for 372 yards and a trio of touchdowns last season. The West Liberty defense gave up 35 points a night last year. They will need to replace their top two stoppers with Galvan and Felipe Molina combining on 120 tackles a year ago.
This is the second straight year these two teams have met in this scrimmage format and the 45th time they have stepped on the field together in the series history with West Liberty holding a slim 23-21 all-time advantage, though Friday’s game doesn’t count in the record books.
Tonight’s scrimmage will see the two teams break off to work on drills for the offensive and defensive lines on one side of the field with the skill players working on the other before seven on seven drills and then a controlled scrimmage where both teams will have several possessions on offense and defense with a chance for reps on special teams as well. Action begins tonight at 7p.m. at Memorial Field in West Liberty.