Photo Courtesy of Mid-Prairie Football Social Media

Different venue, familiar foe for the Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk football team Friday when they meet Northeast Goose Lake to open the Class 2A playoffs. Mid-Prairie enters the night with a 5-3 overall record, finishing 3-2, third place in Class 2A District 6, after a 42-6 win last week in Wellman on Senior Night over visiting Davis County to clinch a postseason bid. Mid-Prairie had more than 450 yards of total offense a week ago. Collin Miller threw for two scores and rushed for another, Braden Hartley had two rushing scores, Grady Gingerich caught two touchdowns and Cain Brown threw for a score and caught one. Evan Phillips had an interception for the Mid-Prairie defense. On the year, the Golden Hawks are averaging 29 points per game and giving up 21. They produce 303 yards per game, 212 on the ground. Individual leaders include Hartley with 1,172 yards on 176 carries with 13 touchdowns. Collin Miller is 37 of 91 passing for 623 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. His top target is Brown with 22 catches, 411 yards and five touchdowns. Brown is also the leader on defense with 46 and a half stops and four takeaways. As a team Mid-Prairie has forced 20 turnovers.

Northeast Goose Lake is 4-4 this season, they also finished 3-2, in a second place tie in Class 2A District 5. Last time out they were beaten by Monticello 58-28. On the year, the Rebels are scoring 32 points per game and giving up 34. They average 389 yards per game, 207 through the air. Sophomore Gavin Kramer is the star for the Rebels, with 2,390 all-purpose yards and 28 touchdowns. He’s 105 of 195 in the pass game for 1,623 yards, 19 scores and nine picks. Jimmy Weispfenning has 39 grabs for 655 yards and nine touchdowns. Kramer has 145 carries, 767 yards and nine scores on the ground. Grant Gray leads the Rebel defense with 62 and a half tackles, Kramer has five interceptions to lead the takeaway department. This week, Mid-Prairie head coach Pete Cavanagh talked about the Rebels and his keys to a win. “They’re explosive. Their numbers are like a video game almost. It’s a lot of passing yards. (Gavin) Kramer is the key to it. His ability to keep the play going, to improvise, make something out of nothing sometimes is scary from a defensive standpoint. We know it’s going to have to be a 48-minute game on Friday. Ball control for us. We need those long 13, 14, 15-play drives on offense and on defense, get in the backfield and disrupt their quarterback.”

These two teams met in the first round a season ago with Mid-Prairie ending the Rebel’s year 35-28 at Dwight G. Sattler Field in Wellman. The winner advances to the second round of the 2A playoffs next Friday. You can hear all of the action live between the Golden Hawks and Northeast on AM 1380 and FM 102.5 KCII tonight, beginning with the Washington HyVee Pregame Show at 6:30 and kickoff at 7p.m. from Goose Lake.