It was a tough start to 2023 for the Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk football team as they fell at home in their season debut Friday, 13-0, to the Wilton Beavers. After forcing a quick three and out, the visitors marched down the field, covering 75 yards on 13 plays, with Owen Hassel finding the end zone on a two yard dive to make it 7-0 Beavers. Mid-Prairie got rolling on their second trip, moving 66 yards on 14 plays, but the Wilton defense rose up with a Jordan Dusenberry interception to turn the Hawks away in the red zone. With the ball back, the Beavers continued to pound away, going 84 yards in seven plays, all on the ground, with Hassel scoring for the second time, a five yard rush, to make it 13-0 after a blocked PAT.
The Golden Hawks third trip with ball was stopped, and this time so were the Beavers on a key fourth-and-two on the fringe of the Mid-Prairie red zone. With momentum the Hawks approached midfield but a John Clelland interception of Golden Hawk signal caller Brady Weber late in the half sent things to the locker room at 13-0.
The Mid-Prairie defense was called on again out of the break and they turned away Wilton. Next possession for the Hawks covered 59 yards on 14 plays but resulted in no points after a missed fourth down. Up two scores, Wilton was looking to put things out of reach on their next drive, a 73 yard push, but the Golden Hawk defense and Grady Miller had other ideas. Miller blasted through the line, smashed the ball carrier and ripped away the football to force the fumble and recovery. After the takeaway the ensuing Mid-Prairie drive stalled at their own 44.
In the final frame, still trailing 13-0, the Golden Hawks tried to stop the Wilton ground game. Mid-Prairie got the turnover they needed late when Kurt Schneider recovered a Beaver fumble. The Wilton defense rose to the task to close down the Golden Hawks late, keep the shut out intact, and leave Wellman with a win. After the game, Golden Hawk head coach Daren Lambert joined KCII Sports on the locker room show to talk about his takeaways, the Wilton run game and Mid-Prairie’s standouts. He said, “They were bringing back a lot of their skill positions. Quarterback, running back, receivers. They all saw a lot of time last year as sophomores. They (Wilton) were getting chunk yards and playing complementary football, and getting us off the field. We found our way in the second half, but ultimately ran out of time. You wish you had another second half and could play six quarters. We started to figure some things out running the football. Defensively, we flipped the script and got two turnovers. Offensively tonight we just didn’t finish drives. Guys gained confidence during the game. I think you saw Hudson Ehrenfelt, who had a great second half, found his groove and the hit points were opening up. The offensive line did a great job. Hudson on the offensive side and Kaden (Kos) on the defensive side, it’s the first varsity experience for both, they’re sophomores. They learned a lot. It was a team effort and those individuals can shine because of the work of others.”
Unofficially, the Beavers outgained the Hawks 364-250 in total yards including 204-92 in the first half. The turnover battled was even at two. Despite, the scoring struggles for Mid-Prairie, the Hawks had five drives of 40 yards or more on the night. Hassel finished with 27 touches for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Hudson Ehrenfelt led Mid-Prairie with 24 touches for 104 yards. Kaden Kos had 11 tackles. With the win, Wilton is 1-0 and hosts West Liberty next week. Mid-Prairie travels to Regina.