The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk football team passed their initial postseason test Friday, topping Northeast Goose Lake in the first round of the 2A playoffs 35-28. The Hawks scored the first three touchdowns on the night, taking the first possession and moving it 55 yards on 12 plays, finishing with a Will Cavanagh quarterback sneak into the end zone. After a five yard Goose Lake punt it was another methodical Mid-Prairie drive, this time covering 48 yards on eight plays with a Braden Hartley two yard run getting the Hawks into the end zone to make it 14-0 at the end of one. It became 21-0 after the Rebels missed on fourth down and Mid-Prairie went 33 yards on three plays early in the second quarter, getting to paydirt on a Tyler Helmuth three yard touchdown run.

Northeast hung around from there, converting a fourth and three with a 50 yard completion from Gavin Kramer to Jimmy Weisphennig and those two connected from five yards out to get the Rebels on the board at 21-7. Both teams would add a touchdown before the break with Mid-Prairie, following a Cain Brown interception, going 14 plays, 65 yards and getting a score through the air on a four yard completion from Cavanagh to Jack Pennington, but Goose Lake answered in the final seconds of the half when Cade Hughes pulled in a four yard touchdown throw, leaving things at 28-14 at the break.

Out of the locker room, Grady Gingerich grabbed a Mid-Prairie interception of Kramer and returned it to the Northeast 39 and Mid-Prairie went eight plays from there, Hartley had the final four yards into the end zone to make it 35-14. The Rebels would put the pressure on late as the Golden Hawk offense slowed down. Brown got his second pick of Kramer on the night, the third turnover forced by Mid-Prairie, on the next Rebel drive but were the Hawks were stopped themselves on offense, leaving the score 35-14 going to the fourth. Northeast got touchdowns in the final period from Kramer to Hayden Lee and Kramer to Weisphennig to get within seven, but Mid-Prairie recovered an onside kick with eight seconds left to seal the win. After the game, Golden Hawk head coach Pete Cavanagh talked about their running back play, defense and finishing the win. “We have talked a lot over the last month about getting out to a quick start, especially since we are playing teams with good offenses. Our game plan tonight was to run the football right at them. To slow down their offense we were trying to have good ball control and move the chains. We didn’t have a ton of big plays but we had enough to move the chains and get touchdowns when we needed them. Helmuth and Hartley were a good 1-2 punch for us again in the backfield. Our tight ends, Grady Gingerich and Shawn Dodds were great on the edges. Jack Zahradnek is a leader on the offensive line and that group continues to play well. They were undersized but they fight. They are a bunch of gutty kids. Gingerich’s interception was big, it really stopped their momentum. Our corners, Collin Miller and Jarrett Hoffman are giving up eight inches out there tonight but they hung in there and played well. They were awesome.”

The Hawks outgained the Rebels 285-235 in total yards including 16 first downs to 10 and outrushed Goose Lake 243 to 68. Mid-Prairie also won the turnover battle three to one. Helmuth and Hartley combined for 47 carries 225 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Cavanagh was five of 11 through the air for a score. Hartley led the Mid-Prairie defense with eight and a half tackles. With the win, the Golden Hawks are now 6-3, Northeast Goose Lake ends the year 4-5. Mid-Prairie will be back in action in the second round of the playoffs next Friday when they travel to State Center to meet No. 3 West Marshall, who was a 42-0 winner over Centerville this week.