The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk boys basketball team saw marked improvement during the 2016-17 season, the first under new head boys basketball coach Daren Lambert, finishing with a 7-17 overall record, best in the last three seasons.

One of the big pieces to the puzzle this year for the Hawks was the man in the middle, 6’9″ center Caleb Statler. Statler led the Golden Hawks in scoring, averaging nine points per game during the campaign. He also led Mid-Prairie and was one of the top rebounders in the River Valley Conference South Division, pulling in 121 boards on the year, eighth best in the RVC. Statler’s defense as a rim protector was a key to success. The big man collected 50 blocked shots on the year, best on the team, best in the River Valley South, second place was 33, and seventh in all of class 2A in Iowa.

Statler along with fellow seniors Carter Reinier and Derek Rich wrapped up their Mid-Prairie careers in the district semifinals against the Highland Huskies.