The Mid-Prairie football team suffered a setback Friday at the hands of the Anamosa Blue Raiders 35-14 at Downing Field in Anamosa.
In a game heard on AM and FM KCII, the Blue Raiders built an early lead, scoring at the 5:22 mark of the first quarter, capping a seven play 59 yard drive with a four yard touchdown run from Logan Seeley. Following a fumbled Mid-Prairie punt the Raiders went up top when Matthew Walton hooked up with Zac McLean on a 32 yard touchdown pass to double the lead with 90 seconds left in the first quarter. After a Golden Hawk drive was stopped on an interception in the end zone, Anamosa scored again just before half when Walton went up top to Brian Sayre for a 63 yard touchdown to give the Raiders a 21-0 lead going to the break.
In the second half Anamosa would pad their lead again when McLean raced 73 yards with a swing pass to make it 28-0 Blue Raiders with six to play in the third. Mid-Prairie got on the board with 10 minutes left in the game on a Rex Peck two yard touchdown run to finish a seven play 64 yard drive. Following a successful onside kick Karson Gingerich found Tom Butters on a 63 yard touchdown pass to pull Mid-Prairie within 28-14 on a two point conversion. The Hawks would execute and recover another onside kick but their final drive stalled and Anamosa tacked on an insurance touchdown with three minutes left to seal the win.
Mid-Prairie was led on the night by Gingerich who was 23 of 48 for 288 yards, a touchdown and a pair of interceptions. His performance was an all-timer for the Mid-Prairie record books, completing the second most passes in a single game in school history and throwing for the fourth most yards in a single game. Justin Schwartz hauled in nine balls for 71 yards, Tom Butters had two catches for 93 yards and a touchdown. Walton led Anamosa with 305 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. With the loss, Mid-Prairie falls to 3-5 on the season, Anamosa improves to 4-4. The Golden Hawks will next be on the field Friday for Senior Night when they host Mediapolis.