The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk football team gets its first taste of the Friday night lights tonight with a road trip to Grinnell. The Hawks are coming off of one of their best seasons in school history, finishing with a 7-4 overall record and an undefeated district title, their first since 2008. Last year, Mid-Prairie scored 29 points per game and gave up 17, averaging 308 yards per game, 159 passing and 149 rushing. The Hawks will have to replace senior signal caller Brady Weber who finished 139 of 218 through the air for 1,751 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. He graduates holding six school records on offense. On the ground, the Golden Hawks return leading rusher Hudson Ehrenfelt and his 242 carries 1,365 yards and 26 touchdowns. He ranks in the top five in school history in eight offensive categories. Ehrenfelt is also the leading receiver back with 26 grabs, 289 yards and a pair of scores last year. Kaden Kos tied for the team lead with three receiving scores. The Hawks have to replace four receivers, Blake Swart, Tatem Telfer, Ace Peck and Cobi Hershberger who combined for 97 catches, 1,149 yards and five touchdowns. Kos is back to lead the Golden Hawk defense as the school’s all-time leader in tackles in a season and career, with 109 last year, 23 for loss. The Hawks had 16 takeaways last year, two for Ehrenfelt, the most back. Mid-Prairie had 12 All-District performers last year, with Ehrenfelt, Kos, Tommy Miller and Kale Miller returning. All three district MVPs also return, Ehrenfelt on offense, Kos on defense and Tommy Miller along the line. That same trio received All-State honors in 2A. Head Coach Daren Lambert was named District Coach of the Year. Mid-Prairie ranked in the top 10 of 2A statistically in 24 different categories.

Grinnell was 6-3 a season ago, finishing 2-3, fourth place in Class 3A District 5 missing the playoffs. The Tigers scored 26 points per game and gave up 18, averaging 268 yards per game, 162 on the ground and 106 through the air per night. Individually, they will need to replace leading passer Brady Coffman who finished 76 of 150 for 1,041 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions. Josh Ringler is back as their leading rusher and pass catcher with 114 total touches, 679 yards and eight touchdowns. Top tackler Logan McDonald and his 51 and a half stops have graduated, back is second place Jack Gallagher with 47 tackles. Ringler and Keaton Iverson return after a combined 14 tackles for loss a year ago. Ringler’s two takeaways are also the best back for a Tiger team that forced 12 turnovers a year ago. Top weapon for the Tigers is division I lineman prospect junior Will Slagle who plays both sides of the ball at 6’4 300lbs. This week, Golden Hawk head coach Daren Lambert talked about the challenge for his team against the Tigers and what will make Friday a success.

Lambert said, “Grinnell is a good football program. They have some speed. They had some track athletes this spring that had some great numbers. You know they are going to be athletic. They have one of the top recruits in the state along the offensive line. Our guys are excited about the opportunity to see how they hold up going against someone with recognition like that. We are excited to compete, to someone besides yourself who is going to be physical and athletic. At the end of the night you want to be healthy, you want to have some success, but you also want to have some areas that if you screw up here and there you can go in the film room and work on it that week in practice.”

The Hawks and Tigers met in 2018 and 2019 with Grinnell winning by 27-12 and 47-20 scores. Action gets underway tonight at 5:30p.m. At T.T. Cranny Field in Grinnell.