Photo Courtesy of Mid-Prairie CSD Social Media
The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk football team has a chance to make history tonight when they host Van Meter in the Quarterfinal round of the Class 2A State playoffs. The Golden Hawks are 9-1 this year, winners of eight straight, including a 46-0 win over Mediapolis Friday in the second round of the postseason. Against MEPO, Mid-Prairie won total yards 395-95, including 209 to 40 through the air and 186 to 55 on the ground. The Golden Hawks won turnovers 4-0. Brooks Weber was nine of 12 throwing for 209 yards and four touchdowns. Hudson Ehrenfelt had 191 all-purpose yards on 14 touches with two rushing scores. Nolan Jergens caught two touchdowns, Carson Humphrey and Kaden Kos one each. Cecil Kelley and Tommy Miller each had four tackles, Kendrick Kos two interceptions and Tommy and Bronx Miller fumble recoveries. Mid-Prairie enters tonight ranked No. 3 in Class 2A in the final poll of the year from the Iowa High School Athletic Association. This year, they score 45 points per night and give up 17 with 348 yards per game, 194 throwing and 154 rushing and a +16 turnover margin. Individually, Weber is 116 of 176 in the pass game for 1,735 yards, 28 touchdowns and six interceptions. Kaden Kos has 35 grabs for 508 yards and nine touchdowns. Humphrey, Jergens and Ehrenfelt each have six touchdown catches or more. Ehrenfelt leads on the ground with 171 carries, 980 yards and 15 touchdowns. Ryan Henry has four rushing scores. Kaden Kos leads the defense with 74 tackles. Mid-Prairie has 26 total takeaways, Humphrey, Kendrick and Kaden Kos, Josh Turner, Caedyn Huston and Jack Sorrell each have multiple. Mid-Prairie ranks in the top 10 of 2A football in 38 categories. As a team they lead 2A in total touchdowns, passing touchdowns, QBR, turnover margin, kick return scores, forced turnovers and fumble recoveries. They are second in defensive touchdowns and forced fumbles, third in completion percentage, fourth in kick return yards and pass break ups, fifth in sacks and interceptions, sixth in all-purpose yards and pass yards, eighth in total yards and yards per completion and 10th in total pass completions. Individually, Weber leads the state in passing touchdowns, he is second in QBR, sixth in total touchdowns and completion percentage, eighth in passing yards and 10th in pass completions. Ehrenenfelt is fourth in all-purpose yards, fifth in yards per catch, sixth in rushing touchdowns, eighth in receiving touchdowns, and ninth in total touchdowns and all-purpose yards. Kaden Kos leads the state in special teams touchdowns, is fifth in receiving touchdowns, ninth in tackles for loss and 10th in total tackles. Carson Humphrey is sixth in receiving touchdowns and interceptions. Nolan Jergens is seventh in receiving touchdowns and Josh Turner leads the state in fumble recoveries.
Van Meter is 8-2 this season, 4-1, second place in Class 2A District 8. They were a second round winner 24-14 on the road at Roland Story. The Bulldogs were led by Henry Lounsbury with 139 all-purpose yards, 102 through the air, on nine of 15 throwing and a rushing score. Lexon Blevins added a rushing touchdown and Cody Deemer had a pick six. Tate Doggett led on defense with 11 tackles and an interception. Van Meter is ranked No. 6 in Class 2A in the final poll of the year from the IAHSAA. They average 33 points per game and give up 13 on 321 yards per night, 189 on the ground and 132 through the air and +11 turnover margin. Individually, Lounsbury is 88 of 150 throwing for 1,294 yards, 16 touchdowns and three interceptions. His top target is Andon Watson with 24 catches 382 yards and three touchdowns. Brayden Fennessey and Drew Rhodes have also caught two scores. Christian Williams leads the defense with 70 tackles. The Bulldogs have 19 takeaways as a team, three players with multiple. Van Meter ranks in the top 10 of 2A football in 12 categories. As a team they lead the state in forced fumbles, are third in pass breakups, seventh in total touchdowns, QBR and rushing scores, eighth in sacks and 10th in rush yards and tackles for loss. Individually, Lounsbury is seventh in passing touchdowns and eighth in QBR. Doggett is eighth in yards per carry. Christian Williams is ninth in rushing scores. This week, Mid-Prairie head football coach Daren Lambert talked with KCII Sports about the Van Meter film and his team’s keys to a win. “They’re big. They’re physical. They’re fast. They’re athletic. They’re Van Meter. They have had a lot of postseason success with a great coaching staff and great players. They’re used to being in this moment and now we’re back for the second straight year also. We know it’s going to be hard, but the guys have accepted the challenge and have prepared extremely well this week. It’s been about the discipline within each play. Reps, throwing in a few different things. How are you going to adjust to them? How do you expect them to adjust to you? What will we do to combat that? I said at the end of practice today ‘Take a couple of seconds on Friday night and soak in the moment’. They get a great opportunity to re-write history on our own field. When you get to this point in the season, you know what’s on the line and that keeps their focus. We also remind them, that they have gone out and earned this chance. It’s going to be a great crowd. The community is going to be behind us. It’s an exciting opportunity for us, but at the end of the day, we just have to out and win a football game.”
These two schools have never met. Van Meter has four state championships in their history, including a three-peat from 2021-23. The Bulldogs have 24 all-time playoff appearances, 13 trips to the UNI-Dome and have advanced to five state championship games in their history. Mid-Prairie has 17 all-time playoff appearances and has advanced to the quarterfinals seven times, but no further. The winner of this contest makes their way to the Class 2A State Semifinals at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. You can hear all of the action live tonight on AM 1380, FM 102.5, the KCII2 App and KCIIradio.com, beginning with the La Morenitas Golden Hawk Playoff Football Pregame Show at 6:30p.m. And kickoff between No. 3 Mid-Prairie and No. 6 Van Meter at 7p.m. From Dwight G. Sattler Field in Wellman.