Fiery first half fuels Golden Hawk win

An explosive start lifted the Golden Hawks to a first-round playoff victory on Friday, as Mid-Prairie claimed a 52-27 victory after fending off a third-quarter comeback attempt by Chariton.

Nolan Jergens set the tone on the opening kickoff, returning the ball past midfield to set up the Golden Hawks for a quick first strike, as quarterback Brooks Weber found senior receiver Carson Humphrey for a touchdown on Mid-Prairie’s first play from scrimmage, giving the Golden Hawks a 7-0 lead less than 30 seconds into the game.

That score began an offensive avalanche, as Weber masterfully maneuvered through the pocket, avoiding heavy pressure from the Chargers, as he cut through the Chariton defense for 4 first-half passing touchdowns, laughing “it’s still the first quarter” to head coach Daren Lambert when the Golden Hawks took a 28-0 lead.

“That was a long quarter, a lot of scoring, and it was nice to get out to a fast start,” Weber said. “The coaches had some great plays dialed up for us there in the beginning.”

With a 10-point second quarter giving them a 38-0 lead at halftime, the Golden Hawks felt comfortable enough to put backup quarterback Bronx Miller in to open the third quarter following an opening touchdown by Chariton. A fumble by Kale Miller gave the ball right back to Chariton, though, and a quick-strike touchdown for the Chargers brought the game back within 24 almost instantly.

Weber came back in, but he started slow after returning to the game, as the Golden Hawks went three-and-out on their next drive.

“They wanted to get Bronx some reps with the first team, and I was all for that, but taking that possession off and staying on the sideline while the offense was out there was definitely weird,” Weber said.

Chariton quarterback Connor Shore proceeded to make his second long passing touchdown of the quarter to make it 38-21, and with the score back in range, the game began to get chippy.

A series of personal foul penalties set up a 2-yard Ryan Henry rushing touchdown to open the fourth quarter. A high and late hit on Weber on the next Mid-Prairie drive moved the Golden Hawks into plus territory and put the team on high alert to protect their leader.

“I think when they hit Brooks like that, I think something clicked,” Jergens said. “We had to go do something, and we  did, we had Tommy [Miller], we had Ryan, we had everyone going.”

Then, bedlam ensued in Wellman.

Weber found Miller along the Chariton sideline, where Jergens blocked for the sophomore as he was dragged to the ground. After the whistle, Shore continued to battle Jergens in the block, taking Jergens to the ground before punching him in the face, at which point Humphrey shoved Shore off of Jergens.

“Our message is always, we’re going to be the better team,” Humphrey said. “Just don’t say anything back. Keep it rolling. Be us.”

Mid-Prairie head coach Daren Lambert sprinted on the field, holding his hands in front of him to tell his team not to enter the field, while Chariton’s sideline swarmed around their quarterback.

After a lengthy discussion by the referees, Shore received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and was ejected from the competition.

“We always talk about playing with discipline, and that’s when those moments show up, how disciplined are you going to be?” Lambert said. “At that point in the game, we’re talking about next week as well. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you can’t play next week because you’re responding to something. We talked about playing for each other, watching each other and protecting each other.”

Henry capped off the possession with his third touchdown of the game, and Chariton lacked the firepower to comeback without their starting quarterback, as backup sophomore Kane Schooley scored one late touchdown but was unable to cut the Mid-Prairie lead under a three-score margin.

With the win, the Golden Hawks advanced to the round of 16 to take on Roland-Story.

Pods released

Pods for the second and third rounds of the 2A playoffs were released on Saturday morning, with Mid-Prairie’s pod being comprised of the Golden Hawks, Roland-Story, Centerville and Van Meter, setting up a potential rematch of last year’s quarterfinal.

The Golden Hawks will first take on Roland-Story in the round of 16, while Centerville will travel to Van Meter. The pod features the top 3 quarterbacks in Class 2A in terms of passing yards in Mid-Prairie’s Brooks Weber, Roland-Story’s Colin Willis and Centerville’s Mack Murdock. The trio is all also in the top 5 in passing touchdowns, with Weber in 1st, Willis in 4th and Murdock in 5th.  Van Meter is the pod’s stylistic, as sophomore quarterback Keenan Lundy is a runner first and foremost. Lundy is second in the class with 21 rushing touchdowns.

Kickoffs in Wellman and Van Meter are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday night.

By the numbers:

Mid-Prairie 52, Chariton 27

M-P: Carson Humphrey 31-yard pass from Brooks Weber (Kale Miller kick)

M-P: Ryan Henry 2-yard run (Miller kick)

M-P: Nolan Jergens 12-yard pass from Weber (Miller kick)

M-P: Humphrey 40-yard pass from Weber (Miller kick)

M-P: Miller 30-yard field goal

M-P: Miller 12-yard pass from Weber (Miller kick)

CHA: Chase Cobb 52-yard pass from Connor Shore (Landon Chipp kick)

CHA: Keagan Evans 17-yard run (Chipp kick)

CHA: Evans 43 yard pass from Shore (Chipp kick)

M-P: Henry 2-yard rush (Miller kick)

CHA: Chipp ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct

M-P: Henry 16-yard rush (Miller kick)

CHA: Evans 5-yard pass from Kane Schooley (try unsuccessful)

Statistical leaders:

Mid-Prairie passing yards: Brooks Weber 235, Bronx Miller 1

Rushing yards: Ryan Henry 134, Weber 31, Oliver Miller 14

Receiving yards: Carson Humphrey 106, Nolan Jergens 70, Henry 21, B. Miller 21, Kale Miller 12, O. Miller 6

Total touchdowns: Weber 4, Henry 3, Humphrey 2, Jergens 1, K. Miller 1

Interceptions: Jergens 1, Maxwell Kipp 1

Tackles: Caedyn Huston 8.5, O.Miller 6.5, B. Miller 3, K. Miller 3, Kipp 3, Jaxson Gingerich 3, Travis Shenk 2, Jergens 1.5, Kylar Kiefer 1.5, Theo Molczyk 1, Austin Capps 1, Humphrey 1, Henry 1, Will Snider 0.5, Ty Gearhart 0.5, Tommy Miller 0.5, Morgan Northup 0.5

Chariton passing yards: Connor Shore 176, Kane Schooley 52

Rushing yards: Cortlan Jacobsen 74, Austin Cain 20, Keagan Evans 20, Charlie Stratton 14, Shore 10

Receiving yards: Evans 111, Chase Cobb 52, Cain 28, Stratton 21, Landon Chipp 16

Total touchdowns: Evans 3, Shore 2, Schooley 1, Cobb 1

Tackles: Stratton 8.5, Cain 7, Cobb 6, Gabe Howell 5, Brody Krutsinger 3.5, Schooley 3, Evans 3, Tray Brown 3, Levi Johnston 3, Shore 2, DeAngelo Shenefield 2, Carver Dixon 2