Golden Hawks working on shoring up run defense

Mid-Prairie head coach Pete Cavanagh said his defense gave up too many rushing yards to Tipton?s Chandler Harden in last week?s 14-7 win at Tipton. And the Golden Hawk defense will have its hands full with Columbus tailback Esteban Gutierrez this week.

?He?s the leading rusher in our district,? Cavanagh said. ?That was definitely a point of emphasis this week. We gave up to many yards last week.?

Gutierrez has rushed for 705 yards and seven touchdowns this season for Columbus (1-4, 1-2 Class 2A District 5). But he?s the Wildcats? main offensive threat, and if the Golden Hawks (4-1, 2-0 District 5) can shut him down, they?ll have a good shot at winning Friday?s game in Columbus Junction.

?We just have to get to the football, play gap defense and get 11 guys to the football,? Cavanagh said.

The Golden Hawks, who have won four straight games, also like to run the football. Junior Eesaa Baylor has rushed for 419 yards and eight touchdowns during Mid-Prairie?s winning streak, which Cavanagh hopes to extend on Friday night.

?We?re playing well,? he said. ?We couldn?t play any worse after [our season-opening loss at] Washington. We got a nice win against Clear Creek and then have been playing well into the district. It?s nice to have that winning streak, and hopefully we can continue that into Mediapolis next week.?

WACO at Lisbon

If WACO wants a chance to win the District 5 title, the Warriors must win Friday?s game at Lisbon, the defending Class A state champions.

?It?s a huge game,? WACO head coach Chad Edeker said. ?With us losing to Lone Tree, if we want any hope at a district title, we have to win this game and hope that Lisbon can beat Lone Tree. It?s a really big game.?

Getting a win at Lisbon (4-1, 3-0 District 5), which defeated WACO 53-6 last year, could be easier said than done for the Warriors (4-1, 2-1 District 5). The Lions have won their last four games by an average of 50 points per game.

?It?s going to be important that we stay close,? Edeker said. ?Last year we gave up a touchdown on the first play, then lost a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and then they scored three plays later. We can?t let them jump out like that. So we have to keep it in range so we have a shot at it in the fourth quarter.?

Quarterback Logan Rickard keys the Lisbon offense. He?s completed 58 percent of his passes this season for 323 yards and six touchdowns, and he?s also the Lions? leading rusher with 410 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior Trevor Moore has added 401 yards rushing and six scores.

WACO tends to keep the ball on the ground with senior tailback Tyler Ayers, who has rushed for 785 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

Highland at Van Buren

Van Buren got its first victory of the season last week, winning 34-6 at New London.

Junior Aaron Clemens, who recently moved from quarterback to running back, keyed the Warriors in their win, rushing for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Curtis Thomas added 103 yards rushing and two touchdowns for Van Buren (1-4, 1-2 Class A Disrict 5).

?They?re coming off of a good win against New London,? said Highland head coach Tony Johnson, whose team faces the Warriors this week. ?We?re going down there Friday and it?s their Homecoming. They?re definitely going to be ready to go, so we have to be ready.?

The Huskies (3-2, 2-1 District 5) have spent the week regrouping after their 47-14 loss to rival Lone Tree last week.

?We had seven turnovers, three in the red zone, and you?re not going to win when you do that,? Johnson said. ?We had to shore up some mistakes this week, and we?re looking forward to getting back on the field for sure.?

West Branch at Sigourney-Keota

Things don?t get any easier for Sigourney-Keota this week. After losing 33-13 at No. 4 Pella Christian last week, the Savage Cobras host a very good West Branch squad this Friday.

West Branch senior Cade Jones has already rushed for over 1,000 yards in just five games, and he?s also scored 12 touchdowns. Senior Bo Bower has added 286 rushing yards and four touchdowns for the Bears (3-2, 1-2 Class 1A District 6), and senior quarterback Cole Cook has thrown for 283 yards and three scores.

The Savage Cobras (2-3, 1-1 District 6) are led by junior tailback Kolton Greiner, who has rushed for 505 yards and three scores this season.