Halftime spurs Mid-Prairie win

WELLMAN - Not every football game is won on the field of play. Some are won in practice during the week, or in the film room or maybe in the minds of the coaches. Friday's Class 2A District 7 Homecoming game at Dwight G. Sattler Field was possibly won in the locker room at halftime.

It was also won behind the Mid-Prairie offense which cleared the way for Kayden Reinier's 269 yards and two touchdowns on 35 rushes.

The halftime adjustments turned a 14-12 game into a blowout as the Golden Hawks scored 21 second-half points in a 35-12 win.

The Falcons are now 0-6 in games at Mid-Prairie, 0-10 all-time. A field goal on the last play of the first half could have given the Falcons the lead. It wouldn't have mattered. The changes Mid-Prairie devised and instituted after the break completely changed the game. WB/ND had three possessions in the first half for 199 yards, two scores and a missed field goal. After half, WB/ND had four possessions for 60 yards, 55 on the final drive as the first three were three-and-out.

'They made some nice adjustments at the half defensively,” WB/ND head coach Jay Eilers said. 'They did a nice job of stopping our offense after that.”

'In the locker room, we talked about our alignment,” Reinier said. 'They were getting some yardage in the first half, so we changed that up.”

'I thought our kids played better as the game went on,” M-P head coach Pete Cavanagh said. 'I think what we did after half was the reason for that.”

WB/ND got the ball first after halftime but three runs by Travian Donaldson were shut down behind Justice Jones, who led the Hawks with 9.5 tackles, Vinny Bowlin (8 tackles), Cain Brown (6), Josh Wallington (5.5), Reinier, who had the only tackle for loss and others.

'To get the ball back right away was really big,” Cavanagh said.

'Getting the ball first was huge and we needed a drive, didn't get it,” Eilers said. 'I think that was a tone-setter. They had our number in the second half.”

'Getting that stop was a big momentum push for us,” Reinier said. So what did the Hawks change in the locker room at halftime? 'That is a secret.”

Reinier is no secret. He is fourth in 2A with 1,025 yards rushing, fourth in TDs with 13, 13th in carries, first in yards per carry (9.2) for those with a minimum of 94 carries, all in one less game than most. Donaldson is second in yards, third in carries, second in TDs after rushing for 155 yards on 29 carries.

'I was doing great because the linemen and my fullbacks were blocking well,” Reinier said. 'They were getting good pushes all night.”

The Mid-Prairie blocking was so good that of 55 offensive plays, two lost yards. One was a fumbled pitch and the other was a yard loss.

'They did a nice job of setting up their strengths to our strengths and they won that,” Eilers said.

Bowlin's TD capped a 70-yard, 14-play opening drive, then Reinier made it 14-6 with a 27-yard scamper. Clarke Latcham caught two passes and Jones one. Garvey and Wallington each scored a touchdown.

Mid-Prairie is 3-3, 3-1 in district and has a home playoff game, a rematch with Central Lee when Reinier set a school record of 316 yards. WB/ND is 3-4, 1-2 and plays district foe Davis County in a game missed due to the coronavirus.