Washington Evening Journal
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Mid-Prairie looks for big upset
Golden Hawks travel to take on No. 2 Williamsburg in Class 2A Round of 16
Andy Krutsinger
Oct. 27, 2022 10:26 am
WILLIAMSBURG — It only gets tougher from here, as the Mid-Prairie football team continues its playoff march against a mammoth of an opponent this weekend.
One week after a nail-biting 7-6 win over Northeast, the Golden Hawks are headed north, as the Williamsburg Raiders come calling on in the Class 2A Round of 16.
The Raiders come in a perfect 9-0, and they haven’t faced a lot of challenges this season, having played only one single-digit game all season. Among the Raiders’ regular-season victims was Mid-Prairie, which hosted Williamsburg in its homecoming game, only to be tagged with a 56-7 loss.
The two teams weren’t far apart in 2021, when Mid-Prairie held a 14-3 halftime lead at Williamsburg before the Raiders stormed back to win 24-21. This season, however, Raider quarterback Carson Huedepohl burned the Golden Hawks for 126 yards and two scores on the ground, and 137 yards and one touchdown through the air.
Huedepohl was one of the best players in the district all year long, not only throwing for 1,087 yards and 15 touchdowns, but also finding 444 yards and 12 scores on the ground. Running back Gable Dayton has rushed for 573 yards and eight scores.
Mid-Prairie’s key to success has been no secret. Senior running back Braden Hartley has been an animal this season, rushing for 1,335 yards and 14 touchdowns this season, but the Golden Hawks will have to fire on all cylinders to take down the Raiders.
Collin Miller has had a nice season passing the ball, completing 42 passes for 670 yards and eight scores. The vast majority of those yards have went to Cain Brown, who has caught 23 passes for 417 yards and five touchdowns.
The winner of Friday night’s clash in Williamsburg will have either Centerville or No. 9 Monticello one week later for a chance to play at the Dome.
Mid-Prairie linebacker Braden Hartley (33) pulls down Williamsburg wide receiver Jake Weber (13) as he carries the ball in the first half of the game at Williamsburg High School in Williamsburg, Iowa on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)