Prep football: Golden Hawks deny Mustangs home field

Kyle Ocker, Ottumwa Courier, Iowa
·2 min read

Oct. 16—BLOOMFIELD — The Davis County Mustangs are headed to the playoffs next week, but they'll need a bus to get there.

Coming into the final week of the regular season in a three-way tie for first, the Mustangs had solidified their second-straight playoff appearance already. But with a victory against Mid-Prairie, they could clinch a second place finish in the district that would give them a first-round home game.

The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks had other ideas, however, beating Davis County 49-32 on Friday.

Both teams will learn their playoff pairings Saturday morning when they are released by the state's athletic association.

It was a slow start in the contest, but Mid-Prairie scored on their first possession of the game on a six-yard touchdown run to cap off their opening drive. They took a 7-0 lead with 8:39 remaining in the first quarter.

The Golden Hawks would get the next score, but it didn't come until three minutes into the second quarter. A three-yard touchdown run put Mid-Prairie ahead 14-0.

The Mustangs got on the board with 4:16 to go in the first half. Carson Maeder threw a 22-yard pass to Caeden Glosser for the touchdown. A two-point conversion pass made the score 14-8.

Mid-Prairie would put things out of reach in those final four minutes, though. They scored thrice to jump ahead 35-8 at halftime.

Davis County's Gavin McCall scored on a one-yard run about five minutes into the second half. Later, a 26-yard touchdown pass from Maeder to Glosser that was paired with another two-point conversion to make the score 42-24.

A 10-yard touchdown pass from Maeder with about four minutes left in the game, and another two-point conversion, gave the fans their eventual final score of 49-32.

The Mustangs offense was moving, with 314 total yards in the contest. But they couldn't stop a multi-threat rush from Mid-Prairie, who posted 376 rushing yards with two 100-yard rushers in the game.

Davis County finishes the regular season with a 4-4 record overall, and 3-2 in district play. Their district losses came in their final two weeks against Mid-Prairie and Williamsburg.

Kyle Ocker is the editor of the Ottumwa Courier and the Oskaloosa Herald. He can be reached at kocker@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kyle_Ocker.