No. 6 Williamsburg shuts out No. 7 Mid-Prairie to take over district lead

WELLMAN - Williamsburg was good enough to have triggered the mercy rule against just about any team Friday night. It was a measure of Mid-Prairie's heart and pluck and a few Raider mistakes that kept the score at a 25-0 Raider victory.

No. 6 Williamsburg improved to 5-1 overall and 4-0 in 2A district 5. The Raiders are in the driver's seat for the district title as every other team now has at least one loss. No. 7 Mid-Prairie suffered its first loss of the season.

'We like to think that we're in better shape and deeper than other teams,” Williamsburg quarterback Vic Malloy said. 'We run a fast-paced offense, and it kind of showed. We had trouble running early, and then we kind of got into a groove.”

Williamsburg built a 19-0 first-half lead with a sharp passing attack and an offensive line that took over the line of scrimmage. Malloy completed 11 of 18 passes for 126 yards and one TD in the half. The line paved the way for 119 combined rushing yards by Blake Hughes and Allyn Francis.

'I think we ran 49 plays the first half, which is tremendous,” Raider Coach Curt Ritchie said. 'But we put it on the ground twice, didn't finish drives. It was a good battle. Mid-Prairie has tremendous tacklers.”

Only an interception deep in Mid-Prairie territory by Ryan Cortum kept the Raiders out of the end zone a fourth time with 2 minutes left.

The Raiders kept Mid-Prairie bottled up in terrible field position most of the half. The first four Golden Hawk possessions were 3-and-out. Two of the resulting punts were 12 yards or fewer and a third was returned 25 yards to the M-P 36.

The Raider defense didn't give up a first down until 7:21 was left in the half. Mid-Prairie was held to 47 yards rushing and only one pass completion in 10 tries for 12 yards. The Raiders added two Miguel Sanchez field goals in the second half.