Van Meter stands in the way of Mid-Prairie

WELLMAN — The wait continues for Mid-Prairie football.

The Class 2A fourth-ranked Golden Hawks were in search of their first trip to the state semifinals in program history, but a Van Meter team with all the tradition in the world stood in the way.

In the end, tradition won out.

“We preached it all week, we said it is going to be the hardest game all year,” Mid-Prairie Coach Daren Lambert said after the Golden Hawks were upended by No. 5 Van Meter, 28-21, in a 2A state quarterfinal Friday night at Mid-Prairie High School. “They have a standard, as well, and they expect to be in these moments.

“We talked about how hard it was going to be. There were going to be punches thrown. We were going to have moments of success and they were going to have moments of success. We just have to be the ones to respond the quickest. Credit to them. They got the job done tonight.”

Mid-Prairie (9-2) had all of the early momentum after do-it-all senior Hudson Ehrenfelt returned a Van Meter punt 48 yards for a touchdown. A sack on the Van Meter punter set up the Golden Hawks’ second TD, a seven-yard scoring toss from junior quarterback Brooks Weber to senior Kaden Kos that pushed the Mid-Prairie lead to 14-0 after one quarter.

“We just came out hot,” Weber said. “We came out firing. All of our stuff was working early on and we got out to a nice, early lead because we had that fire in the first half. … Our plays were just clicking.”

After Van Meter got on the scoreboard with a 13-yard touchdown run by quarterback Henry Lounsbury, Mid-Prairie responded immediately by marching down the field and finding the end zone again with a 23-yard strike from Weber to sophomore Kendrick Kos.

Less than four minutes into the second quarter, Mid-Prairie possessed a 21-7 lead. But the Golden Hawks never scored again. Van Meter sophomore tailback Christian Williams cut the deficit to 21-14 before halftime with a one-yard plunge

“They respond well with adversity,” Ehrenfelt said of Van Meter. “We started off 14-0 and I just never felt that they ever gave up and they just kept pushing, I felt that the whole game, that they were still there no matter what we did.”

In the second half, Van Meter flashed the type of killer instinct that has allowed it to reach the state semifinals an impressive 11 years in a row, which included state championships in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The Bulldogs limited Mid-Prairie to just 108 total yards after halftime with two turnovers and no points.

“They made some great adjustments,” Weber said. “They were able to stop the run, but also stop the pass at the same time.”

Van Meter tied the game with a touchdown pass from Lounsbury to Brayden Fennessey late in the third quarter, then won it with a 15-yard scoring scamper by Williams with 1:32 to go.

Williams finished with 106 rushing yards and two scores. Van Meter (9-2) will face undefeated Osage (11-0) in a 2A state semifinal Nov. 15 at 10 a.m. at UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.

Weber threw for 227 yards and two scores, while Ehrenfelt ran for 85 yards, collected six receptions for 121 yards and even intercepted a pass on defense.

While Mid-Prairie will lose seniors like Ehrenfelt, Kaden Kos, receiver/defensive back Gentry Bontrager and receiver/defensive end Josh Turner that led the program to back-to-back district titles and state quarterfinal appearances, the Golden Hawks will return plenty of players to make another run at that elusive first trip to the Dome.

“We have a lot of young guys that are contributors,” Lambert said. “A lot of young guys standing on the sideline that have been on the scout team. They have been a part of the process with the guys, those older guys who have set that standard. So they know what it takes. When you can see it and a be a part of it, it makes it a heck of a lot easier to show up in June at 6 a.m. to go and get the job done.”

Class 2A quarterfinal playoff

No. 5 Van Meter 28, No. 4 Mid-Prairie 21

AT WELLMAN

VM MP

Van Meter 0 14 7 7—28

Mid-Prairie 14 7 0 0—21

MP – Hudson Ehrenfelt 48 punt return (Kale Miller kick)

MP – Kaden Kos 7 pass from Brooks Weber (Kale Miller kick)

VM – Henry Lounsbury 13 run (Henry Lounsbury kick)

MP – Kendrick Kos 23 pass from Brooks Weber (Kale Miller kick)

VM – Christian Williams 1 run (Henry Lounsbury kick)

VM – Brayden Fennessey 16 pass from Henry Lounsbury (Henry Lounsbury kick)

VM – Christian Williams 15 run (Henry Lounsbury kick)

Individual Statistics

RUSHING – Van Meter: Henry Lounsbury 15-(-2), Christian Williams 25-106; Mid-Prairie: Kendrick Kos 1-6, Brooks Weber 7-(-18), Ryan Henry 2-9, Hudson Ehrenfelt 20-85.

PASSING – Van Meter: Henry Lounsbury 7-19-1-129; Mid-Prairie: Brooks Weber 19-39-3-227.

RECEIVING – Van Meter: Andon Watson 4-45, Lexon Blevins 1-34, Brayden Fennessey 2-50; Mid-Prairie: Nolan Jergens 1-9, Kendrick Kos 6-73, Kaden Kos 4-24, Hudson Ehrenfelt 6-121, Kale Miller 1-4, Tommy Miller 1-(-4).

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