Huge second half lifts Prairie over No. 9 Muscatine, 56-41

CEDAR RAPIDS - A 20-point halftime deficit was no hill for Cedar Rapids Prairie's climbers Friday night at John Wall Field.

Prairie scored 35 straight points in the second half and shocked Muscatine, 56-41, in a Class 4A District 6 prep football game.

Jalen Rima and Hunter Johnson scored three touchdowns apiece, and Prairie ground out 456 yards of rushing offense en route to 610 total yards.

The Hawks (3-5, 2-2) moved into a third-place tie with Muscatine (6-2, 2-2) and kept alive their playoff hopes with one week left in the season. Prairie closes out the regular season next Friday at Ottumwa. Muscatine hosts Iowa City High.

'I have no words. It was amazing,” said senior quarterback Tyler Nunemaker, who ran for a pair of touchdowns and was 5-for-5 passing for 154 yards and a touchdown.

There was 575 yards of total offense in the first half, which ended with Muscatine holding a 41-21 lead.

'There were two fumbles and mistakes that led to 21 points,” Prairie Coach Mark Bliss. 'I told the boys it should be 21-21. We're going to go out here and find out what you're made of. If it means something to you, you'll come out and battle your ass off. And they did.”

Prairie's defense held Muscatine to 87 offensive yards in the second half, intercepted two passes and blocked a field goal.

And the offense ground down the Muskies. After rushing for 77 yards in the first half, Prairie rolled up 379 in the second. Included were touchdown runs of 62 by Johnson and 94 by Rima.

'Based on some of the things they do defensively, we made a couple of adjustments at halftime, knowing who they were keying on,” Bliss said.

Rima also had a 55-yard touchdown run and scored on a 70-yard pass play, both in the first half. The latter came on the game's first play and was his only reception of the game. He finished with 195 rushing yards.

'When he gets the edge, there is nobody going to catch him in the state,” Bliss said.

Johnson rushed for 168 yards, Nunemaker for 79.