Prairie blasts Ottumwa, makes playoffs

OTTUMWA - The Cedar Rapids Prairie Hawks are in the playoffs, and they're going to be a tough out. Their unique and increasingly prolific offense makes that a true statement.

The single wing and all of its shifting and motion and deception gave Ottumwa no prayer in the regular-season finale Friday night, 45-20.

Prairie put up 519 total yards, got a game-opening kickoff return for touchdown from Jalen Rima and rolled. The Hawks (4-5) will be on the road Wednesday night for the first round, but if you are not used to seeing first-year Coach Mark Bliss' offense, it's tough to defend.

Prairie averages 33.5 points per game and has put up 101 in its last two games.

'It gives us a chance,” said Prairie quarterback Tyler Nunemaker. 'Our offense, I mean, I've never seen anything like it before. Obviously, for the other teams it's hard to break down ... because there are so many different formations and little things that we do that they have to pay attention to. I think, yeah, that definitely will help us in the playoffs.”

Nunemaker ran for a touchdown and passed for 255 yards and two more as Prairie got out to a 32-0 first-half lead. Running back Trevor Northrup, who takes a direct snap from center a lot of the time, rushed for 116 yards, including a 70-yard TD.

Bliss now has led teams to the playoffs in six states.

'They've shown a lot of resiliency in this first year with me, because I expect a lot,” he said. 'My expectations are high. When we've fallen short, we've worked a little bit harder. We've tried to make sure they understand everything they get. That's the way life is, you earn everything. These kids have gone out the last couple of weeks and deserve where they're going to be, which is the playoffs.”

'We started out the season a little shaky, obviously,” said Nunemaker, who completed 11 of 14 passes. 'Since district play, especially the last two games, we've really been playing as a team. We're starting to get strong at all three phases of the game.”

Rima took the opening kickoff from Ottumwa's Kane Brumbaugh, cut to his right, broke a couple of tackles, juked past another would-be tackler and took it to the house 98 yards. The extra point failed, but Prairie had a 6-0 lead just 13 seconds in.

'Before the game, our DB Coach (Ashton) Northern was giving me crap because I put tape on my finger because Tim Brown used to do that,” he said. 'Tim Brown was insane when he played in the college and NFL. Tim Brown used to do that, and Coach Northern was like ‘Be Tim Brown tonight.' I said ‘All right, I'll try.' The first play I happened to be like him. It worked out pretty well.”

After forcing an Ottumwa punt, the Hawks took over at their own 36 on their initial offensive possession. Three long runs and a 16-yard pass play eventually took it to the Bulldogs 5, where Nunemaker was able to score on a sweep right. The two-point attempt failed.

Prairie stopped Ottumwa on a 4th-and-1 run near midfield to gain great field position for its second offensive possession. Eventually Rima took a direct snap and swept to his left 20 yards for another touchdown.

Two beautiful Nunemaker TD passes (one of 29 yards to Joseph Meyer, the other 76 yards on a bomb over the middle to Rima) made it a 32-0 game. The Rima touchdown was especially pretty, as Prairie faked a reverse, with Nunemaker keeping the ball and hitting Rima in stride.

'There is a lot of complexity to our offense, and he and have sat down and gone through a lot together in order for him to understand it better, all the little nuances and stuff,” Bliss said. 'He's done a wonderful job, I'm so proud of him.”

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