Cedar Rapids Prairie throttles Jefferson despite delay

CEDAR RAPIDS - All the weather delay did Friday night at Kingston Stadium was get Cedar Rapids Prairie out of sorts.

Keegan Simmons returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for the first of his four touchdowns as the No. 10 Hawks went on to an impressive 41-6 win over Cedar Rapids Jefferson in a Class 4A District 3 game delayed 2 hours, 32 minutes for lightning.

The Hawks (6-1, 3-0) jumped out to a 21-0 lead before the delay, that came with 19 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Simmons added a 9-yard scoring run and Nick Freel scored on an 18-yard scamper on a trick play that saw all of Prairie's players head right, except for Freel who had a clear path to the end zone.

At that point, it appeared that Prairie was well on its way to an easy game. Then came the delay that forced both teams into the locker room area for an extended period.

When the two teams returned to the field, it was the J-Hawks who looked liked the team with momentum.

Jefferson (1-6, 1-2) scored the first touchdown after the delay, a 37-yard pass from Jacob Coyle to Kenneth Moore, cutting the gap to 21-6 with 9:58 left in the second quarter. That score stood through halftime.

After a shortened break, Prairie turned to Simmons. The senior all-state candidate, who finished with 224 yards on 30 carries, scored on a pair of 3-yard runs. The Hawks finished the scoring when Tariq Amir, who rushed for 141 yards, broke loose on an 83-yard scamper with just over six minutes remaining.

Prairie attempted only seven passes, sticking to its ground game. The Hawks had 44 rushes for 401 yards. They held Jefferson to just 77 yards on the ground and 135 through the air.

One downside for the Hawks were penalties. They took themselves out of a couple drives with some key holding calls. Prairie was flagged 14 times for 125 yards.

Coyle ws 12-of-25 passing with one interception for 135 yards and a TD for Jefferson. Ezeki Leggins carried 16 times for 60 yards.

Prairie returns home next Friday to host Waterloo West. A victory in that game would set up a regular-season finale at John Wall Field against Cedar Falls for the district championship. The J-Hawks hit the road next Friday, playing at Dubuque Hempstead.