Prairie Football

Football playoff pairings set by IHSAA

It took until 2 a.m. Saturday morning, but the first round of the high school football playoffs were finally announced by the IHSAA.

Six Metro teams have qualified for the playoffs for the second straight year. Four of them are set to play home games in the opening round Wednesday night, although Jefferson's "home" game will be in Mount Vernon due to overcrowding at Kingston Stadium.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Cedar Rapids Washington both claimed Class 4A district championships and will play in a doubleheader at Kingston.

Read more...

Nunemaker leads Prairie into playoffs

OTTUMWA - Tyler Nunemaker had a whole bunch of plays and formations to learn thisyear when coach Mark Bliss arrived at Cedar Rapids Prairie with his concoction of offensive formations from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries that include everything from the single wing to the spread.

Based on Nunemaker's performance Friday night, you'd have to give the Prairie quarterback an A-plus in Advanced Football.

Nunemaker hit 11 of 14 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns as the Hawks belted Ottumwa, 45-20, at Schafer Field to earn a No. 3 seed in the Class 4A playoffs that start Wednesday.

Prairie rolled up 524 yards of total offense with its unique attack that featured direct snaps to four different players when you count the quarterback, two different running backs and wide receiver Jalen Rima.

Nunemaker, a senior, had to learn a completely new playbook when Bliss replaced Mike Morrissey as head coach. Nunemaker took a cram-course during the summer and was ready when practice began in August.

Read more...

Prairie Hawks zoom by Muscatine

The outlook did not look bright for the Prairie Hawks when they trailed Muscatine, 41-21, at halftime Friday night at John Wall Field, but the Hawks were just getting warmed up.

Prairie scored 35 straight points in the second half and belted the Muskies, 56-41, in a wild Class 4A District 6 game.

Prairie climbed into a tie for third place in the district with Muscatine with 2-2 records. The Hawks are 3-5 overall heading into the final game of the regular season and the Muskies are 6-2.

Jalen Rima returned from a knee injury and had a big game for Prairie. He carried the ball six times for 172 yards, caught one pass for 70 yards and scored three touchdowns. His scoring plays covered 70, 55 and 94 yards.

Rima, who won the 200 and 400 meter dashes at the Class 4A state track meet last May, has scored 12 touchdowns this season.

Read more...

Rima plans to face Muscatine Friday

Cedar Rapids Prairie football star Jalen Rima said Wednesday night that he plans to play Friday night when the Hawks host Muscatine in a Class 4A district game at John Wall Field.

Rima strained a ligament in his left knee during a 28-21 loss to Iowa City High Oct. 2. The original diagnosis was that Rima would miss two or three weeks, but it appears he'll miss only one game before returning to action.

Rima said he's been practicing all week and is working to strengthen his leg. He leads Prairie with nine touchdowns and has scored in four different ways this season.