Hiawatha 25, Riley County 8 For the second straight year, the Hiawatha football team advanced to the second round of the Class 3A Playoffs. At home Tuesday night, in wind and rain, the Redhawks won a Bi-District Title with a 25-8 win against Riley County. It was Hiawatha’s fifth straight victory and earned them a Regional rematch at Silver Lake this Saturday at 5PM.

Riley started the game on offense but on fourth down a high punt snap gave Riley County the football at the Redhawk 38 yard line. Parker Hasenkamp stopped the early Falcon momentum with an interception, then three drives later Hasenkamp scored on a three yard touchdown to give the Hawks a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter. The first quarter featured only one total first down.

After forcing a three and out, Conner Bigham had a 25 yard punt return across mid-field and Hiawatha scored six plays later on a four yard run by Brenden Steele to make it 13-0 with 6:07 left in the half. Riley County responded with a 43 wide receiver screen pass from Brice Brummett to Landon Griffith and a two-point reception by Trace Nelson had the Falcons within 13-8 at the break.

On the second half kickoff however, the Falcons fumbled and Hiawatha went 11 plays and 40 yards as Ryker Smith snuck across the goal-line on a fourth down play and stretched the lead to 19-8. Hiawatha scored again on their next drive as a 29 yard pass from Smith to Peyton Newell set up a 12 yard TD run from Quentin Overdick to make it 25-8 on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Riley County had two golden opportunities to score and get close in the second half, but a holding penalty took a penitential 55 yard TD run by Nelson off the board and later, Nelson caught a 47 yard pass but two steps before he reached the endzone, Kyler Jones punched out the football from behind for a touchback, as Hiawatha dodged a bullet and got the ball at their own 20.

The Falcons, who end their seventh straight playoff run with a record of 4-6, were held to 162 yards with 90 yards on two big pass plays. Besides three crucial turnovers, Riley struggled with drop passes and hitting open receivers down field while connecting on just 6 of 16 passing and managed only 20 yards total on the ground.

Brenden Steele went over 100 yards rushing for the fifth consecutive game to lead the Redhawks ground attack that produced 223 yards and four different players scored a touchdown. Smith, coming off his best game of the season (11-13 for 167 and 2 TD vs. Sabetha) was 6 of 9 for 77 yards and no turnovers. Parker Hasenkamp added 85 yards on 18 totes and fullback, Overdick (5 runs for 35 yards) earned Citizens State Bank and Trust “Player to Bank On” honors with his first TD of the year and a terrific night to lead the stingy Redhawk defense that is allowing only 11 points per game.

Hiawatha, now 7-3, will try to avenge last year’s Regional home loss (63-26) to Silver Lake as they rematch with the 9-1 Eagles at Silver Lake on Saturday at 5PM. The game will be carried live on KNZA 103.9 FM and online at www.mscsports.net