103.9 KNZA Broadcast - Jeff West at Hiawatha - click here to listen

For just the second time in 12 years, Hiawatha beat Jeff West and played four solid quarters for the first time this season to secure a happy homecoming with a 36-13 triumph.  The Redhawks had more than 300 yards of offense at halftime when they took a 21-7 lead and got four touchdown passes from the sophomore duo of Tyler Brockoff to Michael Moreno to post their second straight Big 7 League win. 

The game looked like a shootout early as Jeff West needed just five plays to march 60 yards and scored on a 43 yard pass from Cade Ross to Quinn Neunswander just 1:39 into the week five showdown.  Hiawatha answered on a four play drive that covered 73 yards in just 55 seconds then held the Tigers on downs and scored again two plays later on a 59 yard pass from Brockoff to Moreno.  The Hawks led 14-7 less than five minutes into the contest and got a seven yard touchdown run from Andrew Woods in the second quarter after he had intercepted a Jeff West pass in the red zone.  Hiawatha also turned the ball over on downs at the Tiger three-yard-line at the end of the first frame. 

On the opening Jeff West possession of the second half, they started at their 12 yard line and went backwards with a penalty before having the punt snap sail high and through the back of the endzone for a Hiawatha team safety.  Yet, the Tigers got the ball back and Ross found Neuswander on an eight-yard pass to make it 23-13 after a failed two-point conversion pass with 4:10 left in the third.  With some pressure and momentum reversed however, Hiawatha responded with a pair of touchdown drives and two more Brockoff to Moreno TD passes of 11 and 40 yards to close the third quarter and cap the scoring for the game at 36-13. 

The Citizens State Bank and Trust Company of Hiawatha “Co-Players to Bank on” were Brockoff and Moreno as Tyler completed 15 of his first 18 passes (15-21 total) for 261 yards and no turnovers and Moreno scored on four of his seven receptions for 182 yards.  Andrew Woods added 125 yards rushing on 19 carries and caught a pair of passes for 31 yards while Jayden Oswald ran for 30 yards on 10 carries and Sage Meyer hauled in a trio of receptions for 23 yards.  The Redhawks had 423 yards of offense, 301 which came before halftime as they improved to 2-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big 7.  The Denison State Bank “Lineman of the Game” honors went to another sophomore as Edwin Craine was thrust into the starting lineup replacing the injured Lucas Salcedo.  Craine had a sack and fumble recovery on defense with a handful of tackles and also played center the entire game.  Homecoming king, Tanner Chartier also had a solid game up front for the Hawks while Trevor Pederson wreaked havoc on defense from his end position. 

Jeff West had just 57 yards rushing and seven penalties accompanied three turnovers while perhaps the biggest mistakes came in the form of nearly 10 dropped passes.  Cade Ross was 21 of 48 for 264 yards passing with Caleb Middendorf catching nine balls for 142 yards and rushing for 47 yards on 13 carries. He also led the defense before the Tigers dropped to 2-3 with their third consecutive defeat.  Neunswander had eight catches for 101 yards and a pair of scores in a game that featured less than six total seniors on the field.