Hawks fall short in tough playoff clash

BRECKENRIDGE — The Iowa Park Hawks 2024 football season came to an end last Friday in Breckenridge in a 3A-DI bi-district playoff match with Jim Ned. The Hawks put up a tough fight against the winners of District 3 3A-DI, but wore down in a 38-20 loss that was closer than the final score indicated.
“We did everything we could, I have zero regrets, Coach Micheal Swenson said after the game. “We went toe to toe and didn’t back down.”
He told the players: “You do not walk off this field with your heads down. I’m so proud of you.”
Jim Ned got on the scoreboard first with a 30-yard TD catch by Breck Lawson and it was 7-0 with 8:21 left in the first. Lawson added a second TD catch, for 14 yards and it was 14-0 with 5:01 left in the first.
The Hawks defense stiffened from there. Koyt Holloway picked off a pass and returned it 40 yards. Quarterback Reed McClain tossed a 25-yard pass to Coyt Schmader. Then McClain cashed the drive in with a 9-yard TD run up the middle, hit at the five, he plowed over a defender,and rolled into the endzone with 6:06 left in the second to close the gap to 14-6.
The two teams traded turnovers with Kane Decker recovering a fumble. But Jim Ned came away with points just before half to take a 21-6 lead into the break.
Holloway’s second interception of the game set the Hawks up again, and Holloway was rewarded on offense with a 39-yard TD reception that made the score 21-12 with 47 seconds left in the third quarter.
Jim Ned had a 36-yard field goal and a 14-yard TD run to go ahead 31-12. McClain tossed a 16-yard TD pass to Evan Locker, and with the conversion it was 31-20 with 6:32 left in the game. The Indians added a7-yard TD with 2:45 left for the final score of 38-20.
Reed McClain, the freshman quarterback that stepped into the starting role late in the season, threw for 142 yards and 2 TDs and rushed for 42 yards. Koyt Holloway, Iowa Park’s senior defensive superstar had two interceptions and also had 39 receiving yards on offense with a TD.

SEASON NOTES
Great Senior Class: This was the final game for Hawk seniors Mark Lee, Jake Mullins, Evan Locker, Jemarr Myles, Layton DeLuna, Brayden Byas, Koyt Holloway, Dane Welborn, Matthew Lary, Kellen Couch, Caysen Eager, and Cooper Smith. The group has helped Iowa Park make the playoffs in an impressive eleven straight seasons.
Tough, tough district: The Hawks earned the fourth-place seed in District 4; as a reward they faced Jim Ned, the co-champion and No. 1 seed of District 3.
In retrospect, the Hawks district was much tougher than the pundits gave it credit, as Paradise, Peaster, and Vernon beat the other three District 3 foes by a combined 108 to 39 – Peaster and Vernon had been tabbed as double-digit underdogs in their respective playoff games. Paradise blanked Clyde 47-0, Peaster edged district co-champion Comanche 33-30 in overtime, and Vernon dominated preseason No. 10 and district co-champion Sweetwater 28-9.