Hawks wrap season with gritty loss to Mepo

DONNELLSON — Central Lee’s last play on offense for the 2026 season was a touchdown.
The Hawks lost 34-21 to Mediapolis on Friday night, but it was how they played, especially in the second half, that provided some positives for a finale.
Kellen Weber’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Carver Hayes was a sign of how Central Lee didn’t let the game get away after trailing 27-6 at halftime.
“I told the guys after the game, this game came down to about four plays,” Central Lee coach Doug Dodds said. “But otherwise, I thought we played well. I thought we were really good up fron all night. And I liked how we fought.”
The best moment of this season for the Hawks came in a 20-14 win at Albia on a 95-degree night in the second week of the season. But on this chilly, windswept night with no chance at a postseason bid for Central Lee (2-6 overall, 0-5 Class 2A District 6), the Hawks went out with a fight left in them.
The second quarter proved to be the difference. The Bulldogs scored three touchdowns, and Central Lee lost starting quarterback/linebacker Brett Cook to a collarbone injury.
Mediapolis took a 13-6 lead when Wyatt Box intercepted a pass from Weber and raced 42 yards for a touchdown. The Bulldogs then scored on their next possession, when Lathan Keller caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Quincy King. King then caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Cayson Fuhrer to close the first half.

But the Hawks weren’t going away. They had a 12-play, 48-yard drive to open the second half that didn’t get them points, but set a tone for the rest of the game.
Central Lee also kept Mediapolis’ offense in an 18-play stretch that started late in the third quarter and went into the fourth. The Hawks had to punt on fourth-and-9 from their own 40-yard line, but on the return Jonny Seyb took the ball away from Keller, giving Central Lee’s offense more time on the field.
“I don't think (Mediapolis) pulled the reins back,” Dodds said. “I think they were still going and trying, but I thought we did a nice job at executing in the second half. I thought we did a great job on the line tonight. I thought we won the line of scrimmage against them.”
Weber threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Evan Fogarty to get Central Lee within 27-12 midway through the fourth quarter. Weber then scored on a 2-point conversion run in which he started right, reversed field as Mediapolis closed in, then took a circuitous route to the middle of the field before running into the end zone.
Brock Spears’ 4-yard touchdown run provided the final points of the game for the Bulldogs (4-4, 2-3). Central Lee then went on a 9-play, 78-yard drive to finish the night, closing with the Weber-to-Hayes connection.
Dodds said the key for the Hawks in the offseason was to “keep working.”
“That's the biggest thing,” he said. “There's a foundation that's been laid. I think our seniors, like I said, were great kids and great people, and they kind of showed the way how you do this, this, and this, and if you do, good things can happen.”