FRIDAY NIGHT REWIND: Papke's injury changes strategy

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MOOSEHEART – It was enough of a challenge that Hiawatha had to beat a tough Mooseheart team to keep its playoff hopes alive.

What complicated the matter was a knee injury to wide receiver Jake Papke in the first quarter.

“He said he kind of felt a crunch in there,” Hiawatha coach Sean Donnelly said.

Not only is Papke a starting wide receiver, he also is the team’s long snapper, and the injury forced the Hawks into going for two-point conversions instead of kicking extra points.

Hiawatha went just 1-for-4 on the two-point attempts.

Donnelly said that Papke got an X-ray Friday night, and that the injury is a sprain at the very least. Papke will see a specialist today, and Donnelly said that he will try out new long snappers this week in case Papke isn’t able to play Friday night.

Ready to go: Mooseheart was by far the Hawks’ toughest opponent in their three-game winning streak. Friday, Hiawatha will host North Shore Country Day, who is 2-6 on the season, with both victories coming against schools with a combined 0-16 record.

The Hawks need a win to become eligible for the playoffs.

Hiawatha quarterback Jason Keneway said the team isn’t worried about playing down to its competition.

“Our heads are down, we’re down,” Keneway said. “We’re taking it.”

Players of the Week

Offense: Tight End Jace Quimby had two huge catches, one of them a 30-yard grab on a fourth-and-17 play that led to the Hawks’ first touchdown.

Special teams: Jason Keneway had an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He had another kickoff return touchdown called back because of an illegal block in the back.