For the first half of football Friday night against unbeaten and third ranked Xavier, Prairie was the better team.

But then, said stalwart senior quarterback Jace Hanna afterward, “We kind of ran out of gas.”

Xavier beat Prairie, 28-7, Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A playoffs at Saints Field. Xavier (12-0) advances to the state semifinals next Friday at the UNI-Dome against Cedar Falls (11-1). Prairie finished its season 8-4.

Prairie took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 6-yard touchdown run by Mitch Christensen, but the Hawks' offense was hit-and-miss the rest of the way.

“We came out with a lot of energy,” Hanna continued. “Then we sort of stalled and couldn’t seem to get a drive going.

“But their defense was outstanding, especially in the second half. They put a lot more pressure on us. And they were just flying all over the place.”

Still, a team that posted 2-7 marks the past two years was well-poised for half the game to pull off its second huge upset in five days and make the state semifinals for the first time since 1981.  The Hawks won the Class 3A title way back then.

“The kids have made tremendous improvement,” said young second-year coach Mike Morrissey.  “As a staff, we couldn’t be more proud of them. These guys have accomplished an awful lot.”

Always eager to accept blame for his team’s shortcomings, Morrissey said his own play calling was largely responsible for the offensive struggles as the game progressed.

“I didn’t put them in a position to be successful,” he said. “I had them go for too many deep passes instead of taking advantage of what was open underneath.”

He had the highest praise for Hanna, who had an outstanding season despite being hampered by injuries.

“I’ve never been around a tougher football player, physically and mentally,” the coach said. “He’s been battered around all year, but he never complains and he never gets rattled.

“Without his leadership, we wouldn’t be 8-4 and had the kind of season we’ve had.”

Despite giving up two second-half touchdowns, Morrissey said he felt the Hawks' defense was solid all night against Xavier.  He acknowledged, though, that penalties took a toll.  Prairie was called for 10 infractions totaling 110 yards, including seven personal fouls.  Three of the major penalties came on the Saints' drive in the first half that tied the game at 7-7.

“I realize that emotions were running kind of high,” Morrissey said. “But you just can’t beat yourself like we did against a very good team.”

Star linebacker Cam Rathje said that except for the inordinate number of penalties, he felt the defense played an inspired game.

“We came out really firing,” he said. “When we were ahead and got a pick by Kentrel (Smith) to get the ball back in the first half, we didn’t take advantage of it. That might have made a difference.”

But, he said, the team had no reason to hang their heads.

“We had a great season.”