Slow start dooms Hiawatha at River Ridge

After giving up 22 points in the first quarter, the Hiawatha football team held River Ridge scoreless the rest of the way.

But the Wildcats hung on for the 22-12 win over the Hawks in Hanover.

“I felt like our guys didn’t come out ready to play,” Hiawatha coach Kenny McPeek said. “He got behind, and when our offense got going in the second quarter and second half, we just couldn’t get enough in the end.”

Tommy Butler had a 25-yard touchdown run and Aiden Cooper added a 6-yard scramble for the Hawks (1-4) against the Wildcats (1-4).

Butler also had 17 tackles, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and two pass breakups.

“You can talk all day about he plays defense,” McPeek said. “He’s only played four games for us and he’s averaging more than 15 tackles per game. He’s just a hound. He’s really good at finding the ball.”