TRAER – North Tama answered the bell Monday night and sent North Mahaska home from the Class A playoffs with a 45-0 win. Just 10 days ago, the two teams battled to a 7-0 win by the state’s top team.

North Mahaska’s defense could not slow down a powerful Red Hawk offense that found the end zone three times in the opening quarter and took advantage of miscues and field position.

North Tama (11-0) started with field position near midfield on all but one of their drives. The longest drive of the night was also their shortest. The Red Hawks took the opening kick of the second half to their own 17-yard line. Quarterback Brendon Boerm hit Caleb Edwards for a 25-yard strike then Colten Hamilton scrambled for a 58-yard score. Edwards hit the extra point to make it 39-0.

“That’s a good football team,” said North Mahaska Coach Steve Ehret. “You can’t make a turnover-touchdown, turnover-touchdown against a team that is number one in the state.”

North Mahaska (8-3) had its moments on defense to thwart North Tama drives. John Sims intercepted a Boerm pass in the second quarter and Jake Silk jumped on a Boerm fumble in the third quarter. Cole Van Genderen sacked Boerm late in the first half. On the next play Boerm hit James Weida and he was headed to the end zone when he coughed up the ball into the end zone and North Mahaska’s Dawson Ferguson recovered.

“We had some defensive moments,” said Ehret. “But they outmuscled us and we did not make the right adjustments.”

Penalties were another point of contention for the Warhawks. North Mahaska was flagged eight times for 83 yards. North Tama had four flags for 35 yards.

North Tama’s Sean Dengler stalled two North Mahaska drives with interceptions of Dylan Boyle.

North Tama dominated the Warhawks offensively, racking up 419 yards in offense while limiting North Mahaska to 55. Leading rusher Joe Agan, who topped the 1,000-yard mark last week at Danville, managed only six yards on six carries.

Hamilton led North Tama in rushing with 108 yards. He also added another 42 yards in pass receptions. Caleb Edwards led all receivers with four catches for 87 yards.

Ehret said his team accomplished some great things despite losing three of its last four games.

“There are not a lot of teams that had this opportunity,” said Ehret. “The playoffs are something we can look back on. Hopefully we can use this season to carry us into next year.”

North Tama 45, North Mahaska 0

NM 0-0-0-0 – 0

NT 20-12-7-6 - 45