Cyclones blank Winterset, land 3A playoff berth
WINTERSET (Oct. 19) -- It wasn’t their best performance of the season, but the Harlan Community football team took care of the business at hand Friday night with a playoffs-clinching 28-0 road win over Winterset.
Overcoming nine penalties and some chippy play in the trenches, the Cyclones were able to score a touchdown in each quarter and finish the regular season with their second straight shutout to claim sole possession of second place in Class 3A, District 9 with a record of 4-1 (7-2 overall). The Huskies ended their season 2-3 in district play and 3-6 overall, including two overtime losses and another by five points.
“(The kids) did a great job. We’ve had a great season - 7-2 is not bad,” said HCHS coach Curt Bladt. “We could have been 8-1 pretty darn easy, but we’re 7-2 and we’ll see who they decide to send us to.”
Several hours later, Bladt got his answer when the Iowa High School Athletic Association released its 2018 playoff pairings. Seeded 10th in the final RPI rankings, the Cyclones will venture to 7th-seeded Oskaloosa (8-1, District 7 champion) for a first-round game Friday at 7:00 p.m. The winner will face Lewis Central (9-0) or Carroll (6-3) in a Class 3A quarterfinal November 2.
The highlight of the Cyclones’ Week 9 win was another shutout posted by the defense, which allowed just 174 total yards while chasing around a mobile quarterback in senior Casey Kleemeier (44 rushing yards, 28 passing). Running back Hunter Pashek led the Huskies with 93 yards on 19 carries.
HCHS forced a three-and-out on four of Winterset’s first five offensive series and did not allow the Huskies inside the red zone until the final minute of the game.
The Cyclones, who sacked Kleemeier three times and allowed just seven completions in 21 pass attempts, have now posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time since the 2009 state title team blanked its last four regular season opponents.
The Cyclones were actually outrushed by Winterset 146-59, averaging 2.2 yards per carry, but did finish with a 265-174 edge in total offense. There were no turnovers in the game.
Harlan Community 28, Winterset 0
HCHS: Brenden Bartley 5-yd. run (Kyle Knudson kick) - 1st qt., 5:09.
HCHS: Eli Boldan 56-yd. pass from Preston Mulligan (Knudson kick) - 2nd qt., 0:00.
HCHS: Mulligan 1-yd. run (Knudson kick) - 3rd qt., 5:22.
HCHS: Brett Sears 11-yd. pass from Mulligan (Knudson kick) - 4th qt., 3:29.
HCHS Individual Stat Leaders
Rushing -- Caleb Bieker 10-54. Passing -- Preston Mulligan 15-19-0, 206. Receiving -- Eli Boldan 4-81, Johnathan Monson 8-73, Brett Sears 3-52. Punt returns -- Sears 3-71.
Tackles -- Wyatt Schaben 10 (7s/3a), Will McLaughlin 7 (4s/3a), Jon Owens 7 (3s/4a), Allen Fries 5 (3s/2a), Bieker 5 (1s/4a), Jake McLaughlin 5 (1s/4a). Tackles for loss -- Fries 3 (2s/1a), Schaben 2 (1s/1a). QB Sacks -- Bieker 1 solo, Fries 1 solo, J. McLaughlin 1 solo.