Cyclones open district play at ADM

 ADEL (Sept. 21) -- What a difference a year makes; or a month, for that matter.
 When glancing through Harlan Community’s 2018 football schedule in August, the Week 5 district opener at Adel-DeSoto-Minburn was not necessarily the attention grabber that it is today.
 The Tigers finished 1-8 last season, including a 55-7 loss in Harlan. Their only win came via forfeit due to Ballard using a JV player in too many quarters.
 Just four games into the current season, however, ADM - armed with a new head coach in Garrison Carter - has started 4-0 and is allowing just 10.5 points per game. The Tiger offense is gaining traction as well after totaling 575 yards in last week’s 49-13 thrashing of Boone.
 On Friday night, 10th-ranked HCHS (3-1) will face the unbeaten Tigers in the Class 3A, District 9 opener for both teams.
 Sophomore quarterback Tate Stine-Smith is an emerging standout for ADM, passing for just under 500 yards and running for nearly 400 so far this season. Stine-Smith and running back Nick Bradshaw (four TDs vs. Boone) combined for 376 rushing yards last Friday and another 298 the week before at Grinnell. In Week 2 vs. Perry, sophomore Justice Paulson did most of the damage with 236 yards rushing.