Mulligan sets school record as Cyclones top Rams
HARLAN (Sept. 28) -- No one knew it at the time, but Preston Mulligan’s late-game touchdown pass to Johnathan Monson Friday night was more significant than being the final dagger in Harlan Community’s 42-12 win over Glenwood at Merrill Field.
As it turns out, Mulligan’s fourth-and-10, 15-yard completion with 2:09 to go also put him in the school record books as the top single-game passer in Cyclone history. The senior quarterback completed 24-of-43 attempts for 416 yards, including four touchdowns and one interception, to break Joel Osborn’s previous mark of 414 yards set vs. Le Mars in the 2003 state semifinals.
The team record for passing yards still stands at 420 from that same 2003 game at the UNI-Dome.
“We didn’t have any idea where he was sitting (for yards),” said HCHS coach Curt Bladt of the team’s late nine-play, 92-yard scoring drive. “We were just trying to keep the clock moving and the chains moving and we were able to do that. It’s a credit to (Preston). He found some people and put the ball on the money quite a few times.”
Osborn, now the co-offensive coordinator at Northwest Missouri State, finished his Cyclone career with 6,216 passing yards and 76 touchdown passes (both school records) before starting in two NCAA Division II national championship games as the quarterback at NWMSU.
“That’s pretty lofty company, so you’ve got to really hand it to him,” Bladt said of Mulligan, whose 1,708 yards passing through six games this season is already more than last year’s team total of 1,615 in 12 games.
The Homecoming victory improved the ninth-ranked Cyclones to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in Class 3A, District 9 going into this Friday’s showdown at No. 2 Lewis Central (6-0, 2-0).
HCHS won despite netting just 20 rushing yards (on 11 carries) and committing the only three turnovers of the night. Glenwood, now 3-3 overall and 0-2 in district play, responded to a quick 14-0 deficit with two scores late in the first quarter and even threatened to take the lead early in the second, but did very little offensively the rest of the way.
Harlan Community 42, Glenwood 12
HCHS: Alex Schechinger 7-yd. run (Kyle Knudson kick) - 1st qt., 10:18.
HCHS: Brett Sears 47-yd. pass from Preston Mulligan (Knudson kick) - 1st qt., 8:12.
Glenwood: Zach Carr 1-yd. run (kick failed) - 1st qt., 3:39.
Glenwood: John Palmer 83-yd. pass from Carr (run failed) - 1st qt., :58.
HCHS: Sears 7-yd. pass from Mulligan (Knudson kick) - 2nd qt., 6:53.
HCHS: Sears 38-yd. punt return (Knudson kick) - 3rd qt., 5:37.
HCHS: Sears 31-yd. pass from Mulligan (Knudson kick) - 3rd qt., 3:48.
HCHS: Johnathan Monson 15-yd. pass from Mulligan (Knudson kick) - 4th qt., 2:09.
HCHS Individual Stat Leaders
Rushing -- Preston Mulligan 5-21. Passing -- Mulligan 24-43-1, 416. Receiving -- Johnathan Monson 11-175, Brett Sears 4-94, Eli Boldan 4-87, Jonathan Cheek 3-40, A. Schechinger 2-20. Punt returns -- Sears 3-63 (1 TD).
Tackles -- Allen Fries 12 (3s/9a), Caleb Bieker 10 (4s/6a), Brady Wagner 9 (5s/4a), Jake McLaughlin 8 (5s/3a), W. Schaben 7 (2s/5a). Tackles for loss -- Fries 5 (1s/4a), McLaughlin 4 (4s), Wagner 4 (3s/1a), Bieker 3 (1s/2a). QB Sacks -- Wagner 2.5, McLaughlin 2.0, Fries 1.5, Bieker 1.5.