Harlan Head Coach Todd Bladt: “Front Line Play Will Decide This One”

(Harlan) Harlan kept themselves in the running for the playoffs after knocking off Nevada 24-21 last week at Merrill Field in Harlan. The win leaves three teams, each with one loss in district play. Creston is 3-0, and Atlantic, Nevada, and Harlan each have one loss. The Cyclones now travel to Atlantic tonight.

The Cyclones racked up 345 yards of offense while holding Nevada to 274. Harlan Head Coach Todd Bladt complimented his team’s gritty performance.

Coach Bladt admits it will be tough to stop the Trojans’ offense—a team with 2,699 yards on the ground led by Tyson O’Brien, who averages 7.2 yards per carry and 1,311 yards. Gavin McLaren has 612 yards rushing, and the speedy Ethan McNeal has 36 carries for 370.

The Cyclones have thrown for 1,220 yards this season and rushed for another 1,219. Harlan Quarterback Gabe Arkfeld is completing 57.8 percent of his passes for 1,187 yards and eleven touchdowns.

Josef Reisz leads the team in receptions and yards with 33 catches for 663 yards. Coach Bladt says Reisz creates a lot of mismatches in the opposing team’s secondary.

Bladt says the offensive line play will be a primary factor in deciding this game tonight. He says they must sustain blocks and allow Arkfeld to make some reads.

Turnovers will also be a factor in this matchup. The Cyclones have six fumble recoveries and two interceptions, while Atlantic has five fumble recoveries and ten interceptions.

The kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m. The broadcast will be on 95.7 FM and live video streamed on westerniowatoday.com.