(Harlan) 2nd rated Harlan runs into one of the hottest teams left in the Class 3A field on Friday.
The unblemished Cyclones will oppose a 6-3 Carlisle group that’s won four straight games including their last three by an average margin of 47 points. Harlan coach Todd Bladt is impressed by the Wildcat’s physicality. “They are a physical football team. They are not afraid to run the ball down your throat play after play. They have three guys over 800 yards rushing. As a team they have over 3,000 yards rushing. When you get in the playoffs those teams that can run the ball are dangerous.”
Carlisle rushed for a remarkable 490 yards last week to oust Dallas Center-Grimes which was ranked #1 by Radio Iowa. They were led by Nic Goodhue’s 235 yards while Karson Dunn had 150 and Jonathan Dunn 77. On the season the team averages 359 yards per game on the ground. “They have a veer and that’s their bread and butter. It’s a triple type of veer. They are going to have two fullbacks in the backfield is what they’ve shown. One guy is going to be the dive option and then you have a regular option going off to the side. All three guys are capable of handling the rock. You have to pretty much tackle everybody.
Harlan has been sound on defense. They haven’t allowed more than two scores in any single game since the start of district play in Week 3. “We have some guys up front with Chandler Leinen coming back, Jesse Schwery, we’ll have Jacob Schechinger in there and few other guys that are going to step in. Jameson Bieker has been quite a player for us. At the linebacker level we’ll have Will McLaughlin and Joseph Fah. These guys are going to be in there trying to make plays. We’ll rotate some others like Lucas Stanley and see where we can fit them in there to make some plays.”
Coach Bladt admits the Cyclone offense wasn’t at it’s peak last Friday night as they were coming off of a first round bye. They’ll face a Carlisle defense that’s big, physical, and fast. “Comparatively I’d say that they are physical like Lewis Central and have good speed like Glenwood. On offense we’ll have to try to be a dual threat and take advantage of what they give us. Scratch where it itches is what we have to be prepared to do.”
Last week’s 36 points they put up were in large part thanks to good defense and special teams. Joseph Fah recovered two fumbles, Chandler Leinen returned a fumble 23 yards for a score, and Michael Erlmeier had an interception. Joey Moser had a 37 yard kick return and a 63 yard punt return for a touchdown. “He’s an explosive kid. He has some real quick to him. He can turn on a dime. He’s like one of those big wheels where you can just flip around and go the other way.”
Carlisle was just 2-3 at one point in the season, but they’ve played well down the stretch. Two of the team’s three losses are to teams Harlan has beat (Pella and Bondurant-Farrar). “This year you can take those comparables and they are kind of like toilet paper because there are so many variables they can be flushed away. Every week you have to be prepared and can’t look at what you’ve done. You can only look into the future and try to put a good product out of Friday night.”
A Harlan win could set up a rematch with 7th ranked Lewis Central. The Titans host #9 Ballard in the other Pod B pairing on Friday.
