(Atlantic) Atlantic and Creston square off in a regular-season finale at Creston on Friday night. The Trojans remain in the conversation for a playoff spot in the top sixteen but must win and get some help elsewhere. The top two teams in the six districts automatically qualify, followed by four at-large teams based on their RPI in the top sixteen.
Atlantic Head Coach Joe Brummer says it comes down to winning the game on Friday to have a shot at qualifying.
The Trojans are preparing for a Creston team that runs a spread offense. Kyle Strider has thrown for 1,370 yards, but the Panther’s go-to guy is Brennan Hayes, the leading rusher in Class 3A. The junior is averaging 6.0 yards per carry for 1,209 yards.
Strider has a trio of receivers, all with 300 receiving yards; Owen Henderson (363), Brandon Briley (346), and Cael Turner (320).
The Trojans bring a balanced attack to the game with 1,562 passing and 1,470 yards rushing. Tristan Hayes playing for the injured Caden Andersen three weeks ago is 23/36 for 460 yards and seven touchdowns.
Defensively, the Trojans enter the game with eight sacks and 43 tackles for loss. Jackson McLaren and Easton O’Brien lead the team with 11 and 8 tackles for loss, three interceptions, and six fumble recoveries.
Creston has 14.5 sacks and 33 tackles for loss. Austin Evans leads the team with five sacks and six tackles for loss. Max Chapman has 8.5 tackles for loss.
The kick-off is at 7:00 p.m. We will have the broadcast on 95.7 F.M. and live video streaming on westerniowatoday.com (ks957). The pregame starts at 6:00 p.m.
