(Atlantic) – The Atlantic football team opens district play Friday night on the road at Creston, carrying a 2-2 record into the matchup.
The Trojans are coming off one of their best outings of the season, a 47-22 road win over Storm Lake last week. Atlantic’s ground game powered the victory, piling up 377 rushing yards while holding the Tornadoes to just 123. Atlantic Head Coach Joe Brummer said they need to fix up some things on X’s and O’s. The team played very well.
Leading the charge was Ethan McNeal with 222 rushing yards, while Gavin McLaren added 130. Brummer credited both backs and the offensive line for their strong performance. While he noted there are still details to clean up, Brummer said he was proud of the team’s overall effort.
The Trojans’ defense has been tough against the run, allowing an average of 113 yards per game against non-district opponents Glenwood, Denison-Schleswig, Des Moines-Christian, and Storm Lake. Junior Linebacker Jake Wailes leads the team in tackles with 29.5 (19.5 solos, five tackles for loss, and two sacks). Linebacker Carter Hadley, 21.0 tackles (10 solos and two tackles for loss). Colin Rudy, 19, (three sacks, five tackles for loss), Sawyer Tarrell, 15.5, (ten solos), and Brock Goodrich, 15 tackles, (10 solos, 3.5 sacks, and four tackles for loss. Jack Muller has 12 tackles, including 2.5 sacks. Grant Petty, 12 tackles (10 solos)
This week, Atlantic faces a Creston squad still searching for its first win at 0-4. Brummer cautioned that the Panthers’ record does not reflect their talent or potential. Brummer says the Panthers do a lot of different things on offense with a lot of shifts and motion. He says the most dangerous player on offense is quarterback Tanner Ray. The junior is completing 64.7 percent of his passes for 718 yards and one touchdown. He is also the team’s leading rusher with 413 yards.
Coach Brummer notes that the Panthers have a three-headed monster in the receiving corps, with Jace Purdum (18 catches, 265 yards), Seth Gordon (15 catches, 212 yards), and Rhett Driskell (15 catches, 110 yards).
The Panthers enter the game with 1,578 total yards of offense, led by 834 yards in the air and 734 yards on the ground. Atlantic has piled up 947 yards of offense, led by 709 yards on the ground and 238 yards passing.
We will have the broadcast on KS 95.7, and live-streamed on westerniowatoday.com TV, and YouTube. The pregame show starts at 6:00 p.m. The kick-off is at 7:00.
