Panthers open district play at Harlan

Two longtime rivals looking to rebound from lopsided losses will open district play Friday as Harlan (2-2) hosts Creston (0-4) at Merrill Field.

While 3-1 Carroll was bolting to a 30-0 lead in the first quarter on the way to winning 50-7 at Creston, undefeated Sergeant Bluff-Luton rolled past Harlan, 42-0. All of the Warriors’ 467 yards came on the ground against the Cyclones.

The teams have one common opponent to date in fellow Hawkeye Ten Conference member Lewis Central. The Titans started their 4-0 season with a 31-10 victory over Harlan before defeating Creston, 44-8.

The Cyclones beat 1-3 Glenwood by a 38-22 score and routed 1-3 Denison-Schleswig, 49-7.

Both Creston and Harlan are coming off playoff seasons with new starters in several key positions. Creston has started against a gauntlet of four non-district opponents with a combined 12-4 record to date.

“Both teams have lost some marquee players from the last couple years and started the season with some untested kids,” Creston coach Brian Morrison said. “Last week was kind of like our game for Harlan. They had a tough time stopping the run. I think Sergeant Bluff-Luton is a pretty good football team this year. I thought Harlan ran the ball well in the first half against Lewis Central before the game got away from them. Their new quarterback (Gabe Arkfeld) will continue to get better as the season goes along.”

Harlan offense

Arkfeld, a junior, had an outstanding performance in the 38-22 win over Glenwood in week three, completing 14 of 21 passes for 271 yards and five touchdowns. For the season he is 37 of 68 for 581 yards and seven touchdowns with four interceptions.

The Harlan running game has gained an average of 161 yards per game, led by running back Lukas Francis with 319 yards on 52 carries with three TDs. Fullback Ayden Redmon has 182 yards on 35 attempts and two TDs. Arkfeld does not run often from the quarterback position, with 29 yards on 10 rushes.

“Harlan does what Harlan always does,” Morrison said. “They want to establish the run game on their off-tackle powers, iso’s and dives with the option off of it. I assume they’re going to try to get to the outside on us with their tosses and sweeps. We have to get better at setting the edge and corralling the running back. Their quarterback is efficient and throws the ball quickly. We need to get them in second and long and force some three-and-outs so we can have field position.”

Junior Seth Gordon steps into a starting cornerback role in the Panther secondary as senior Jake Hoyt will be out this week. Chasse Downing returns to full-time duty at center, with Mattias Schultes working primarily in the defensive line instead of seeing action on both sides, Morrison said. Camden Smith is getting closer to returning to the defensive line after a knee injury, but not likely to be in the primary rotation yet this week.

The freshman game kicks off at 4:15 p.m. followed by the varsity matchup at 7 p.m. at Merrill Field, 1001 Elm Street.

Creston (0-4, 0-0)

OFFENSE

T Brayden Schoon 6-3 235 Sr.

G Garrick Clausen 5-11 225 Jr.

C Chasse Downing 6-3 270 Jr.

G Gunner Martwick 6-1 230 Jr.

T Eli Schaffer 6-3 320 Sr.

WR Casen Dryden 5-7 140 Sr.

WR Xander Drake 5-8 155 Sr.

TE Josh Schaefer 6-1 180 Sr.

QB Tanner Ray 5-10 145 So.

RB Weston Trapp 5-11 185 Sr.

TE Ethan Holliday 6-2 200 Jr.

K Joaquin Flores 5-10 140 So.

DEFENSE

DL Tom Mikkelsen 6-0 220 So.

DL Jayden Myers 5-11 195 Sr.

DL Brayden Schoon 6-3 235 Sr. or Mattias Schultes 5-11 200 Sr.

OLB Jackson Pettegrew 5-10 170 Jr.

ILB Aiden Snodgrass 6-0 175 Sr.

ILB Lucas Travis 5-11 195 Sr.

OLB Kal Barber 5-9 165 Jr. or Tyson Looney 5-10 165 Sr.

CB Seth Gordon 5-10 165 Jr.

CB Tyler Riley 5-5 140 Sr.

S Lane Travis 5-8 150 Jr.

S Davin Wallace 5-10 145 So.

P Weston Trapp 5-11 185 Sr. or Tanner Ray 5-10 145 So.