Cyclones host Atlantic in final district tune up

 HARLAN (Sept. 14) -- The Harlan Community football team will close out its non-district schedule at Merrill Field on Friday, hosting Atlantic in a 7:00 p.m. matchup between 2-1 teams.
 HCHS is looking to build on its No. 14 RPI of .6343 in Class 3A - released for the first time this week by the Iowa High School Athletic Association - while putting a full four quarters together for the first time this season.
 One week after starting fast and letting a 20-0 lead slip away vs. Sergeant Bluff-Luton, the Cyclones started slowly last Friday before pulling away from Carroll in the third quarter for a 35-6 victory.
 “We’ve played a lot of good quarters,” said HCHS head coach Curt Bladt. “We just haven’t played a full game yet and that’s what we need to do - go 48 minutes with the pedal to the metal and see what happens... I’d like to start fast and finish fast.”
 Much like HCHS, Atlantic has alternated wins and losses to start the season. The Trojans rolled past Saydel 45-6 in the opener, then lost 43-20 to Creston before beating Clarinda in overtime last Friday 21-20.
 Atlantic, now in Class 2A, is led by senior quarterback Chase Mullenix, who poses a big-play threat on every snap. Mullenix has completed 57.1 percent of his passes for 432 yards (three TDs, four INTs) and also leads the team with 306 rushing yards (7.0 ypc) and four scores.