Cyclones return key players from potent offense
HARLAN -- Despite their 4-5 record last season, the Harlan Community Cyclone football team had one of the most prolific offenses in all of Class 3-A.
HCHS averaged 242 yards passing per game and 194 on the ground, scoring at least 32 points in seven of nine games and averaging just under 38.
The good news is that many of the key cogs from that group are back in 2017.
Senior quarterback Deren Schmitz passed for 1,875 yards and ran for 323 in his first season as a starter last fall, ranking seventh among 3-A quarterbacks in yards passing despite missing one full game due to illness and being on a non-playoff team. Schmitz’s 18.4 yards per completion ranked higher than all six QBs above him in total yards.
Also returning on offense is senior tailback Nick Foss, the Cyclones’ 2016 leader in both rushing yards (1,164) and receiving (622 on 24 catches). The explosive Foss averaged 7.7 yard per carry and finished the season by breaking a 46-year-old single-game school record with 334 rushing yards vs. Atlantic. He tied another school record the same night with six touchdowns.
Only Creston’s Chase Shiltz scored more total TDs in Class 3-A than the 25 by Foss, who also ranked third in total yards from scrimmage with 1,786.
Blocking for Schmitz, Foss and the rest of the Cyclone offense will be line that basically returns four starters in left tackle Caleb Brouse, center Ethan Leinen, right guard Patrick Fah and right tackle Joey Arkfeld. Fah won’t be eligible until Week 2 but the interior O-line mix also includes a trio of 300-plus pounders in Ty Frederick and Dave and Will Hoffmann, who all stand between 6-foot-6 and 6-8 with long wing spans.
HCHS OFFENSE - DEPTH CHART
Probable Starters:
LT: 56, Caleb Brouse (6-4, 255, sr.)*
LG: 74, Dave Hoffmann (6-8, 310, sr.) or 55, Will Hoffmann (6-8, 300, sr.)
C: 72, Ethan Leinen (5-11, 250, jr.)*
RG: 77, Ty Frederick (6-6, 315, sr.)
RT: 54, Joey Arkfeld (5-11, 230, jr.)*
TE: 83, Jake McLaughlin (6-3, 205, jr.)
FL: 14, Johnathan Monson (6-0, 165, so.)
SE: 2, Brett Sears (6-1, 180, jr.)
QB: 12, Deren Schmitz (6-3, 190, sr.)*
FB: 80, Alex Schechinger (5-11, 185, so.)
TB: 33, Nick Foss (5-11, 200, sr.)*
Top Reserves:
OL: 90/62, Derec Weyer (6-4, 280, jr.)
OL: 51, Patrick Fah (6-2, 250, sr.)*
C: 66, Brock Hedstrom (5-7, 180, jr.)
OL: 88/68, Jacob Hansen (6-4, 220, sr.)
TE/QB: 4, Preston Mulligan (6-3, 197, jr.)
TE: 85, Brady Wagner (6-3, 195, jr.)
FL: 3, Jonny Cheek (5-11, 155, jr.)
FL/RB: 15, Hunter Manz (5-11, 160, jr.)
FL/TB: 29, Jared Moser (5-10, 166, sr.)
SE: 24, Eli Boldan (6-3, 180, jr.)
SE: 17, Kevin Campbell (6-0, 154, sr.)
QB: 14, Johnathan Monson (6-0, 165, so.)
TB: 13, Levi Culp (5-6, 150, jr.)
FB: 28, Jacob Bartley (6-0, 165, sr.)*
FB: 46, Caleb Bieker (6-1, 208, jr.)
* Started at least 1 game on offense last season.