Cyclones rudely bounced from 3-A playoff field

 HARLAN -- It will go down in the books as one of the most remarkable regular season to postseason turnarounds - good or bad - in the storied history of Harlan Community football.
 Just 19 days after posting a 59-21 road win over Creston/Orient-Macksburg - a game in which HCHS racked up 607 total yards - the 5th-ranked Cyclones were knocked out of the Class 3-A playoffs, 34-11, by that same Panther team on a blustery Wednesday night at Merrill Field.
 Controlling the point of attack with its giant set of linemen, Creston/O-M rode Chase Shiltz’s 376 rushing yards and pressed every right button in becoming just the second team in 35 tries to beat HCHS in the first round of the football playoffs.
 The Panthers improved to 6-4 overall and will now face top-ranked and defending 3-A champion Pella (10-0) in a second-round contest Monday night. Creston is a young team overall, but possesses several players who contributed to last year’s state semi-finalist.