3A RIVALS RALLY TO THE CAUSE
GRINNELL (Aug. 17) -- On August 28, Harlan Community and Grinnell will clash at Merrill Field in the first game of the 2020 football season.
This past Monday, Cyclone and Tiger players worked together for a much greater cause.
A crew of 27 players and six HCHS coaches made the two-and-a-half hour trip to Grinnell to help with the massive clean-up effort still ongoing following the August 10 derecho that left behind widespread destruction across Iowa.
Cyclone head football coach Todd Bladt and 8th grade coach Steven Boggess (a native of Grinnell) each drove their personal vehicle, and three school vehicles were also utilized to transport the group of 33. Masks were worn by all inside the suburbans, van and car.
Additional coaches making the trip were Matt Hoch, Sam Brummer, Jeff Hastert and James Cairney.
Fueled by breakfast pizza donated by the Harlan Casey’s General Store, Shell-Taylor Quik-Pik and Panama’s Main Street Market, the Cyclones arrived in Grinnell at noon and worked until 4:30. Grinnell Mutual also donated pizza for all the volunteer workers.
“I’m glad we did it,” Bladt said. “It was neat to have the opportunity... and it’s really nice to see the difference you can make with something like that. We came together for a day and gave the kids a life-long experience that they can learn from, better themselves and realize there’s bigger things than just football.
“It was a great trip for them. I think the kids learned a lot and they worked hard. It was an opportunity for us to do some good in a rough time to do good, because it’s kind of hard to get out there and do stuff for other people [during COVID-19]. But we were able to make it work and we were safe and we got a lot of good done for their community.”
The fact that the HCHS student-athletes were working in conjunction with their Week 1 gridiron opponent added a unique element to the day.
“It just shows you can be rivals on the field, but when it comes to life everybody is in this baby together so you better learn how to deal with everybody that you’re going to encounter,” Bladt added.
This isn’t the first time that Harlan Community football players and coaches have lended a hand following destructive Iowa weather. In 2008, longtime HCHS football coach Curt Bladt took a large group of players to Parkersburg after the town was leveled by an EF5 tornado. Three years later, the Cyclones helped with tornado clean-up efforts in Mapleton.