Cyclones to face undefeated Warriors on road
For the second consecutive Friday, the 2-1 HCHS Cyclones football team will be on the road again, this time facing off against the undefeated 3-0 Sergeant Bluff-Luton Warriors.
“They’re a good football team, and they’re well coached,” said Cyclone Head Coach Todd Bladt. “They fly around with the ball defensively. Offensively, they are juggernauts. They come downhill and have really good schemes and really good players.”
The Warriors come in with wins against LeMars, Sioux City East, and Sioux City West. Offensively, Junior Isaiah Jervik has 204 passing yards, Senior Zayvion Ellington has 274 rushing yards, and Junior Gavin Merrill has 70 receiving yards. Defensively, Senior Kaleb Pendergast has 13.5 tackles.
“I like the effort we are playing with, and the fact that we are just playing a more disciplined style of football than we have the past couple of years,” said Warrior Head Coach Justin Smith. “We have been able to establish some habits that tend to show up well on Friday nights. There is always a lot to work on. Ball security on offense and being more physical at the point of attack on defense will be focuses this week.”
Last season, the Warriors finished 2-7 with their final game against Sioux Center Oct. 20 losing 28-16.
After dropping the season opener to Lewis Central, the Cyclones won two games against Denison, 49-7 and Glenwood, 38-22. Offensively, Junior Gabe Arkfeld has 461 passing yards, Senior Lukas Francis has 313 rushing yards, and Senior Jozef Reisz has 280 receiving yards. Defensively, Senior Bryce Van Baale has 33.5 tackles.
“Every time I see Harlan on film, there are a couple of things that stand out,” Smith said. “One is that their offensive line always has the best ball get-off of any team we play. They play with low pad level and are aggressive. They do a better job than most on their combo blocks of overtaking and getting to the next level of the defense, and then their backs are great at understanding the scheme and being north-south runners. They have a lot of really good players, but #7 [Francis] and #23 [Reisz] stick out for obvious reasons.”
Last season, the Cyclones hosted the Warriors beating them 42-6 and the Cyclones have won the last three matches and five of seven overall. The last time the Warriors won was Sept. 6, 2019 by a score of 47-27.
“It’s always a dog fight up there,” Bladt said. “It’s always a tough place to play. They’re going to have a lot of people there. We’re going to have to get really dialed in and focused playing on the road.”
