HCHS travels to Grinnell for matchup of 1-0 teams

Cyclones and Tigers both erased double-digit deficits in Week 1

 GRINNELL (Sept. 3) -- Both the Harlan Community football team and its Week 2 opponent opened the 2021 season with exhilarating victories last Friday night.
 The Cyclones, ranked second in Class 3A this week by Radio Iowa, defeated one of the state’s top 4A teams and a regional rival, erasing a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit and beating Lewis Central 36-29 in a game that came down to the final snap.
 On the opposite half of Iowa, the Grinnell Tigers also won at the wire, climbing back from a 17-0 hole after one quarter and beating Benton Community 37-34 on Calvin Jaworski’s 20-yard field goal in double overtime.
 Tonight in Grinnell, the Cyclones and Tigers will both be gunning for a 2-0 start in non-district play when they kick things off at 7:30 p.m.
 “It’s going to be a tough game. It’s a road game that’s after an emotional win and those can be difficult,” said HCHS head coach Todd Bladt. “We’ve just got to play sharp and play fast and play one play at a time this whole season, and that’s kind of what we’ve been focusing on for the last couple days.”
 A year ago, HCHS beat Grinnell 40-28 in an entertaining season opener at Merrill Field, improving to 4-0 all-time against the Tigers. Grinnell lost just two more games the rest of the year, both against eventual 3A semi-finalist Cedar Rapids Xavier.
 The Tigers graduated some key players off their 2020 team, including the state’s top rusher in Wyatt Hunter, who finished with 2,301 yards and 31 TDs on the ground. Quarterback Dallas Sauser, a sophomore last year, moved out of the school district after throwing for 835 yards and 10 scores.
 A powerful rushing attack still looks to be Grinnell’s bread and butter as it carried the ball 58 times for 283 yards last week at Benton. Cole Johnson, who had just one rushing attempt all of last year, toted the mail 40 times for 200 yards in Week 1.

Full story in the Sept. 3 Harlan News-Advertiser

 
 

 

Harlan Newspapers

1114 7th Street
P.O. Box 721
Harlan, IA 51537-0721

(800) 909-6397
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