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Trojans Football: Improvement the motivating force for Atlantic’s test at No. 4 Harlan
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Harlan coming off loss to top-ranked Sioux City Heelan, their first regular season loss since ‘02
By Drew Herron
NT Sports Editor
ATLANTIC— As district play begins with a bang Friday night for the Trojans by means of a trip to No. 4 ranked Harlan, long-time Atlantic head coach Gaylord Schelling is counting on an old football proverb to see its way through after four quarters of war at Merrill Field.
Improvement from one week to the next; the measuring stick of progress for any team in Atlantic’s predicament.
With a 0-2 mark through non-district play, the season that counts now emerges and Atlantic finds themselves in a race with seven other teams for four playoff slots. Thus, dwelling on the 0-2 performance so far would do little good.
“You measure by how much you’ve gotten better,” Schelling said. “This is a great opportunity for us to play a great team. Our kids will compete with them. You get better playing great teams.
“A strong effort could give us confidence and prepare us for the rest of the season. If we play them tough, we’ll know where we’re at in the district, because Harlan is the measuring stick.”
How much can the Trojans score offensively? That should prove a deciding factor if Atlantic were to keep pace with Harlan’s two-sided assault.
The Trojans defense has proven themselves capable thus far, while Atlantic’s offense, plagued by turnovers, penalties, and injuries amid a general sense of underachievement, is a unit that has yet to spread its wings.
Schelling says at the close of two weeks of practice after starting quarterback Jacob Hartwig went down with a broken collarbone, the Trojans quarterback tandem of sophomore Parker Hoye and Zach Christianson are becoming more comfortable in new roles neither expected to occupying right now.
“Zach has gotten better, Parker has gotten better,” Schelling said. “I think we’re getting more secure at that position right now because the kids have confidence in both of them.”
Though the Trojans’ running game has struggled to just 102 yards on 78 carries through two games (1.3 yards per carry), a somewhat more consistent and coherent offense took shape against Denison last week as AHS outgained Denison in total yards 176-125 as the passing game took off the ground.
Senior wideout Jordan Mullen hauled in 3 catches for 71 yards and Jacey Hoegh added 61 yards on 3 catches.
“When we throw the ball like that, we get a spark,” Schelling said. “We have a very good defense and if we can pass like that or run enough to get a couple touchdowns, I think our defense can give us a shot.”
If the Trojans offense can move the ball and sustain drives, it will keep Harlan’s potent offense from the field and limit the damage from Cyclones’ tandem of tailback Reid Murtaugh and wideout James Cairney.
Aside from three-year starter Jeff Hastert at quarterback, Murtaugh and Cairney have been mainstays for the Cyclones offense and keeping them in check is atop of the Trojans’ defensive priorities.
To do it, Schelling says his defense needs to play smart and stay in their assignments.
“For us, we need to contain them, we’re not going to stop them completely,” Schelling said. “Number one, we need to recognize where they are and then we might have a sense of what they’re trying to do.”
Murtaugh has 221 yards on 46 carries so far and Cairney leads the district with 151 yards on 10 catches through the air.
As important as simple execution, Atlantic also needs to shore up the mistakes that have plagued them through two weeks, most notably penalties and turnovers.
In week one, the team lost eight fumbles and last week at Denison, the team racked up nine penalties for 70 yards.
That certainly needs to be fixed, Schelling said.
“No question, we need to eliminate penalties and we need to eliminate turnovers,” he said. “It’s inexcusable.”
Friday night is indeed the district opener, but with four playoff slots out there for the taking and a less brutal schedule on the horizon, the Trojans would be wise to keep the big picture in mind.
“Our kids just need to stay positive and work to improve,” Schelling said. “We’re getting better and we’re figuring some things out. We still have a lot of season left.”
Improvement from one week to the next; the measuring stick of progress for any team in Atlantic’s predicament.
With a 0-2 mark through non-district play, the season that counts now emerges and Atlantic finds themselves in a race with seven other teams for four playoff slots. Thus, dwelling on the 0-2 performance so far would do little good.
“You measure by how much you’ve gotten better,” Schelling said. “This is a great opportunity for us to play a great team. Our kids will compete with them. You get better playing great teams.
“A strong effort could give us confidence and prepare us for the rest of the season. If we play them tough, we’ll know where we’re at in the district, because Harlan is the measuring stick.”
How much can the Trojans score offensively? That should prove a deciding factor if Atlantic were to keep pace with Harlan’s two-sided assault.
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Schelling says at the close of two weeks of practice after starting quarterback Jacob Hartwig went down with a broken collarbone, the Trojans quarterback tandem of sophomore Parker Hoye and Zach Christianson are becoming more comfortable in new roles neither expected to occupying right now.
“Zach has gotten better, Parker has gotten better,” Schelling said. “I think we’re getting more secure at that position right now because the kids have confidence in both of them.”
Though the Trojans’ running game has struggled to just 102 yards on 78 carries through two games (1.3 yards per carry), a somewhat more consistent and coherent offense took shape against Denison last week as AHS outgained Denison in total yards 176-125 as the passing game took off the ground.
Senior wideout Jordan Mullen hauled in 3 catches for 71 yards and Jacey Hoegh added 61 yards on 3 catches.
“When we throw the ball like that, we get a spark,” Schelling said. “We have a very good defense and if we can pass like that or run enough to get a couple touchdowns, I think our defense can give us a shot.”
If the Trojans offense can move the ball and sustain drives, it will keep Harlan’s potent offense from the field and limit the damage from Cyclones’ tandem of tailback Reid Murtaugh and wideout James Cairney.
Aside from three-year starter Jeff Hastert at quarterback, Murtaugh and Cairney have been mainstays for the Cyclones offense and keeping them in check is atop of the Trojans’ defensive priorities.
To do it, Schelling says his defense needs to play smart and stay in their assignments.
“For us, we need to contain them, we’re not going to stop them completely,” Schelling said. “Number one, we need to recognize where they are and then we might have a sense of what they’re trying to do.”
Murtaugh has 221 yards on 46 carries so far and Cairney leads the district with 151 yards on 10 catches through the air.
As important as simple execution, Atlantic also needs to shore up the mistakes that have plagued them through two weeks, most notably penalties and turnovers.
In week one, the team lost eight fumbles and last week at Denison, the team racked up nine penalties for 70 yards.
That certainly needs to be fixed, Schelling said.
“No question, we need to eliminate penalties and we need to eliminate turnovers,” he said. “It’s inexcusable.”
Friday night is indeed the district opener, but with four playoff slots out there for the taking and a less brutal schedule on the horizon, the Trojans would be wise to keep the big picture in mind.
“Our kids just need to stay positive and work to improve,” Schelling said. “We’re getting better and we’re figuring some things out. We still have a lot of season left.”
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| Griswold boys take individual and team titles at Clarinda Coed Meet | 8-Man Football: Each side howling underdog as Walnut set to face No. 9 ranked CAM in Friday night’s district opener |
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