The Harlan Cyclones gave the crowd a happy homecoming with a 54-7 win over Atlantic on Friday night at Merrill Field. The Cyclones showed off why they are ranked first in Class 3A with a solid all around effort. Aiden Hall kickstarted the win by taking a screen pass in the left flat and scampering 57 yards for a touchdown on the first offensive play of the game.

The Cyclones would score on their next three offensive possessions to open up a 27-0 lead early in the second quarter. Those scores came on a Bradley Curren 3-yard run, a 7-yard pass from Teagon Kasperbauer to Cade Sears, and a 14 yard pass to Jacob Birch. Hall would add a 7-yard rushing score at the end of the half to make it 33-0 at the break.

The Cyclones would grab interceptions from Atlantic’s Tristan Hayes on the first two Trojan possessions of the second half. They converted both those picks into touchdowns; a 37-yard screen pass to Curren and a 3-yard run by Noah Schmitz. The Cyclones added a fumble return for a score late in the third to cap their scoring.

Atlantic avoided the shutout with a 2-yard rushing score by Dante Hedrington with :45 left in the game. The Trojans played the majority of the game without standout quarterback Caden Andersen, who left the game on the Trojan’s first drive after taking a hit along the sideline. He was slow to get up after the hit and did not return.

The Cyclones improved to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in 3A District 6. Harlan is now set for a top 5 showdown with undefeated ADM next week at Merrill Field.

Atlantic falls to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in 3A District 6. The Trojans will travel to Knoxville next Friday and we’ll have that game on KJAN.

Watch the full game replay HERE