With the way ADM’s season has gone, Friday’s regular season finale featured a fitting finish. The Tigers have suffered through the heartbreak of close losses caused by penalties and turnovers several times this year, only to rally over the last three weeks to put themselves in position for a playoff berth.
In other words, we knew it wouldn’t be easy.
On Friday night in Adel, ADM made the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season with a dramatic 35-30 win over the Harlan Cyclones in what was a winner-take-all contest for the fourth and final playoff spot in Class 3A – District 8.
ADM will travel to Carroll for the first round of the playoff at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Caroll, also nicknamed the Tigers, are the champions of Class 3A – District 2 with an 8-1 record overall and 6-0 record in district play.
Momentum swung back and forth all game, no more so during a crazy series of events over the final five minutes. Down 35-28, Harlan was driving for the game-tying score deep inside ADM territory. On 4th and 2 at the ADM 7-yard line, Cyclones tailback Nick Tarney got the first down before coughing up the ball, which was recovered by the Tigers’ Zach Flora. But on the very next play, ADM fumbled on a botched handoff from Frank Weiland to Johnny Reel, and the ball squirted out of the back of the end zone for a safety.
Johnny Reel’s ensuing kickoff was returned to the ADM 45. Harlan took it to the ADM 30, where the Tigers defense held on a 4th and inches QB sneak attempt by Kyle Juhl. ADM would then be forced to punt, but the Tigers defense was again up to the task and forced the Cyclones to turn the ball over on downs at their own 30-yard line. The offense picked up a couple of first downs and ended the game on kneel-downs, as Harlan had just one timeout remaining.
The Tigers defense was the story of the second half with those two fourth-down stands and countless other big plays, bailing out an ineffective second-half offense. In the second half, ADM scored just seven points, turned the ball over three times and picked up multiple penalties after playing a nearly flawless offensive game in the first half.
ADM scored 28 points in the first half while committing just one penalty and no turnovers.
In the end, though, ADM found a way to hang on and advance to the first round of the playoffs.
Weiland was 20-of-33 passing for 280 yards with four touchdowns and one interception, and was the team’s leading rusher with 89 yards on 20 carries. The junior finished the regular season atop Class 3A with 2,331 yards passing along with 18 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions.