Not many football coaches in Iowa have been on the sideline for more varsity football games than Harlan’s Curt Bladt and Adel-Desoto-Minburn’s Mike Whisner. The two have a combined 77 years of high school football experience and more than 500 total wins. The pair will square off in district action tomorrow as the ADM Tigers (1-3 overall; 0-2 Class 3A District 7) march to Harlan to battle the Cyclones (3-1 overall; 2-0 Class 3A District 7).

Bladt is in the middle of his 40th season at Harlan, and the Cyclones recorded his 400th career win last week in a 17-14 triumph over Glenwood. The Cyclones have gone to the playoffs 34 times under Bladt’s direction, winning a record 11 state championships. Harlan has won their previous three games after opening the season with a loss to Lewis Central of Council Bluffs, 31-21.

ADM enters the week off their best performance of the season, a 17-14 homecoming setback to Carroll. The Tigers compiled 262 yards of total offense, including 210 passing from senior quarterback Matthew West. Whisner believes the Tigers recent turnaround is a topic of conversation at Harlan’s practices this week. “I’ve known Coach Bladt for a long time, and they are going to point out the turnaround of our kids from the first three weeks of the season.” Whisner said, “They are going to have to come ready to play to keep us contained, so they don’t give us life (in this game). Because if we get life, with 11 heartbeats moving at the same time, good things happen.”

Week five of the high school football season takes the ADM Tigers to Harlan tomorrow for a district matchup versus the Cyclones. Catch all the play by play action starting with the Lincoln Savings Bank Pregame show tomorrow at 7 p.m. on True Country, K107.9.