For the second straight season, the ADM football Tigers face an uphill climb to get into the playoffs. This time, they’ll probably need some help.

ADM fell to 1-3 in district play on Friday in a 38-21 home loss to the Creston Panthers. The Tigers’ offense woke up from its slumber with a 21-point outburst in the first half to enter the locker room tied, but a series of mistake lead to a big second half for the Panthers, who outscored ADM 17-0 over the final two quarters.

Creston junior running back Chase Shiltz, the district’s leading rusher, took over in the second half and finished with a whopping 250 yards on just 22 carries and four touchdowns. The big game put Shiltz over 1,000 yards for the season and increased his Class 3A-lead in rushing scores to 20.

Shiltz’s 47-yard touchdown run with 1:34 to go in the third quarter put Creston ahead for good, and ADM’s offense could never get back on track. Several defensive personal foul penalties extended Creston drives and lead directly to points, while senior quarterback Frank Weiland was victimized by some crucial drops from his receivers in the fourth quarter.

Weiland enjoyed one of his best games of the season. He finished 14-of-25 for a season high 258 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions and added a rushing touchdown on a team-high 41 yards rushing.

To keep its faint playoff hopes alive, ADM will have to beat a 6-0 and district-leading Glenwood Rams team this Friday in Adel.