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Remarkable as it may seem, until last fall, such a three-year stretch hadn't occurred since 1978 to 1980 - an era when eight teams per class made the playoffs and only the championship games were played indoors.
So with 28 letter winners back in 2009, 26 seniors and four returning starters on both sides of the ball, it's understandable that this year's Cyclones might be playing with a renewed sense of urgency and vigor to reclaim the Cedar Falls' dome as "Merrill Field East."
But after three straight defeats in the playoff quarterfinal round, including two at the hands of Sioux City Bishop Heelan, HCHS head coach Curt Bladt knows that nothing good ever comes easy.
"It's going to involve a lot of hard work," he said. "It's tough to get back to where we want to be, because there's 63 other (Class 3A) teams trying for that same spot, and there ain't a lot of room at the top."
So far, the rumor around town is that August practices have been more intense. Thursday's intra-squad scrimmage also seemed a bit more business-like than usual, and Bladt likes the progress being made as Friday's season opener - his 32nd as head coach - draws near.
"We wish we were further along, but for right now we're doing well," he said. "We're probably in as good of shape as we've been at this point in several years, so we like the condition of the team. Our health is reasonable. We've got a couple guys nursing some little owies, but right now nothing that is going to prevent anybody from playing.
"Keeping people healthy - that's the big thing right now. Early in the season, some guys are going harder than others and some guys are a little tentative . . . and that sometimes gets you in some difficult situations and you get some people banged up."
The Cyclones enter 2009 with a JV-Varsity roster of approximately 75 players after going 10-2 last year and winning a sixth straight District 8 title with a mark of 7-0.
HCHS lost nine All-District and two All-State seniors to graduation, but there don't appear to be any gaping talent drop-offs in any specific area of the lineup.
The centerpiece of the Cyclone team is 6-foot-4, 245-pound senior Matt Hoch, who has verbally committed to play football at the University of Iowa. A first-team All-State selection by the Des Moines Register last fall, Hoch played through an injury late in the season but still recorded 98 total tackles, including six sacks and 16 for loss, while also playing tight end and offensive tackle.
This season, Hoch will switch from defensive end to the middle linebacker spot and start at fullback for the offense. Bladt says he will try to find some breaks for Hoch whenever possible.
"We've got him covered up on 'D' and covered up on 'O' so we can buy him some snaps here and there during the course of a ball game," he noted. "For one guy to go out there and be on the field for 110 consecutive plays is a little bit too much to ask, especially early in the season."
Blessed with size, strength and good closing speed, Hoch's most special attribute is his intensity, according to his head coach.
"He keeps after it and it doesn't make much difference whether you're in a practice or game situation, he's going to go hard," Bladt said. "I think that's a little bit infectious."
In addition to Hoch, the Cyclones' returning starters include offensive linemen Marcus Streit and Mark Langenfeld, tailback Dylan Barrett, tight end Adam Cave, kicker Trent Wendt, defensive lineman Joe Arentson (now a linebacker) and defensive backs Brian Kloewer and Luke Lansman.
Between some guys playing new positions or starting both ways this season, Bladt doesn't see inexperience as a huge problem in any one area.
"We're going to move some people around," he said. "We'll have some people splitting time on offense that were on defense (last year), and vice versa. We'll cover most of the positions with people that have some experience.
"Our biggest concern right now would be developing the offensive line. Even though we've got three guys back up front, that still leaves us three rookies to fill in there and get to work as a unit. So that will take some time to develop."
Offensive Outlook:
The most notable change for the Cyclone offense is at quarterback, where senior Michael Kaufmann (5-foot-11, 155 pounds) takes over for three-year starter and All-Stater Jeff Hastert, who finished his career with 5,188 passing yards and 57 TD strikes.
Kaufmann continues a six-year run of HCHS quarterbacks all under six feet tall, but all dangerous runners as well as passers. He threw for 163 yards and one TD as a backup last fall, completing 11-of-19 attempts.
Hardly a pocket passer, Kaufmann will improvise well on the move. He also showed a feathery touch on several accurate deep throws during the scrimmage.
"I think Michael Kaufmann probably would've started for 95 percent of the teams in Class 3-A last year, but he was behind a three-year starter," said HCHS offensive coordinator Mark Kohorst.
"Michael is a gun-slinger. He brings a different dimension. He likes it wild and crazy out there. He's actually better when he's on the run and can just make plays. He's got a quick release and he makes pretty good decisions."
Bladt adds that Kaufmann is his own "biggest critic," but he likes the intensity, which reminds him of Hastert.
"They're both intense players and good kids. If you've got your hardest workers leading the pack, you're not in too much trouble."
Kaufmann will be throwing to a deep group of receivers that includes Cave at tight end, Kloewer at split end and Luke Lansman at flanker. Eric Croghan and Joey Buman will also be key targets.
Last year's receiving leaders, All-Stater James Cairney and Willie Baughman, both graduated and signed to play football at Northwest Missouri State and Iowa Western Community College, respectively. Cairney led all of 3-A with 863 yards receiving in '08 and finished his career with 1,827 yards and 29 TD's - one shy of Michael Burger's school record.
Kloewer is the top returning pass-catcher (247 yards, 4 TD's), while the 6-3 Cave (226 yards, 1 TD) may be poised for a breakout season as a junior.
"Adam Cave has worked extremely hard in the weight room and I think he'll have a big year," Kohorst said. "He reminds me a lot of Adam Leinen ('06 HCHS grad), except he's more athletic. He's got great hands and he runs really good routes, and there's a chemistry there already between him and Kaufmann."
Barrett, another promising junior at tailback, packs a punch at six-foot, 185 pounds and gives HCHS a third Pre-season All-State player in addition to Hoch and Kloewer on defense.
Combining speed and power-running ability, Barrett averaged eight yards per carry last year and totaled 711 yards and 13 scores in less than half a season as the starter.
"Dylan is going to be a definite home run threat, but if we need to pound it at people, he can get five or six (yards) every time," Kohorst said. "He's durable. He's going to be there every day."
Barrett's success, though, is still largely dependent on the men blocking in front of him.
"His yards will start coming as the improvement comes with the offensive line," Bladt noted. "I don't care how good your back is, if you don't have somebody in front of him, you're not going to get him much. We've got to get the guys up front going, move some people out of the way and give him that second level and the opportunity to make a move and do his thing."
The Cyclones certainly won't be lacking for size on the O-line, led by experienced seniors Streit (5-10, 240) at left tackle and Langenfeld (6-2, 255) at center. Junior right tackle Joe Kohorst checks in at 6-4, 290, the left guard will be either sophomore Joe Brummer (6-1, 235) or senior Jake Brown (6-0, 250) and the right guard will likely be a combination of seniors Joe Arentson (6-0, 190) and Jon Kaufman (6-3, 200).
Hoch could also move into the interior as the season goes on, but Bladt would prefer to keep him at fullback and the H-back position - a hybrid of a tight end/fullback.
"It gives us the opportunity to put him in motion and give him a run at some people," Bladt said. "He can still drop back in there to that fullback position and be a lead blocker for Barrett, which I'm sure Barrett will appreciate."
Another HCHS junior returning starter is the kicker, Wendt, who will also handle punting duties this fall. Wendt averaged 49 yards per kickoff a year ago, made 49-of-55 extra points and hit 2-of-3 field goals, including a kick that forced overtime at A-D-M.
"He kicks the ball well off the tee," Bladt said. "He'll probably get it down inside the 10 most times and he'll probably average around 35 yards punting the ball, with pretty good hang time."
Defensive Outlook:
The HCHS defense starts with Hoch at middle linebacker, a position change that should make it much harder for opposing teams to run away from the Cyclones' hardest hitter.
"Last year, some of the good teams would just call a play in the huddle and then run opposite of where Hoch lined up," said HCHS defensive coordinator Ken Carstens. "When he plays in the middle, I guess you have to run to the outside to run away from him, and he runs pretty well.
"For Matt, he's still got some stuff to learn - not being too aggressive, reading his keys - but he ought to be a load, there's no doubt about that."
Arentson, who made 13 tackles for loss and 67 total stops last year, will also make the move from defensive line to linebacker and start on the outside. The other linebacker spot will be filled by junior Derek Schwartz or senior Dillon Kramer.
Schwartz is following in the footsteps of older brothers Bryan and Todd, who also played LB for the Cyclones before both playing college football at Buena Vista.
"He's different than both of them," Carstens said. "Todd was really quick and Bryan was more of a horse. He's kind of a combo of the two."
The Cyclone D-line will feature Jon Kaufman and Ryan Fahn (6-3, 195, sr.) as the ends and a rotation of Streit, Mitchell Anderson (5-10, 215, jr.) and Alex Brown (5-11, 195, jr.) as the two tackles. Fahn and Kaufman had some good moments as reserves last season, but the front four remains the biggest question mark on defense. Senior Dan Schaben is expected to fill in at both linebacker and D-end.
"They all show they can do it part of the time; we've just got to get them to do it all of the time," Carstens said.
The Cyclone secondary is deep by necessity as returning starters Kloewer (cornerback) and Lansman (safety) start on offense as well. Lansman made 45 tackles a year ago and Kloewer picked off two interceptions. They will be joined in the defensive backfield by seniors Anthony Hough and Craig Connell. The reserves include Michael and Joseph Klein, Alex Markham and Lucas Musich.
Carstens says a big key for the defense will be raising its overall intensity level to match the likes of Hoch, Arentson and Fahn.
"We just have to learn to play until the down is over; not just hit and hold your ground, we've got to pursue the ball," he said. "The real difference from JV (to varsity) is how hard you play every down. You just can't take a blow and you've got to do your job every down. Those are things we've got to get better at.
"Just playing games - that's what some of them need more than anything; to find out the level they have to play at. When we get some games under our belt, we ought to be pretty good at all the positions."
Schedule/District 8 Outlook:
The Cyclones should find out quickly where they stand this year as their two non-district games might be their toughest regular season games. HCHS plays at an improved Denison-Schleswig team Friday night, then hosts Sioux City Heelan September 4. The Crusaders have handed HCHS its only three losses the last two years, but Bladt isn't looking past the Monarchs yet.
"It's going to be a tough one up at Denison," he said. "They've got six guys back on defense and they did a pretty good job of slowing us down last year (in a 20-7 Harlan win). That will be a test for us offensively."
District 8 will feature a pair of returning 1,000-yard rushers in Glenwood's Dylan Blankenship (1,538) and Lewis Central's Denver Lohnes (1,147). The Cyclones' first district foe, Atlantic, will be "quick and fast" according to Bladt.
HCHS remains the team to beat in the district, although its unstated goals certainly don't stop there.
"I just think we have to get better each and every week," Bladt said. "We've got to show improvement, and that's kind of up to the coaching staff to make sure that takes place. We'll be working hard and our expectations are going to be pretty high."
HCHS Probable Starters
OFFENSE
LT: Marcus Streit (5-10, 240, sr.)
LG: Joe Brummer (6-1, 235, so.) or Jake Brown (6-0, 250, sr.)
C: Mark Langenfeld (6-2, 255, sr.)
RG: Joe Arentson (6-0, 190, sr.) or Jon Kaufman (6-3, 200, sr.)
RT: Joe Kohorst (6-4, 345, jr.)
TE: Adam Cave (6-3, 200, jr.)
QB: Michael Kaufmann (5-11, 155, sr.)
FB: Matt Hoch (6-4, 245, sr.)
TB: Dylan Barrett (6-0, 185, jr.)
SE: Brian Kloewer (6-1, 190, sr.)
FL: Luke Lansman (6-2, 190, sr.)
Kicker: Trent Wendt (5-9, 150, jr.)
Top Reserves
OL: Justin Schechinger (6-1, 240, sr.)
OL: Dustin Muell (6-3, 220, jr.)
QB: Zach Osborn (5-10, 145, so.
QB/PK: Derek Schwartz (6-0, 185, jr.)
FB: Justin Mills (6-1, 195, jr.)
TB: Michael Klein (5-10, 175, sr.)
TB: Lucas Musich (6-2, 150, so.)
WR: Joey Buman (6-1, 160, sr.)
WR: Eric Croghan (6-0, 175, sr.)
DEFENSE
LDE: Jon Kaufman (6-3, 200, sr.)
DT: Marcus Streit (5-10, 240, sr.)
DT: Mitchell Anderson (5-10, 215, jr.) and Alex Brown (5-11, 195, jr.)
RDE: Ryan Fahn (6-3, 195, sr.)
LOLB: Joe Arentson (6-0, 190, sr.)
MLB: Matt Hoch (6-4, 245, sr.)
ROLB: Derek Schwartz (6-0, 185, jr.) or Dillon Kramer (6-0, 170, sr.)
S: Luke Lansman (6-2, 190, sr.)
S: Craig Connell (6-2, 150, sr.)
CB: Anthony Hough (5-8, 150, sr.)
CB: Brian Kloewer (6-1, 190, sr.)
Punter: Trent Wendt (5-9, 150, jr.)
Top Reserves
DE/LB: Dan Schaben (6-2, 180, sr.)
DE/LB: Tyler Beck (6-1, 190, jr.)
DB: Lucas Musich (6-2, 150, so.)
CB: Joseph Klein (5-8, 160, jr.)
CB: Michael Klein (5-10, 175, sr.)
CB: Alex Markham (5-11, 170, jr.)
2009 HCHS Football Schedule
(VARSITY)
Aug. 28 at Denison-Schleswig, 7:30
Sept. 4 vs. Sioux City Heelan, 7:30 (Senior Parent's Night)
Sept. 11 at Atlantic, 7:30*
Sept. 18 vs. A-D-M, Adel, 7:30*
Sept. 25 at Winterset, 7:30*
Oct. 2 vs. Glenwood, 7:30* (Homecoming)
Oct. 9 at Clarke, Osceola, 7:30*
Oct. 16 vs. Creston/O-M, 7:30*
Oct. 23 at Lewis Central, 7:30*
* District Games
3-A Playoff Dates: Oct. 28 (Substate), Nov. 2, Nov. 6, Nov. 16, Nov. 21.
Class 3-A, District 8 - 2008 Standings
Dist. All
Harlan Community*** 7-0 10-2
Lewis Central* 6-1 8-2
Atlantic* 5-2 5-5
A-D-M, Adel* 4-3 5-5
Glenwood 3-4 3-6
Winterset 2-5 2-7
Clarke, Osceola 1-6 1-8
Creston/O-M 0-7 1-8
*** Playoff Quarter-finalist
* Substate Qualifier
2008 HCHS Scores
8/29 HCHS 20, Denison-Schl. 7
9/5 Sioux City Heelan 28, HCHS 13
9/12 HCHS 42, Atlantic 0
9/19 HCHS 31, A-D-M, Adel 30 (OT)
9/26 HCHS 49, Winterset 10
10/3 HCHS 41, Glenwood 16
10/10 HCHS 49, Clarke, Osceola 7
10/17 HCHS 56, Creston/O-M 21
10/24 HCHS 35, Lewis Central 14
SUBSTATE & PLAYOFFS
10/29 HCHS 58, MOC-FV 14
11/3 HCHS 21, Spencer 20
11/7 Sioux City Heelan 38, HCHS 21 (played at Morningside College)
All-District . . . Coming and Going
Last season, the HCHS football team had 12 players named All-District 8 - first team, second team or honorable mention. Nine of those players were seniors and three will return this season.
Who's Gone?
Trevor Langenfeld (offensive line) - First-Team All-District.
(2008: starting right guard helped HCHS offense generate 363 ypg.)
Jeff Hastert (quarterback) - First-Team All-District, First-Team All-State (INA).
(2008: 127-231 passing, 2,032 yds., 24 TD's, 9 INT; 243 rushing yds., 4 TD)
(Career: 5,188 yds. passing, 57 TD passes, 21 INT)
Reid Murtaugh (running back) - First-Team All-District.
(2008: 741 yds. rushing, 5.0 ypc, 16 TD's; season cut short by injury)
(Career: 2,906 yds. rushing, 6.1 ypc, 60 total touchdowns)
James Cairney (wide receiver) - First-Team All-District, First-Team All-State.
(2008: 43 catches, 863 yds., 20.1 ypc, 14 TD's; also 2 INT's, 1 TD, 24 tackles)
(Career: 85 catches, 1,827 yds., 21.5 ypc, 29 TD's)
Bobby Seivert (linebacker) - First-Team All-District.
(2008: third on the team with 94 total tackles; also 7 TFL, 1 INT)
Nick Bosak (defensive back) - First-Team All-District.
(2008: 69 total tackles, 27 solos, 3 sacks, 7 TFL; 3 fumble recv., 1 blk. kick)
(Career: 123 total tackles, 4 fumble recoveries, 5 blocked punts)
Cody Hansen (at-large) - First-Team All-District.
(2008: defensive line & offensive line; 59 total tackles, 1 sack, 9 TFL, 1 FR)
Willie Baughman (wide receiver) - Honorable Mention All-District.
(2008: 26 catches, 370 yds., 14.2 ypc, 4 TD's; also avg. 34.2 yards per punt)
Tyler Lefeber (linebacker) - Honorable Mention All-District.
(2008: team-high 100 total tackles; also 2 sacks, 7 TFL, 2 fumble recoveries)
Who's Back?
Matt Hoch (defensive line) - First-Team All-District, First-Team All-State (DMR).
(2008: DE/LB had 98 total tackles, team-high 30 solos, 6 sacks, 16 TFL; also 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT, 3 catches for 43 yards)
Trent Wendt (kicker) - First-Team All-District.
(2008: converted 49-of-55 PAT's and 2-of-3 FG's, including game-tying FG to force overtime at A-D-M)
Brian Kloewer (defensive back) - Second-Team All-District.
(2008: 17 total tackles, 2 TFL, 2 INT's, 1 fumble recovery; also returned kicks, caught 13 passes for 247 yards (19.0 ypc) and 4 TD's; 60 yards rushing)
