HARLAN -- For 48 nail-biting minutes, Harlan Community and Sioux City Bishop Heelan traded punches in an epic battle of Class 3-A football heavyweights.
It was only fitting, though, that on a night of unpredictable momentum swings and big plays, the final knock-out blow was delivered by a 150-pound, sophomore backup safety.
Clinging to a seven-point lead with Heelan on the attack, the top-ranked Cyclones kept their unbeaten season alive Friday night when Lucas Musich intercepted Zach McCabe's 35th and final pass attempt in the endzone with 39 seconds remaining.
One snap of the football later, HCHS finally clinched its return to the UNI-Dome, hanging on for a 21-14 victory in a thrilling 3-A quarterfinal playoff game before a large Merrill Field crowd.
The sixth-ranked and defending state champion Crusaders, who eliminated the Cyclones each of the last two years in the same round, came up short despite passing for 405 yards and outgaining HCHS in total offense, 387-245. The 12-0 Cyclones simply found a way to get it done, forcing four Heelan turnovers and playing penalty-free football to beat the 10-2 Crusaders for the second time this season.
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"It's so exciting to beat these guys, and we're all pumped for the Dome right now," said senior Matt Hoch, who tied for the team lead with eight tackles and 66 yards rushing. "It's just a huge victory, and Lucas Musich stepped up there at the end for us on 'D'. He made a huge play."
The victory puts HCHS in the 3-A semifinals for the 25th time in 30 all-time playoff appearances, securing some revenge against Heelan in the process. After winning three straight titles from 2003 to 2005, the Cyclones' three-year hiatus from the UNI-Dome had been the program's longest since first playing there in 1981.
"I'm definitely proud," said HCHS head coach Curt Bladt. "Our kids played hard, they played with intensity throughout the football game - just as the Heelan kids did. It was tit for tat, back and forth, all night long.
"We'll take it as we can get it. At this point, all teams are pretty darn good and sometimes you've got to have a little bit of luck to go along with a little bit of skill."
Some would argue that the Cyclones made their own luck on Friday, coming up with crucial defensive stops when they had to and winning the special teams matchup that, on paper, favored Heelan.
After falling behind 7-0 early on, the Cyclones scored all 21 of their points in a span of two minutes and 26 seconds, including Brian Kloewer's school record and state record-tying 99-yard kickoff return to open the second half. That put the Cyclones up 21-7 and they spent the rest of the game trying to keep McCabe and company out of the endzone.
The Crusaders possessed the ball four times in the second half, with each drive reaching at least the 25-yard line of Harlan.
Heelan answered Kloewer's electric kickoff return TD with an eight-play march that included a reverse/throw-back pass to McCabe for 14 yards. But on a quarterback sneak call at the 1-yard line, McCabe had the ball poked away as he reached for the goal line and Luke Lansman recovered for HCHS at the 3. The Cyclones were able to drive the ball past midfield before punting it away.
The 6-foot-7 McCabe, who completed 29-of-35 passes for 391 yards, felt that the football broke the plain of the goal line for a touchdown prior to his fumble.
"I swear I had it stretched over and the guy just punched it out," he said. "I thought I was over the goal line, but that call just didn't go our way."
Heelan's next drive started at its own 20 with 2:36 left in the third quarter and reached the Cyclone 25. But on fourth-and-seven, McCabe was sacked for the fifth and final time by the HCHS defense, giving the ball back to the Cyclones with 11:05 to play.
HCHS quarterback Michael Kaufmann, who made clutch play after clutch play despite passing for only 59 yards, juked and side-stepped around a series of Heelan tacklers to pick up a tough first down before the Cyclones were again forced to punt.
This time, the Crusaders finally got back on the scoreboard when Nate Berger turned a quick hitter into a 42-yard TD reception down the left sideline. Zach Maxey's extra point made it a 21-14 game with still 5:53 to go.
Looking to run out the clock against a stubborn Heelan rush defense, Kaufmann completed his only two passes of the second half in consecutive third down-and-four situations, hitting Joey Buman for 10 yards and Hoch for a 24-yard gain into Crusader territory. The 10-play drive stalled at the 19-yard line, however, when a fourth-and-two running play was stonewalled about a half a yard short of a first down.
"I thought we could own the fourth quarter but we sure as (heck) didn't," Bladt said. "Credit them for coming out and getting after it . . . even though they were no doubt playing on tired legs."
McCabe - one of Heelan's nine two-way starters - began his final drive at the 19 with no timeouts and just 1:22 on the clock. Four plays later, the Crusaders were down to the Cyclone 17 after a 23-yard pass to Brady Van Dusen and a 33-yard 'hail mary' type catch by Nick Berger, who finished with an incredible 16 receptions for 247 yards.
McCabe looked for Berger one last time on the next play, but his throw stayed to the inside of the receiver and Musich was in position to make a leaping interception in the endzone.
"I just thought (Berger) was going to go more inside and he kind of went outside, so that safety came in and he just made a good play on that," McCabe said.
"A great job," Coach Bladt said of Musich's INT. "I thought we had one a little earlier [on the same drive] that got taken away from us, but that's okay."
Heelan head coach Roger Jansen lamented the fact that four turnovers are simply too many to overcome against a team like Harlan.
"I think the game was decided in about a three-minute stretch - the last two minutes of the second (quarter) and then the opening kickoff of the (third quarter)," he said. "A lot of teams would have said - 'well, it's done, it's over with' - but not these guys."
The decisive stretch for HCHS began when Ryan Fahn and Alex Brown dropped McCabe for an 18-yard sack that ultimately forced a Heelan punt midway through the second quarter. The Cyclones responded with a 10-play, 80-yard drive - buoyed by an 18-yard Kaufmann scramble, a pass interference penalty and a 23-yard Kaufmann to Luke Lansman completion on fourth-and-four. Kaufmann found tight end Adam Cave for a five-yard TD pass and Trent Wendt's extra point tied the game with 2:10 left in the half.
The Cyclones would have been happy with a 7-7 halftime deadlock, but they caught a break when dangerous Heelan return man Preston Ives fumbled the ensuing kickoff return and Anthony Hough recovered. Seven plays later, after another pass interference call, Kaufmann slithered around the right side and found the endzone from six yards out with only 20.9 ticks left in the half.
Following the intermission, Kloewer took the second-half kickoff inside the 1, faked a reverse handoff to Eric Croghan and then found a seam, turning on the jets for a 99-yard score down the right sideline. Kicker Zach Maxey was the only player with a clean shot at Kloewer, but didn't come close to making the open-field tackle as Kloewer ran past him untouched.
It was only the Cyclones' second special teams/defensive touchdown of the season, compared to 11 for the Crusaders.
"We knew going into halftime that coming out the second half was going to be big for us," said Kloewer, who did a good job of selling the fake-reverse. "We kind of did the opposite of the first kick return and went the opposite way. There was good blocking and a big hole for me, so it worked out good . . . As soon as I sealed the fake, I just looked up and I knew where to cut it up. I had to make one move. I thought if I just jabbed once in, I'd have him."
He did, and the rest was history; just barely. Kaufmann said watching the final Heelan drive from the sideline was agonizing, but well worth it in the end.
"I was upset," Kaufmann said. "We had a chance and we should have put it away, but the defense stepped up, Lucas Musich made a play and we're going to the Dome.
"This is the best feeling so far; most exciting game I've ever been in! Just going crazy with the team, it was an awesome feeling after that buzzer rang."
Heelan, in addition to scoring the first touchdowns in eight games against Harlan's first-string defense, held the Cyclones 178 yards below their season average offensively. Junior tailback Dylan Barrett had to work hard for all 66 of his yards on 22 carries, Hoch gained 66 yards on 13 rushes and Kaufmann netted 54 yards while completing 5-of-12 passes with one interception.
"I was just scramblin', running around and trying to find a seam," Kaufmann said. "They're the best defense we've played. They're 10 times improved from the first time (we played). They covered everything up so I just used my legs, trying to make something happen."
Right offensive tackle Jacob Brown re-aggravated an ankle sprain on the Cyclones' first series and was spelled by junior Joe Kohorst the rest of the way.
"(Joe) did an outstanding job for us," Bladt noted.
After an exchange of punts to start the game, including a 62-yard boomer for Wendt, Heelan drew first blood with 4:14 left in the first quarter when Nick Berger caught a short pass in the left flat and wriggled free down the sideline for a 66-yard score. It was almost identical to his twin brother Nate's TD reception later in the game.
After two more punts, Heelan came up with its only takeaway when a Kaufmann pass was tipped at the line, picked off by Jared Weaver and returned to the Cyclone 25. HCHS got the ball right back on the next play when Dillon Kramer recovered a Heelan fumble.
Due to a couple of hefty sacks, the Crusaders finished with minus 16 yards rushing, becoming the second straight Cyclone playoff opponent to finish with negative rushing offense. Hoch and Derek Schwartz led HCHS with eight tackles, Craig Connell had seven total stops and Fahn (6 tackles) was part of three sacks on McCabe.
The Cyclones also held Heelan's fastest receiver, Ives, to just two catches for eight yards, although the Berger brothers combined for well over 300 yards receiving.
"We knew they were going to throw the ball on us," Kloewer said. "They had us scouted well - 400 yards - but it came out all right."
Jansen credited his team for never giving up despite a frustrating turn of events at times.
"We squandered some opportunities, but these guys never, never quit," he said. "They never, ever thought until that horn went off that they did not have an opportunity to win this football game, and I think that goes to the character of these kids. I couldn't be more proud of them and I thank them for allowing me to be part of it, because they truly are Heelan High football.
"The sun is going to come up tomorrow, but this one is going to be a tough one to get over."
Just like the first time they met this season - a 24-6 HCHS win in Week 2 - the Crusaders came out of the gate faster but the Cyclones finished on top, giving them a 4-3 lead in a series that is just four years old.
"We've got a little rivalry going on now," Bladt said. "Back and forth, pretty tight ball games each and every year and nobody gives a quarter; nobody expects to get one free. It's a good brand of football."
Harlan Community 21, Bishop Heelan 14
Cyclones (12-0), Crusaders (10-2, final)
Up Next: Monday, November 16 (Class 3-A Playoff Semifinal)
HCHS vs. Carroll (12-0), 4:30 p.m. (at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls)
Game Summary
1 2 3 4 F
Heelan 7 0 0 7 -- 14
HCHS 0 14 7 0 -- 21
Heelan: Nick Berger 66-yd. pass from Zach McCabe (Zach Maxey kick) - 1st qt., 4:14
HCHS: Adam Cave 5-yd. pass from Michael Kaufmann (Trent Wendt kick) - 2nd qt., 2:10
HCHS: Kaufmann 6-yd. run (Wendt kick) - 2nd qt., 0:20.9
HCHS: Brian Kloewer 99-yd. kickoff return (Wendt kick) - 3rd qt., 11:44
Heelan: Nate Berger 42-yd. pass from McCabe (Maxey kick) - 4th qt., 5:53
Heelan ----- HCHS
17 First Downs 16
14-(-16) Rushes/yards 47-186
405 Passing yards 59
387 Total yards 245
30-36-1 Comp./Att./Int. 5-12-1
4-3 Fumbles-lost 0-0
3-49.7 Punts-avg. 6-43.7
4-32 Penalties-yards 0-0
HCHS Individual Statistics
Rushing -- Matt Hoch 13-66, Dylan Barrett 22-66, Michael Kaufmann 12-54.
Passing -- Kaufmann 5-12-1, 59 yards.
Receiving -- Luke Lansman 1-23, Hoch 2-21, Joey Buman 1-10, Adam Cave 1-5.
Punt returns -- None.
Kickoff returns -- Brian Kloewer 1-99 (TD), Eric Croghan 1-20, Buman 1-0.
Punting -- Trent Wendt 6-262 (43.7).
Kickoffs -- Wendt 4-214 (53.5), 1 TB.
Field goals -- None.
Total Tackles (Solo-Assist) -- Derek Schwartz 8 (5S-3A), Hoch 8 (1S-7A), Craig Connell 7 (3S-4A), Kloewer 6 (4S-2A), Alex Brown 6 (2S-4A), Ryan Fahn 6 (1S-5A), Joe Arentson 5 (3S-2A), Dillon Kramer 5 (2S-3A), Anthony Hough 5 (2S-3A), Lansman 3 (2S-1A), Dan Schaben 2 (2A), Mitch Anderson 2 (2A), Lucas Musich 1 (1S), Alex Markham 1 (1A), Rob Larson 1 (1A), Ben Bruck 1 (1A).
Tackles for loss -- Brown 4, Arentson 3, Fahn 3, Schwartz 2, Hoch 1, Kramer 1, Anderson 1.
QB Sacks (5) -- Fahn 3 assists, Hoch 1 assist, Schwartz 1 assist, Kramer 1 assist, Brown 1 assist, Arentson 1 assist.
Interception-return yds. -- Musich 1-0.
Fumble recoveries -- Hough, Kramer, Lansman.
Heelan Individual Stat Leaders
Rushing -- Michael Malloy 6-11.
Passing -- Zach McCabe 29-35-1, 391.
Receiving -- Nick Berger 16-247, Nate Berger 6-81, Brady Van Dusen 2-41.
HCHS 21, Heelan 14 - Scoring Drives
Heelan - 2 plays, 77 yards, 0:43 T.O.P. (Nick Berger 66-yd. TD catch, 1st qt., 4:14).
Key play: Malloy 11-yd. run.
HCHS - 10 plays, 80 yards, 3:37 T.O.P. (Adam Cave 5-yd. TD catch, 2nd qt., 2:10).
Key plays: Barrett 3-yd. run on 3rd & 1; Kaufmann 18-yd. run; defensive P.I. penalty on Heelan; Lansman 23-yd. catch on 4th & 4.
HCHS - 7 plays, 26 yards, 1:43 T.O.P. (M. Kaufmann 6-yd. TD run, 2nd qt., :20.9).
Key plays: Hough recovered Heelan fumble on kickoff return to set up short field; Hoch 9-yd. run; Barrett 3-yd. run on 3rd & 1; defensive P.I. penalty on 3rd & 10.
HCHS - (Brian Kloewer 99-yd. kickoff return TD, 3rd qt., 11:44).
Heelan - 4 plays, 71 yards, 1:22 T.O.P. (Nate Berger 42-yd. TD catch, 4th qt., 5:53).
Key plays: Nick Berger 12-yd. catch and 9-yd. catch.
