Cardinal looking to get physical in Week 5

Last season against Alburnett, the Comets were only able to amass 76 yards of total offense and five first downs, eventually losing 26-0 at home.

For this year?s matchup to be any different, the young Comets will need to be a more physical team than they were in Week 4 vs. North Cedar, a game they went on to lose 50-6.

?The [Alburnett] players are not as big as North Cedar, but they?re very physical with what they do,? said Cardinal head coach Adam Hadenfelt. ?We need to match them physically. We?re not playing like the physical team we can be.?

Alburnett?s run-first offense is led by top rusher Mitchell Harger, who leads all of Iowa prep football with 1011 yards on the ground. The senior running back is coming off a game in which he compiled 270 yards on 13 carries vs. Van Buren.

The Pirates also have a capable passer in Jacob Sevining, who has thrown for 291 yards, including three touchdowns and no interceptions, this season.

Hadenfelt wants to see a more complete effort from his defense, which has been inconsistent since a Week 2 win over Winfield-Mount Union. The Comets have allowed more than 300 yards of total offense in the previous two games vs. Highland and North Cedar.

Offensively, Hadenfelt isn?t looking for anything fancy. He just hopes to see a stronger effort from the Comets offense as they go for the upset.

?We?ve got to get back to the basics,? said Hadenfelt. ?We need to play to the whistle every time. We need to finish runs and finish our routes. We just need to do a better job offensively, period.?

Kickoff for the Class 1A, District 6 contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Alburnett.