The North Butler football team will take on South Winneshiek for a third straight season in district play. This will be the Bearcats home opener and Class A District 3 opener.
North Butler (0-1) fell 21-6 at their rival West Fork in their season opener last week. Brody Wangsness had 160 passing yards and a touchdown. Tucker Pecha had one reception for 68 yards. The Bearcats offense is built on the run and will look to reignite their ground game after a frustrating 27 yards last week. The Bearcats after allowing 297 rushing yards last week will look to hold its ground as they face a South Winn squad that relies on the run. Head Coach Jordan Vanderloop on what’s needed to get back on track in their home opener.
“They got us last year. They are a very strong ground and pound team. They have some great athletes, they’re fast and they’re big. We got to make sure that we come ready to go and stay focused this week. We need to establish the ground game first and make sure we get a strong run through that. Then we can open up the passing game a little more. Defensively, making sure we’re going to the correct hole, staying on blocks and wrapping up each tackle,” says Vanderloop. “It’s always great to play at your home field and have that support. All the fans come out, it gets pretty loud and exciting there. You can feel the energy. We’re excited to come home and play in front of our home crowd.”
South Winneshiek (1-0) won 42-30 at Sumner-Fredricksburg in their season opener last week. The Warriors rushed 246 yards last week against the Cougars. Kyle Kuboushek had a bulk of the carries for 175 yards and three touchdowns. The Warriors defense struggled to halt the run allowing 336 yards.
The teams have split the last two meetings, the Warriors won 35-14 in 2024 and the Bearcats won 22-14 in 2023.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Greene.
