For the first time in 10 years, the Hampton-Dumont-CAL football team will host a playoff game. They’ll welcome Woodward-Granger Friday for a Class 2A first round game that’ll air on 104.9 KLMJ.
After a 4-4 regular season, the Bulldogs clinched second place in 2A District 4 with last week’s 38-7 win over Dike-New Hartford. Head Coach Cole Miller says it’s a well-earned opportunity.
“All the hard work that the kids put in, all the ups and downs and the adversity they had to face this season, it paid off,” Miller says. “And now we get to make a playoff push and start it at home. It’s super exciting. It’s something I hope they don’t take for granted, because it’s hard to do. And they went out and they earned it on that Friday night. So paying off for all the hard work that they put into the off seasons and then preseason and then just the season alone. It’s a lot to build up to the playoffs. Now that we’re here, it seems like the season’s gone by really quick. But the kids have been really focused this week and have put forth some great effort in practice. And I know they’re excited for the opportunity.”
After finding success through the air last week, Miller says complimenting it with a solid ground game will be crucial to playoff success.
Woodward-Granger (6-2) backed into the playoffs after falling 47-0 to Clarinda last week. In a run-heavy system, quarterback Talan Fuson and tailback Ethan Dunlavey have accounted for most of the team’s rushing yards.
“They’re a big football team, their O line, D line is going to be their strength. They have some big kids up front, some talented kids on the defensive line, offensive line. The quarterback is kind of their guy. He leads the team in rushing by over 200 yards. They have a good running back too. So we can’t overlook him. And then the quarterback’s throwing for just as much as he rushed for. So he’s a dual threat. We have got to really contain him if we want to have a chance at being successful. We’ve kind of struggled to move the ball on the ground the last couple of weeks. So we really want to be able to be better at that and try and take away what their strength is on their defensive line, their offensive line. So yeah, they’re really good football team. Their district’s super tough. So they’ll be one of the tougher 3-seeds in the playoffs.”
Pregame coverage will start at 6:15 p.m., followed by the kickoff at 7:00. The winner will advance to next week’s second round against an opponent to be determined.
Cole Miller interview:
