#2 (1A) Grundy Center will host Clarion-Goldfield-Dows in a 1A second round playoff game Friday, a 1A District 3 rematch, won 56-8 by the Spartans in Week 5.
The Spartans (9-0) will play their 14th straight non-UNI-Dome playoff game at home, having hosted each since the 2021 season. While the success of three straight state championships has defined the program, Head Coach Travis Zajac says it’s an opportunity not to be taken for granted.
“Playoff football is blessing, and it’s something you never really want to grow used to because there’s a lot of teams in the state that wish they were still playing,” Zajac says. “We’re very fortunate here. We’re going to continue to work hard to try to continue this thing, keep it moving forward, but we never want to take it for granted and we’re super excited to be able to host a second round game at Spartan Stadium.”
They’re coming off last week’s 57-0 win over Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont.
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows (6-3) surged for a 48-27 win at Columbus Catholic last week, where they rushed for 411 yards with one pass completion. Having completed among the fewest number of passes among all teams in Iowa, Head Coach Caleb Vogel says being less predictable offensively will be a key to success.
“We live off the run, but we’ve got to be able to also be more dynamic in the pass game too and be able to spread them out, maybe lighten that box a little bit,” Vogel says. “Again, our guys are starting to believe in the art of the offense, continue to grind out the ball, limit their time of possession, and just drive down the field and score. And our mindset is every possession we need to score, we need to be physical, and just get after it offensively.”
The kickoff will be at 7:00 p.m., and the winner will advance to next week’s quarterfinal against either Sigourney Keota or #8 (1A) Beckman Catholic.
