The Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Cowboys football team returns to action on Friday night, as they make the trip into Hardin County to take on the South Hardin Tigers in Class 1A, District 3 action at Tiger Field in Eldora. CGD enters at 4-2 and 2-1 in district play, while South Hardin enters at 5-1, 2-1 in district play and ranked #6 in Class 1A. Friday’s meeting is the 3rd all-time between the schools emanating from Clarion and Eldora, as Eldora won the last meeting over 100 years ago in 1916 by a score of 13-0.
South Hardin enters Friday fresh off a war of titans against top-ranked Grundy Center, falling to the Spartans 21-12 in Grundy Center. The Tigers do boast wins over West Marshall, Iowa Falls-Alden, Hudson, Eagle Grove and Garner-Hayfield-Ventura.
The Tigers are led by senior quarterback Peyton Welch, who’s completing nearly 64% of his passes for 1,144 yards and 16 touchdowns, while rushing for another 202 yards and 3 scores. Welch’s favorite target has been senior receiver Sam Benson, who’s caught 23 passes for 621 yards and 9 touchdowns, averaging 27 yards per reception. Casey Williamson has emerged as reliable #2, catching 19 passes for 278 yards and 5 touchdowns. Sophomore Kameron Adams leads the backfield for the Tigers, rushing for 740 yards and 6 touchdowns in his first season as a starter. South Hardin’s offensive line is chalked full of veteran starters such as Sawyer Kane, Lucas Perry and Preston Dolash.
Defensively, the Tigers are led by a rugged veteran linebacking core that includes seniors Sawyer Kane and Lucas Perry, as Perry leads the Tigers with 33.5 tackles and 3 TFL, while Kane has 29 tackles, 2 TFL and a fumble recovery. The South Hardin secondary has ben a huge strength to start the year, as sophomore Josh Spindler and senior Sam Benson each have 2 interceptions, with Spindler adding 6 tackles and Williamson adding 3.5 tackles. Junior Casey Williamson leads the secondary with 3 interceptions and 17.5 tackles. Up front, South Hardin has a talented defensive line, as Manning Pfantz leads the unit with 27.5 tackles, 8 TFL and 3 sacks, while Preston Dolash has 12.5 tackles, 3 TFL and 2 sacks.
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows looks for another golden opportunity to take a next step as a program and lockdown a marquee win against a top 10 opponent, as the Cowboys look to punish the Tigers at the line of scrimmage with their offensive line and physical backs. The Cowboy defense will need to get pressure early and often to throw off the rhythm of Peyton Welch and turn the game into a slug fest.
Kickoff is slated for 7 PM on Friday Night at Tiger Field in Eldora.