The Roland-Story Norsemen football team returns to action on Friday night, as they make the trip north on I-35 to take on the Hampton-Dumont-CAL Bulldogs in Class 2A, District 4 action at Hampton-Dumont-CAL High School. Roland-Story enters at 4-2 and 3-0 in district play, while Hampton-Dumont-CAL enters at 3-3 and 2-1 in district play. Friday’s matchup is the 6th all-time meeting between the 2 programs, as HD-CAL leads the all-time series 3-2, winning the most recent meeting in 2020 by a score of 21-0.
HD-CAL enters Friday off a 32-14 victory over Denver, as the Bulldogs also boast wins over Oelwein and Clarion-Goldfield-Dows, along with losses to Osage, Iowa Falls-Alden and Vinton-Shellsburg. The Bulldogs offense has been led by sophomore quarterback Blaek Burmester, who’s thrown for 754 yards and 6 touchdowns in his first season as starter. Burmester’s favorite target has been senior Brody Strother, who’s caught 22 passes for 329 yards and 2 touchdowns, as the Bulldogs big play receiver has been senior Aaden Keehn, who’s caught 9 passes for 182 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tight end and Iowa State commit Brady Harr has caught 13 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown as well. The Bulldogs have had an effective rushing attack as well, led by junior Joseph Powers, who’s rushed for 378 yards and 2 touchdowns on 65 carries. Seniors Ryder Strother and Jacob Mahler have rushed for 293 yards and 339 yards respectively, as both have rushed for 5 touchdowns.
Defensively, the Bulldogs front seven has stood out for much of the 2025 season. The linebacking core is led by senior Ryder Strother, who has a team-high 31 tackles and 3 TFL, while Jacob Mahler has 23 tackles and 3 TFL and Joseph Powers has added 22 tackles, 4 TFL and a fumble recovery. The defensive line has made plays all season, as Maddon Evans leads the unit with 19 tackles, 3 TFL and a sack, Briggs Gruelke has 15 tackles, 4.5 TFL and 2 sacks, while Brady Harr has added 11.5 tackles and 4.5 TFL. The defensive backfield hasn’t been as active as in years past, but Hunter Rieken leads the unit with 2 interceptions along with 18 tackles, while Caden Woods has a unit-high 29.5 tackles and a TFL.
Roland-Story looks to build off an emotional 35-34 double overtime win against Dike-New Hartford and avoid an emotional letdown as the Norsemen control their destiny in District 4. Roland-Story will face a challenge offensively with the Bulldogs front seven, while the Norsemen defense will try and slow down a balanced HD-CAL attack.
Kickoff is slated for 7 PM on Friday Night from Hampton-Dumont-CAL High School in Hampton.