CLARION, Ia. — The 2025 football season was the most successful one for the Clarion-Goldfield-Dows football in over a decade, as the drop to Class 1A brought the Cowboys a 6-4 record and the program’s first playoff win since 2011. With a majority of their nucleus back in 2026, expectations for the Cowboys are at an all-time high.
Offense
CGD embraced the change in offensive philosophy from a balanced attack, to a ground-heavy, in-your-face attack brought in by offensive coordinator Paul Hansch. Quarterback is shaping up to be a battle between senior JD Morrical and sophomore Paxton Lingenfelter, while they’ll have their top receiver in tight end Huxley Lingenfelter to anchor the passing game when needed. The Cowboys do replace, for all intents and purposes, two 1,000-yard rushers in Joel Meier and Selvin Gonzalez at running back, but Colin Sesker is primed for a breakout season after nearly 500 yards in 2025, as well as bringing back Charlie Campbell from injury, who was the #1 back in 2025 prior to his injury. The offensive line is one of the bigger ones on paper in 1A, returning the likes of JT Kelso, Armando Melendez, Traesyn Cope, Calder Creason and Daven Duncalf.
Defense
The Cowboy defense proved itself to be a physical one in 2025, and has a chance to improve to a championship level in 2026. The defensive line will follow the lead of Traesyn Cope, who excelled in 2025 with Joel Meier taking much of the line’s attention up front. Cooper Nosbush and Easton Beyer will bring more attention to the trenches, as the linebacking core is anchored by one of the best linebackers in the class in Huxley Lingenfelter, who tallied 69 tackles and 11.5 TFL in 2025, as Mason Warnke and JD Morrical will slide into bigger roles. The defensive backfield has lots of promise, returning Paxton Lingenfelter and Colin Sesker, as Lingenfelter led the Cowboys with interceptions in 2026, while Maxton Downing and Charlie Campbell will bring added thump to the unit.
(NOTE: Class 1A, District 3 Preview will be out Friday afternoon, following Eagle Grove’s team preview)