BELMOND, Ia. — The Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Cowboys football team opens their season on Friday night, as they make the short trip north on Highway 69 to take on their longtime rivals in the Belmond-Klemme Broncos at Belmond-Klemme High School. CGD won the 2025 meeting between the two by a score of 44-30, and lead the all-time series by a margin of 52-49-4, as Friday’s meeting is the 106th all-time meeting between the two programs.
2025 was the first playoff season for Belmond-Klemme football since 2017, finishing 3-6 with a loss to eventual state champions MMCRU. Senior quarterback Brody Heifner leads the way for the Broncos after throwing for over 1,800 yards and 20 touchdowns, while rushing for 382 more yards and 6 scores. Heifner does lose his two favorite targets in Braden Dougherty and Kyesen Lamb, as athletes such as Blaze Paulsen and Brody Coe are in line to fill the void in the Broncos receiving group. The Broncos do return most of their backfield with carries from Jaime Steffenson, Ruben Guido and Braden Wright. Belmond does bring back a handful of returners up front in juniors Max Swisher and Brayden Hartema, as well as senior Luis Carrillo Vara.
Defensively, the Broncos return their top 4 tacklers, headlined by a veteran linebacking core with senior Liam Fournier, Jaime Steffenson and Braden Wright. The defensive backfield is experienced, led by senior Brody Heifner, who tallied 38 tackles and an interception, as junior Wyatt Buseman leads the secondary returning with 3 interceptions. The defensive line brings back key pieces in Max Swisher, who tallied 42.5 tackles and 6.5 TFL, as well as junior Brayden Hartema.
CGD opens a season full of promise by looking to fine tune their physical attack on both sides of the ball. Quarterback JD Morrical returns to lead the offense, as the backfield is comprised of Charlie Campbell, Colin Sesker and Easton Beyer. Huxley and Paxton Lingenfelter look to bolster the Cowboy passing attack, while the offensive line is one of the biggest in Class 1A, anchored by JT Kelso and Armando Melendez. Defensively, the Cowboys front seven is chalked full of experience, led by all-state linebacker Huxley Lingenfelter, while the secondary is led by young talent such as Paxton Lingenfelter and Maxton Downing.
Kickoff is slated for 7 PM on Friday Night in Belmond, and can be heard on 95.7 KQWC or streaming online at kqradio.com.