CLARION, Ia. — The Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Cowboys football team returns to the gridiron on Friday Night, as they host their home-opener by welcoming in the Hampton-Dumont-CAL Bulldogs in non-district action at Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Middle School. CGD enters with a record of 1-0, while HD-CAL enters with a record of 0-1. Clarion leads the all-time series between the two NCC rivals by a margin of 54-47-6 dating back to 1902, as Hampton won the 107th meeting between the two in 2025 by a score of 7-6.
Hampton-Dumont-CAL enters Friday looking to bounce back after a 22-14 loss against Osage in Week 1, as the Bulldogs had a chance late to even things up with the 2025 2A semifinalists, but ultimately came up short. The Bulldogs are led by senior Hunter Rieken at quarterback, as the former receiver only threw for 34 yards, a touchdown and an interception against Osage. Rieken’s favorite target was senior tight end Cooper Bird, who caught 5 passes in the opener, as junior running back Lukas Showalter had a big day with 21 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown, along with a receiving touchdown. The Bulldogs do have some veteran presence on the offensive line with the likes of seniors Emmett Elling, Beau Morton and Jory Angstrom.
Defensively, the linebacking core for HD-CAL stood out against Osage. Senior Joseph Powers led the Bulldogs with 8 tackles and and interception, as junior Lukas Showalter had 3 tackles. The Bulldogs defensive backfield also had a good first outing, as junior Bayden Wirch finished with 8 tackles, as fellow DB Cooper Bird added 7 tackles as well. Seniors Beau Morton and Briggs Gruelke led the Hampton defensive line, as Morton had 4 tackles and Gruelke had 2 tackles for loss.
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows will look to build off their 41-26 victory over Belmond-Klemme in their opener, as the Cowboys rolled up over 400 yards rushing against the Broncos. The Cowboys will have a physical challenge with the size and physicality of the Hampton offense, while the Hampton defense will need to find a way to slow down Charlie Campbell.
Kickoff is slated for 7 PM on Friday Night from Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Middle School.