EAGLE GROVE, Ia. — The Eagle Grove Eagles football team returns to the gridiron on Friday evening, as they host the South Hardin Tigers for homecoming and their Class 1A, District 3 opener at Gene Hinrichsen Field. The Eagles enter with a record of 2-1, as South Hardin enters at 3-0 and ranked #2 in Class 1A. South Hardin leads the all-time series between the two programs 7-0 dating back to 1994 (Eldora-New Providence), as the Tigers won the 2025 meeting by a score of 42-16.
After the programs first UNI Dome appearance in 2025, the Tigers have the look of a team looking to get back to Cedar Falls in 2026. Quarterback Braden Weig has taken the reigns and become one of the top passers in the class, throwing for over 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns in the first 3 games. Junior Josh Spinder has been explosive to start the year, catching 10 passes for 247 yards and 4 touchdowns, as Colby Zollar, Casey Williamson and Aspen Briggs all have over 150 receiving yards and have combined for 6 touchdowns. The Tigers do have one of the top running backs in Class 1A in junior Kam Adams, whose rushed for over 300 yards and 2 scores so far in 2026. It is a newer offensive line in Eldora, with leaders such as Bentlee Crees, Logan Kolbe and Cash Guiles.
Defensively, the Tigers linebacking core has done a lot of the work early this season, as sophomore Cash Guiles leads the team with 24.5 tackles, 3.5 TFL and a sack. Bentley Crees and Grant Meister round out the linebacking core, as the Tigers posses a talented secondary, as Grant Meister, Casey Williamson, Aspen Briggs all have interceptions, with Meisters being a pick six. The defensive line is led by speed in the athletes of Manning Pfantz and Kam Adams, as Pfantz has 8.5 tackles and Adams has 5 tackles, 2 TFL and a sack.
Eagle Grove will look to bounce back after their first loss of the year to (A) #7 West Fork, a game that saw quarterback Adrian Whipple leave late in the first half and not return. Whipple is expected to play against South Hardin, and will need to be in sync with wideout Gavin Pedersen. The Eagles aggressive defense will need to make life hard for Braden Weig in the pocket and not let the Tiger signal caller get comfortable.
Kickoff is slated for 7 PM on Friday evening from Gene Hinrichsen Field.