GRUNDY CENTER, Ia. — The Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Cowboys football team returns to the field on Friday night, as they make the trip into northeast Iowa to take on the Grundy Center Spartans in Class 1A, District 3 action at Spartan Stadium. Clarion-Goldfield-Dows enters with a record of 3-1, while Grundy Center enters with a similar 3-1 mark. The all-time series between the two programs is tied at 2-2, with first meeting between the two programs in 1907, as Grundy Center won the last meeting in 2025 by a score of 42-7 in the 2nd round of the 1A Playoffs.
Grundy Center started off 2026 with a shocking 3-score loss to Aplington-Parkersburg, before grinding out wins over Dike-New Hartford and Columbus Catholic before waxing Garner-Hayfield-Ventura in their district opener. Ethan Meester has stepped in as the Spartans new signal caller, throwing for 589 yards, 5 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, while rushing for another 131 yards and a touchdown. Junior Lake Schrage has been Meester’s favorite target, catching 16 passes for 222 yards and a score, while junior Jayce Fryslie has caught 10 balls for 120 yards and 2 scores. The Spartans backfield features the 2-headed combo of junior Cooper Keller and senior Hayden Geerdes, as Keller has run for 380 yards and 2 touchdowns, with Geerdes running for 188 yards and 3 scores. The Grundy Center offensive line is led by the likes of junior Riggs Yoder and seniors Carter Ruth and Kyle Seitz.
Defensively, the Spartans have been led by a strong linebacking crew that has settled in as the year’s gone on, as junior Cooper Keller leads the team with 26.5 tackles, with Hayden Geerdes adding 16 tackles, as injury has thrusted sophomore Rilon Nelson into the lineup at the second level. The defensive line has playmakers in junior Riggs Yoder, who has 15 tackles and a sack, as well as seniors Kyle Seitz, Carter Ruth and Cash Combs, as Combs has 15 tackles, 3 TFL and a sack. The Spartans secondary has yet to be tested, with none of their defensive backs registering an interception in a unit led by the likes of Ethan Meester and Jayce Fryslie.
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows enters arguably the biggest game in over a decade for the Cowboys, as a win puts them squarely in the conversation for a district title. CGD’s offense will need to win on 1st and 2nd down and keep the football moving with a multitude of backs including Colin Sesker, Charlie Campbell, Reed Campbell and Maxton Downing. Defensively, the Cowboys will need to prepare for the Spartans to throw the ball and test a young, yet talented secondary.
Kickoff is slated for 7 PM on Friday Night at Spartan Stadium.