GRUNDY CENTER, Ia. — The Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Cowboys football team returned to the gridiron on Friday Night, as they made the trip into Grundy County to take on the Grundy Center Spartans in Class 1A, District 3 action at Spartan Stadium. Clarion-Goldfield-Dows entered at 3-1, as Grundy Center also entered at 3-1.
Grundy Center would take the football first, and march down on a 16-play drive and score on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Meester to Ross Lynch to put the Spartans ahead 7-0. The Cowboys answered quickly, marching the field and scoring on a 10-yard touchdown run from Reed Campbell to tie the game at 7-7. The Cowboy defense forced a punt on the ensuing drive, with CGD taking the ball back and putting together another long drive, resulting in a 1-yard touchdown run by Colin Sesker to put the Cowboys ahead 14-7. Grundy Center answered with a sustained drive, capped by a 24-yard touchdown run by Hayden Geerdes to tie the game at 14-14, but CGD instantly answered back as sophomore Maxton Downing ran the ensuing kickoff back 86 yards for a touchdown to put the Cowboys ahead 21-14. Grundy Center would then march the field and on the last play of the first half, Ethan Meester fired a 3-yard touchdown pass to Lake Schrage to tie the game at 21-21 going to halftime.
The 3rd quarter would go scoreless, with both teams trading stops in the frame, but CGD mounted a pinnacle drive early in the 4th, as Maxton Downing scored on a 35-yard touchdown run to cap a 91-yard drive to put the Cowboys ahead 28-21. The Cowboys defense then came up with the big play as Colin Sesker intercepted an Ethan Meester pass, followed by a big 4th down conversion on a pass from JD Morrical to Huxley Lingenfelter, saw the Cowboys put a fatal blow to the game on a 1-yard touchdown run by JD Morrical to put the Cowboys ahead 35-21. CGD would score one more touchdown on a 2-yard run by Colin Sesker at the end of the game on to bring the final to 41-21.
Junior Colin Sesker had an outstanding game, carrying 21 times for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also recording 6.5 tackles and a TFL. Maxton Downing had 6 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown, while also returning a kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown, as Reed Campbell had 13 carries for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows football returns to action on Friday, when they travel to Eagle Grove to take on the Eagles in the 115th Battle for Wright County at Gene Hinrichsen Field, with kickoff at 7 PM on 95.7 KQWC or streaming online at kqradio.com.