CLARION, Ia. — The Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Cowboys football team returns to the gridiron on Friday Night, as they host the South Hardin Tigers in Class 1A, District 3 action at Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Middle School. CGD enters at 5-1 and ranked #8 in Class 1A, while South Hardin enters at 5-1 and ranked #9 in Class 1A. South Hardin leads the all-time series 2-1, dating back to the days of Clarion and Eldora in 1916, as the Tigers won the 2025 meeting 29-0 in Eldora.
South Hardin enters Friday after losing a triple overtime battle to their longtime rivals in Grundy Center by a score of 41-40. The Tigers do boast wins over West Marshall, Iowa Falls-Alden, Hudson, Eagle Grove and Garner-Hayfield-Ventura. The Tigers are led by senior quarterback Braden Weig, who’s completing over 65% of his passes for 1,749 yards and 22 touchdowns, while rushing for another 51 yards and a score. Welch’s favorite target has been senior receiver Casey Williamson, who’s caught 29 passes for 454 yards and 7 touchdowns. The Tigers receiving room is deep, as Josh Spindler and Grant Meister have 18 catches each, with Spinder tallying 353 yards and 6 touchdowns, as Meister has 265 yards and 2 touchdowns, while senior Colby Zollar has 307 yards and 4 scores, while Aspen Briggs has 257 yards and 2 scores. Junior Kam Adams has been banged up, but has still rushed for just under 500 yards and 3 scores, as Manning Pfantz and Parker Pagel have each added over 100 yards.
Defensively, the Tigers are led by a young, yet productive linebacking core led by sophomore Cash Guiles, who has a team-high 49.5 tackles, 6.5 TFL and a sack, while Grant Meister has 20 tackles and a pick six. The South Hardin secondary has been a huge strength in 2026, as junior cornerbacks Josh Spindler and Aspen Briggs each have 3 interceptions, with Spindler adding 16.5 tackles and 3 TFL with Briggs adding 12.5 tackles. Up front, South Hardin has a talented defensive line, as Manning Pfantz leads the unit with 19.5 tackles and a TFL, while Logan Kolbe has 15.5 tackles, 7 TFL and 2 sacks.
LISTEN: South Hardin coach Nick Eller previews Clarion-Goldfield-Dows
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows enters Friday in search of another program elevating win, as a Cowboy victory sets up a chance at the first district title in program history for Clarion-Goldfield-Dows. The Cowboys offense will look for a 180 performance compared to a year ago against South Hardin, while the Cowboys defense will be tasked with pressuring quarterback Braden Weig and throwing off the timing of an explosive Tigers offense.
LISTEN: Clarion-Goldfield-Dows coach Caleb Vogel previews South Hardin
Kickoff is slated for 7 PM on Friday Night from Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Middle School, and can be heard on 95.7 KQWC, online at kqradio.com and on the new KQWC Streaming App.