SIOUX CENTER, Ia. — The Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Cowboys football team returns to the grid iron on Friday Night, as they make the long trip to Northwest Iowa to take on the West Lyon Wildcats in the quarterfinal round of the Class 1A Playoffs at the Open Space Athletic Complex in Sioux Center. CGD enters at 9-1 and ranked #6, while West Lyon enters at 9-1 and ranked #2. Friday’s meeting is the 2nd all-time between the 2 programs, as West Lyon won a 2A First Round playoff matchup against the Cowboys in 2023 by a score of 50-0.
West Lyon enters Friday fresh off a 35-0 shutout of Hinton in the 2nd round, as the Wildcats only blemish is to the lone undefeated team in Class 2A in their county rivals at Central Lyon/George-Little Rock 14-13 in week 2. The defending 1A State Champions are led by senior quarterback Easton DeJong, who’s thrown for 1,124 yards and 16 touchdowns, while rushing for another 689 yards and 8 touchdowns. DeJong’s favorite target has been junior River Kramer, who’s caught 26 passes for 622 yards and 10 touchdowns, junior Jaxton DeJong was 12 catches for 183 yards and 3 touchdowns, as senior Daxtyn Metzger has 8 catches for 178 yards and 3 scores. The rushing attack has two dependable backs, as sophomore Chasyn Westra has 739 yards and 7 touchdowns, as River Kramer has also spent time in the backfield, rushing for 646 yards and 10 touchdowns. The offensive line is a hallmark of West Lyon football, and the Wildcats have another strong unit, anchored by seniors Jerrence Knoblock and Micah Van Beek.
Defensively, the Wildcats team defense is as good as any in all of Iowa, as it starts up front with a unit led by senior Jerrence Knoblock, who has 49 tackles, 16 TFL and 11.5 sacks, which is good for 2nd in Class 1A. Jacob Schemmel has 32.5 tackles, 6 TFL and 4 sacks, while Micah Van Beek has 21 tackles, 6 TFL and 2 sacks. The West Lyon linebacking core is led by senior Daxtyn Metzger, who has 67.5 tackles, 4 TFL, a sack and a pick six, Owen Jennings has 47 tackles, 7 TFL and 4 sacks, as Jacob Snyders has 42.5 tackles, 5 TFL and a sack. Senior defensive back Mason McCarty leads the Wildcats with 3 interceptions and a pick six, as River Kramer and Easton DeJong each also have interceptions for the West Lyon defense.
LISTEN: West Lyon coach Jay Rozeboom previews Clarion-Goldfield-Dows
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows enters Friday looking to go where no Cowboy team has gone before: the semifinals at the UNI Dome. CGD will likely need to control the clock offensively and keep a pristine West Lyon offense on the sideline. Defensively, CGD will try and neutralize the line of scrimmage, while containing a dangerous dual-threat quarterback in Easton DeJong.
LISTEN: Clarion-Goldfield-Dows coach Caleb Vogel previews West Lyon
Kickoff is slated for 7 PM on Friday Night from the Open Space Athletic Complex, and can be heard on AM 1570/FM 99.1 KZWC, online at kqradio.com and on the KZWC App.