The Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Cowboys football team returns to action on Friday night, as they make the long road trip into Dickinson County to take on the Okoboji Pioneers in Class 2A, District 2 action at Okoboji High School. The Cowboys enter with a record of 2-4 and 1-2 in the district, while Okoboji enters at 1-5 and 0-3 in the district. Friday marks the first matchup between the 2 teams since 2009.
Okoboji has been led offensively by junior quarterback Landon Duvall, who’s thrown for 801 yards and 5 touchdowns, but 8 interceptions and is only completing 49% of his passes. Duvall’s favorite target has been junior receiver Caleb Simington, who has 20 receptions for 214 yards and a touchdown. Junior Tyler Netsch is not far behind with 16 catches for 174 yards and a touchdown. James Allden, Jase Jostand and Joe Salmon are the others in the Okoboji receiver group with touchdown receptions on the season. The Pioneers do have a #1 option at running back in senior Caden Chapman, who’s rushed for 365 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Duvall has 154 yards and 6 touchdowns from his quarterback position.
Defensively, the Pioneers have a gamer in linebacker Blaise Elwood. Elwood is one of the top tacklers in Class 2A with 62.5 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, an interception and a fumble recovery. Fellow linebacker Aidan Gehrke has 27 tackles, 5 TFL and a sack, while junior Nathaniel Franklin has 19 tackles and a fumble recovery on the season. Up front, defensive end Brendan Wirtz leads the charge, with a unit-high 23 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack on the season. The defensive backfield has produced for Okoboji, as Jase Jostand leads the group with 26 tackles and has recovered 2 fumbles. Fellow DB Caleb Simington is tied for the team lead in interceptions with 2, along with freshman Asa Jacobsen, Simington also has a fumble return for a touchdown as well.
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows will try to bounce back from a tough loss to Forest City last week on homecoming. The Cowboys could not convert twice inside the 5 in the loss, which will likely be a consistent message throughout the week. The CGD rushing attack will likely be prominent in the ballgame, and a talented Cowboys back seven could find themselves making plays often against the Pioneers.
Kickoff is slated for 7 PM from Okoboji High School on Friday night.