The Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Cowboys football team returns to action on Friday night, as they make the long road trip to the Iowa Great Lakes Region to take on the Spirit Lake Indians in Class 2A, District 2 action at Spirit Lake High School. CGD enters at 1-6 and 0-4 in district play, while Spirit Lake enters at 6-1, 4-0 in the district and ranked #1 according to Radio Iowa. Spirit Lake won last season’s meeting in Clarion 21-0, as they lead the all-time series 7-0 dating back to 2012.
Spirit Lake enters having dominated the competition in district play, outscoring opponents 196-27 in district action. The offense begins with senior quarterback Caden Lundt, who’s thrown for 1,370 yards, 22 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions. Lundt’s favorite targets have been the Stecker brothers at receivers. Dylan Stecker is currently the leading receiver, with 28 catches for 487 yards and 9 touchdowns, while Ethan Stecker has 25 receptions for 401 yards and 7 touchdowns on the season. Tate Orpen, JD Schneider and Isaiah McQuown have also been involved in the passing game, with all 3 also recording receiving touchdowns. The rushing attack is split between seniors Bode Higgins and William Ditsworth, as Higgins has rushed for 416 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Ditsworth has rushed for 290 yards and 6 touchdowns.
The heartbeat of the Spirit Lake defense has been the linebacking core, as JD Schneider is the leading tackler with 44 tackles and 10 TFL. William Ditsworth has 39.5 tackles, 6 TFL, 3 sacks with 3 interceptions and a pick six. Bode Higgins has 34.5 tackles, and Isaiah McQuown has 24.5 tackles and a TFL. The defensive line is an athletic group, led by Ethan Stecker, who has 39 tackles, 13 TFL and 5 sacks. Tyson Robinson has been a monster inside with 27.5 tackles, 8 TFL and 5 sacks, while Ethan Carlson and Ian Munson have recorded multiple TFL on the season. The defensive backfield has been on the quiet side with the dominance of the front seven, as Dylan Stecker, Tate Orpen and Joey Andres have all recorded INT’s, as Andres leads the unit with 18.5 tackles.
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows will try to shorten the game by establishing the run game as they did against Okoboji, limiting an explosive Spirit Lake offense in the process.
Kickoff is slated for 7 PM on Friday Night at Spirit Lake High School.