The #1 (1A) Grundy Center football team will look to continue building momentum for the playoffs when they host Hudson in Friday’s regular season finale.
The Spartans (7-0, 4-0 1A-4) have clinched the district title and the 1-seed in the district, meaning it’s a chance to clinch the top overall seed in Class 1A with a win. A win would also complete the program’s third consecutive undefeated regular season. Head Coach Travis Zajac on the matchup and what’s at stake.
“Last thing you want to do is start thinking forward,” Zajac says. “All last week before Alburnett, we were talking about being where your feet are, no looking forward, just all focus is on the next one. And you’ve got to treat Hudson that way. Last year we went to their place, and I think we thought we were going to roll a little bit. Coach Brekke does a really good job of it. They always play tough. They’ve had some injury issues that led to some blowout losses, but they’re a good football team. They’re well coached. They’re very physical. So we’ve gotta be ready to go, and we don’t want to back into postseason play. We want a whole momentum going forward. We need to take care of business with Hudson on Friday.”
Hudson (5-2, 2-2 1A-4) is still battling for playoff positioning, with an outside chance of taking the 3-seed with a win. Much like the Spartans, the Pirates have a very balanced offense, with only 51 more rushing yards than passing yards. Running back Kiean Crile averages 7.2 yards per carry.
Grundy Center won 28-3 with three fourth quarter touchdowns last season.
The kickoff will be at 7:00 p.m., with Senior Night festivities also happening at Spartan Stadium.