The #1 (1A) Grundy Center football team will begin the second half of the regular season by hosting Columbus Catholic Friday. It’s a rematch of last year’s semifinal game, and it’ll air on 99 The Wave.
The Spartans (4-0, 1-0 1A-4) have cruised through each of their opponents, as has mostly been the case throughout the last two and a half seasons. They’ve been dominant in all phases throughout the season, but Head Coach Travis Zajac says each week is a new test.
“You’re playing hard in practice, but at the same time, you’re being mindful and not putting too much on your players physically,” Zajac says. “Then there’s the mental and the emotional part of it too of, yeah, we’re 4-0. We’ve done a great job up to this point in time, but every Friday night is a new test that we have to pass. And it does not matter who it is that we’re playing on Friday night. We are going to be their biggest game on their schedule. That’s just where we’re at as a program. And that is a responsibility that we have to shoulder, and I know our kids are ready to go to keep proving themselves every Friday night.”
Junior quarterback Judd Jirovsky has had a sensational year, completing 85 percent of passes, throwing for 11 touchdowns and no interceptions. Tight end Tiernan Vokes leads the district in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
Columbus (0-4, 0-1 1A-4) has struggled through a large roster turnover at the beginning of the season, and has lost by multiple scores in all but one game. Last week, they lost 33-6 at home to Hudson, a game that was put away early. Zajac on the matchup.
“They’re a handful to prepare for. They do a ton of stuff offensively that our defense is gonna have to prep for. I know they’re struggling this year, but we have to approach it like we do any other week, continue to build and try to be better against Columbus than we were against East Marshall. Hard to believe we’re talking about the back stretch of the season, but we know we’ve got a tough road ahead.”
The Roling Ford Road to the Dome Warmup Show will start at 6:15 p.m., followed by the kickoff at 7:00.
