Grundy Center defense beats back Tigers in 35-7 win

GRUNDY CENTER – Some faces have changed, but Grundy Center football's bonds remain strong.

Whether it's the experienced seniors out on the field or the program veterans finally getting their chance to make contributions at the varsity level, the highly-ranked Spartans flexed their strength in a 35-7 win over South Hardin at Spartan Stadium in the season-opening game for both teams.

Grundy Center heads to Dike-New Hartford next Friday for a major clash between the two Grundy County schools. The Wolverines knocked off ranked Waterloo Columbus, 35-21.

"We've got some things to work on, and we'll see that on tape," Grundy Center senior Dexter Whitehill said, "but we're really ready for this next one, and this one was a good one to propel us into next week."

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After a steady start for the Spartans with a touchdown run for Logan Knaack and a long touchdown pass from Knaack to Austin Betts, the Tigers halved Grundy's lead on a Mason Sheldahl quarterback sneak 17 seconds into the second quarter and recovered the ensuing onside kickoff.

But on South Hardin's first play of the next drive, Cole Lehr grabbed an interception to slow the Tigers' momentum.

South Hardin got the ball back with under two minutes to go to halftime, but after going three-and-out, a short punt gave the Spartans a shot at the end zone before half.

With under 20 seconds to go after a Tate Jirovsky first-down reception, Logan Knaack rolled out to his left and found Whitehill in the front corner of the end zone for a touchdown and a 21-7 just before halftime.

"Logan and I have just had that connection these last two years, and it helps to know where we're going to be," Whitehill said. "We had openings and we took advantage of them."

That touchdown quickly changed the tone of the game for both teams going into halftime.

"Huge," Grundy Center head coach Travis Zajac said of the play's impact. "After the [South Hardin] touchdown we were scrambling a little bit, but our defense had a great stand. … And we went into the locker room up 21-7 and feeling good."

South Hardin head coach Nick Eller added: "That was a killer. I thought we'd go into halftime down 14-7 after playing a really good second quarter. That was a backbreaker."

Eller hoped that the Tigers could sneak back into the game in the second half. Kayne Harrell sniped a Spartan route for an interception to put South Hardin in the red zone, but three plays later Whitehill grabbed his first of two second-half interceptions in the red zone.

"I'm just gonna give a lot of credit to our coaching staff," Whitehill said. "They prepared us to be in the right positions at the right time, that helps us run fast and make plays."

Cole Lehr capped the ensuing 11-play drive with a two-yard touchdown run.

Knaack added a 52-yard touchdown run on the heels of Whitehill's second INT to put it well out of reach.

"Dexter Whitehill squeezes every little bit out of his body and his mind, and he's do emotionally engaged with what we do," Zajac said. "He cares so much. ... I've been doing this a long time, and he's one of my favorite kids that I've coached, I'm not afraid to say. He's just that kind of hard-nosed competitor and he cares. He's just a joy."

Zajac also appreciated how newcomers young and old melded with the team.

"We have a handful of kids that are seniors that haven't played a lot in the last two years, and they've been patiently waiting their turn," Zajac said. "We keep working with them, trying to encourage them through times that are frustrating for them. And to watch them come in and have success was outstanding, and we had a couple sophomores play a lot of football tonight. I'm really proud of those guys that were playing meaningful varsity minutes for the first time."

The play on the line of scrimmage, which was a question mark coming into the season, had good early returns, too, Zajac said.

"Defensively it looked like we were playing on their side of the line of scrimmage a lot," Zajac added. "Offensively, the way South Hardin played defense was a challenge, but our kids did a great job. There will be plenty of things to clean up on tape, but I'm not worried about that. I want them to enjoy this one over the weekend."

Last year, Grundy Center steamrolled Dike-New Hartford 35-0. Zajac does not expect this year's meeting to be so one-sided against Hall of Fame coach Don Betts.

"We were really good, and they were down a little bit early but still turned it around late in the season and won a playoff game," Zajac said. "They're going to be ready to play us and we've got to prepare our kids for that environment. It's going to be a physical football game."