Spartans spank Comets with powerful ground attack (with photo slideshow)

Move over, Orville and Wilbur Wright. The Knaack brothers—Logan and Austin—flew up and down the field against BCLUW on Friday night in Conrad and propelled the Grundy Center football team to a convincing 56-6 district win, combining for 309 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
           
“We were going to run until they stopped us,” Logan Knaack said.
           
Although the Spartans (2-1) eventually wound up with a lopsided victory, neither team got on the scoreboard in the first quarter. After a Grundy Center three and out on the opening possession, junior Jack Garber broke a 15 yard run down to get into the red zone, and it looked as if the Comets (1-2) would strike first. The drive, however, stalled out from there, and a Coby Willett deep pass to the end zone on fourth and 14 fell incomplete.
           
Logan Knaack, a freshman quarterback, and his older brother Austin moved the Spartans down the field with a read option attack, and the junior running back broke a 22-yarder and then a 21-yarder to reach the Comet 19. A few plays later, Willett picked off Knaack’s pass and swung the momentum back in favor of the home team.
           
The Comets could only gain 17 yards on the ensuing drive and punted back to Grundy Center, which took over with great field position at its own 47. Just before the first horn, Austin Knaack got loose for 21 yards down to the BCLUW 25. Early in the second quarter, he punched it in from two yards out to make the score 7-0 in favor of the Spartans.
           
Both teams traded fruitless drives before the Comets took over at the Spartan 38 with a golden opportunity to get even. On a third and seven, Willett pitched the ball to running back Koty Kruse, who lobbed a deep pass to an open Garber. The receiver fought his way into the end zone for the only BCLUW touchdown of the night, and after a failed two-point conversion attempt, Grundy Center still led 7-6.
           
The Spartans came up with a big passing play of their own on the next possession when Cael Hendricks connected with Nick Ascher on a drag route, and Ascher broke a tackle to score from 46 yards. Grundy Center forced a three and out, and Logan Knaack hit pay dirt on a 26-yard keeper to make it 20-6 at halftime.
           
“We kind of started off slow, and we just had to get into that mode. In the second quarter, we kind of woke up and started playing well,” Austin Knaack said. “This was a big game.”
 
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