https://www.thegrundyregister.com/content/rebels-upend-top-ranked-tigers-reach-eight-man-championship

CEDAR FALLS - Home at the Dome. 

Grundy Center football made its sixth consecutive trip to the State semifinals a mostly drama-free one, handling Wilton 42-7 on Friday to return to the Class 1A championship game on Thursday with their sights on a third State title. 

 “This experience will never get old,” Grundy Center coach Travis Zajac said. “We never take it for granted. It takes hundreds of people making sacrifices to be able to compete at this level. There’s a physical and emotional exhaustion at this point of the year. But I’m full of gratitude that our kids push through it and we get to play for another State title.” 

Wilton elected to start with the ball, potentially to take away Grundy Center’s typical fast starts. The Beavers were unable to make much of their 32 yard opening drive and turned the ball over on downs. The Spartans were able to put together 48 yards on their first drive, but couldn’t find the end zone and their 21 yard field goal attempt veered right of the uprights. 

Grundy Center forced a swift three and out, getting the offense back out on the field for another 48 drive that resulted in junior Judd Jirovsky finding senior Brody Zinkula for a 23 yard touchdown pass to get on the board with six seconds left in the first quarter. Wilton again only got three plays in before having to punt away early in the second quarter. Jirovsky struck again, this time to senior Tiernan Vokes for a four yard touchdown. 

“We knew Wilton had a great line matching up against us,” Jirovsky said. “Everything starts with the run game. We were able to get that going after the first drive and that opened the pass while also taking off some clock. We take pride in flushing the last play and moving on. Nobody panicked when things didn’t go our way immediately. We know we can move the ball against anyone.”

Zinkula struck again with a three yard run with less than a minute left in the first half. A series of completions by Wilton got them down field fast and without taking much time off to score with 18 seconds remaining. Yet, that was more than enough time of Zinkula to return the kickoff for 89 yards and his third touchdown of the day, putting his Spartans up 28-7 going into halftime. 

“Brody has been great all season, but today he was huge for us,” Jirovsky said. “Having him involved in the pass and run game gives me options. Plus he’s a great senior leader.”

Jirovsky threw his third touchdown pass to junior Devin Hinders for 40 yards, extending the Spartans’ lead to 35-7 at the eight minute mark. The Beavers recovered a rare Spartan fumble in the opening minutes of the final quarter. Moments later, senior Jacob Hoy came up with the pick six on a 57 yard return for the final score of the game. 

“We forced Wilton to dig deep for answers, and there were some things that we hadn’t seen,” Zajac said. “They’re similar to how we play. We were able to win the line of scrimmage and take it away to score points. To see Jacob Hoy become a two-way starter, I’m so happy for him. He’ll be the first to say to his friends did a great job blocking for him.” 

Jirovsky threw for 170 yards on 17 of 18 completion, also rushing for 49 yards on 12 carries. Zinkula had an identical 49 yards on 12 carries, adding a touchdown on the ground. He also caught four passes for 47 yards and a second score, his third coming on that last second 89 yard kickoff return. Hinders and Vokes each had a touchdown reception. 

Senior Ryker Thoren led the defense with 10.5 tackles, including one for a loss. Vokes had five tackles and Hoy four tackles to go along with his pick six to seal the deal for the Spartans.

“It is always special to be playing our best here,” Thoren said. “We’re here to prove we’re still a championship team, and this win moved us one step closer. We’re looking forward to being in another championship game.”

Grundy Center (12-0) will face a familiar foe in Dike-New Hartford (11-1) in the Class 1A championship on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. back in the UNI Dome. The Spartans open the 2024 season with a 21-7 win over the visiting Wolverines. Since then, DNH has gone undefeated and won a District title on their own path back to a title game for the first time since 2018. 

“Our priority is to refill the tank physically and emotionally,” Zajac said. “We’re going to get [DNH’s] best shot. But we're a pretty good football team though and I like our chances. There’s guys who coached for 50 years and never coached a game here. His group has answered the bell every time this year, and now they need to do it one more time.”