More and more eyes will inevitably turn to Grundy Center when the Spartan football team kicks off their season in Spartan Stadium on August 29.

The Spartans’ 39-game winning streak is tied for the fifth-longest active streak in the nation, and the team’s pursuit of a fourth-consecutive state championship will come against what could be Grundy Center’s most daunting competition to date.

For Grundy Center head coach Travis Zajac, it’s about keeping the numbers simple.

“I’ve got 44 boys out for football grades nine through 12, eight coaches on the staff, an athletic trainer, and a manager, so I’m trying to wrap my arms around that body of people, and let’s just worry about us,” Zajac said. “There’s an incredible amount of pressure on our kids in Grundy Center, and a lot of that is positive pressure from coaches, parents, or other community members that take an investment in their lives and try to get those kids to make the right choices to do great things. That pressure that we feel to perform, we feel like we’ve earned that, and it’s an honor to be able to do what we’ve done, but none of that matters right now.”

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Grundy Center will be led by three returning all-state selections heading into the home opener against Aplington-Parkersburg in Week 1; first-team quarterback Judd Jirovsky, first-team lineman Ryder Slifer and second-team defensive utility Pete Lebo.

Jirovsky was also the IFCA Class 1A all-state captain in 2024, accounting for 45 total touchdowns, including 25 passing touchdowns on 2,181 yards and tied for the Class 1A state lead with eight interceptions, with two of those returned for a touchdown.

“I’m just trying to take everything in here for one last ride,” said Jirovsky, a senior. “I’m sure it’s going to go fast like it does every year, but just trying to get better every day and really just bond as a team. … I’m surrounded by a bunch of great athletes, great kids, and some of my best friends – we’ve got a special group together and we’re just looking to prove that one last time on the field.

Zajac, admitting to possible bias, hailed Jirovsky as the “best athlete in the state of Iowa right now.”

“If we can keep that kid upright and healthy, he tilts the field in our favor every single week,” Zajac added. “He was a fine leader last year for us, and now it’s his turn, it’s his team, and the kids really respond to him, so I’m excited for his senior season.”

Slifer was a vocal, powerful force on the line of scrimmage for the Spartans last year, helping to fuel Grundy Center’s explosive offense while also leading the team with 13 tackles for loss, including 6 ½ quarterback sacks, on the defensive side.

“I’m just trying to bring that energy to practice,” Slifer said. “A lot of guys look to me for that, and if I’m down, or I’m acting like I don’t want to be there, then maybe they’ll be the same way, so I just keep up that intensity and really push everybody.”

His ability to punch above his weight class at that lineman position has impressed Zajac.

“He was a two-way starter last year at 170 pounds soaking wet,” Zajac said. “He had to play a certain way to hang at that level, and he just plays his guts out every single week. He’s worked really hard this offseason, had a lot of success in his other sports, and has positioned himself to be an outstanding player for us and follow that lineage of all-state linemen that we’ve had at Grundy Center.”

Lebo’s impact was most felt on the defensive side of the ball last year, with three interceptions and finishing second on the team in total tackles behind Slifer, including four tackles for loss.

His offensive workload will increase as Lebo will step in after the graduation of senior all-state back Brody Zinkula.

“We’re probably not feeding him the ball 20 times a game, we’ve got other guys we can bring in to keep guys healthy defensively, but he’s a physical, dynamic athlete,” Zajac said. “He wants to put his shoulderpads on people and make them feel his presence.”

Putting defense as its best foot forward suits Lebo just fine.

“I think it all starts with the defense getting the team going,” Lebo said. “I think our defense will be really good this year, we have a bunch of guys coming back. We’ve got a couple open spots out there but I feel good about how guys have stepped up and are practicing well and bringing a lot of energy to the group, and I think we’ll be all set.”

Class 1A will feature three defending football champions as West Lyon comes down from 2A and Tri-Center moves up after winning the Class A title.

The Spartans will also head to Dike for a rematch of last fall’s 1A championship game against Dike-New Hartford on Friday, Sept. 12, before jumping into a district where rivals South Hardin might once again be the Spartans’ biggest competition.

But that’s all on the horizon for now, as Grundy Center prepares for a scrimmage with Denver on Aug. 22 ahead of the season opener with A-P.

What lies ahead for Grundy Center is unknown, but there’s plenty for this year’s group to build on, as Zajac explained with a recent motto adopted by Chris Conger, the Spartans’ defensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coach.

“‘Success leaves clues,’” Zajac said. “That’s really appropriate for our seniors this year to look back at what those previous senior classes did to fertilize the soil for them and help out those young ones, whether it’s the way they play, prepare, communicate with one another, the younger ones learn by observation, and if our seniors can continue that same mindset, we can prepare to put ourselves in position to succeed on Friday nights.”

D-NH starting slow as next wave steps up

Dike-New Hartford football is slow to start in practice, but head coach Don Betts believes by the end of the year his group can be firing away once again.

The Wolverines graduated a large load of seniors from last year’s team that finished as Class 1A state runners-up to Grundy Center, including first-team all-staters Noah Borcherding, Tate DeBuhr and Lew Textor.

“We had seniors two-deep at most positions, so getting reps was a premium last year for some of the guys we have back,” Betts said. “We’ve had to slow a few things down on installation but the kids have had great attitude and effort and they’re excited about their opportunity and chance.”

These kids know the D-NH system well, reflected in the JV squad going undefeated last season. Moving up to Class 2A will be a different challenge, Betts expects Roland-Story and Hampton-Dumont-CAL to be the primary competition in 2A District 4.

Lane Girsch and Dawson Dietrick are the top returning defenders for D-NH with 4 and 3 ½ tackles for loss last year, respectively; Devlin Davis and Jaiden Soppe are likely to see more looks after their offensive contributions last year and Betts also highlighted Camden Tott, Logan Peverill and Trey Haak as seniors that have moved into a leadership role as all three enter their senior season.

“There’s a lot of guys stepping up and I’m excited to see what we can do,” Betts said.

The season begins with a non-district game at home against Jesup in Week 1 and also includes a rivalry game with Aplington-Parkersburg in Week 2 and a rematch with Grundy Center in Week 3.

“I like our schedule, we’ve got three teams that will challenge us in non-district and it lays out well for us,” Betts said. “The key for us is that our kids just have to continue to grow and understand that things aren’t going to be perfect, but if we’re getting better every practice we’re going to have a really good season.”

G-R coach Olson taking over Rebel offense

John Olson has always had a defensive mindset.

“If it’s a state championship game, I’d still rather the other team have the ball and we try to stop them from the 1 yard line,” Olson said.

Gladbrook-Reinbeck football’s head coach is now taking over as offensive coordinator in place of longtime assistant Darren Trunck as the Rebels line up for another year of 8-man football this fall.

“It’s something I haven’t done for awhile,” Olson said. “But I’ve been trying to work at this and taking it head on because I don’t want to just be OK at it, I want to be awesome at it.

“We’re not going to change everything because what we’ve done in the past has been awesome. It’ll be an exciting, stay up late at night on purpose kind of thing, because I like doing that and trying to figure out the big puzzle.”

Brett Bengen will be stepping up to handle the defense in Olson’s place, who Olson praised as taking another step forward in helping to lead the players; Bengen is also G-R’s head boys basketball coach.

G-R has two returning all-state selections in first-team wide receiver Hudson Clark and second team returner Treyvon Herron; the Rebels finished as 8-man state runners-up to Remsen St. Mary’s.

Olson expects to move Clark and Herron around on both sides of the ball to find the optimal fit along with Trevor Mathern, a receiver last year who is competing for the open quarterback spot, and Gavin Blakesley who had experience on the line last year.

“There’s a group of eight or nine guys that are going for four open spots out there on the field,” Olson said. “We don’t know what those four spots are yet even, because we just want to have a fluid offense and defense.”

G-R scrimmages Cedar Ridge Christian on Aug. 22 and opens the season at home against Janesville on Aug. 29.