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Eli Wegmann did a little bit of everything in Grundy Center’s 49-7 win over Garner-Hayfield-Ventura at Spartan Stadium on Sept. 19.

The Spartan senior returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, in addition to a receiving touchdown and interception as Grundy Center (4-0) was dominant en route to its 43rd-consecutive victory.

“We were making sure everything was fundamentally sound,” Wegmann said. “We took advantage of the bubble screens, the linemen blocked well and everyone just did their job.”

Wegmann took the kickoff and sped down the G-H-V sideline for a 92-yard return and a Grundy Center lead 13 seconds into the game.

“I catch the ball and I see a hole that’s big enough where my grandma could’ve run through,” Wegmann said. “It was huge. That’s all the guys in front of me blocking for me and making it easy.”

Wegmann added a 46-yard touchdown reception on a screen from Judd Jirovsky, who finished 4-of-5 passing for 107 yards and two touchdowns; one to Wegmann and another to Devin Hinders.

Grundy Center head coach Travis Zajac recalled one of his first impressions of Wegmann as a playmaker in a 2022 playoff game against Belle Plaine.

“He comes in at the end of the game, we knew they were going to throw the ball deep on him,” Zajac said. “It’s the end of the game, they throw it deep, and he picks it, and I’m never going to forget that – 5-foot-2, 105 pound freshman, and he makes that pick. That’s all he ever does is make plays since he’s been in our program. He’s a great football player, uber bright, super coachable, a great kid, and his teammates love him so to see him play like that, you can’t help but smile.”

It was an efficient night for the Spartans, scoring 49 points on a total of 15 plays from scrimmage, all in the first half. Hayden Geerdes had a rushing touchdown and returned an interception 60 yards for a score.

“I saw it coming right away,” Geerdes said. “Their offensive lineman didn’t block our defensive line at all, and I read that the running back was rolling out and I made a play. It was great to just see no one in front of me and get the ball and score.”

Grundy Center sophomore Cooper Keller rushed 12 times for 139 yards and two scores as Geerdes and starter Pete Lebo only needed to carry the ball once each before the underclassmen could get some needed reps.

“Physically, [Keller’s] got all the tools right now,” Zajac said. “It’s just a repetition thing, and he’s getting a ton of reps in JV, and he got thrown in relatively early today to get some meaningful varsity snaps, too. He’s got a ways to go, and he knows that, but he does some nice things with the ball in his hands.”

The Spartans head to Clarion-Goldfield-Dows for Week 5. Grundy Center has never played the Cowboys; back in 1907, Clarion and Grundy Center played a pair of games home and away, with both won by Clarion, while in 1921, Grundy Center split two matchups with Dows.

C-G-D sits at 3-1 overall, including a 33-0 win to open district play at Central Springs.

“They’re big, physical,” Zajac said. “Very old-school offense, similar to some of the teams we saw especially in Class A like Earlham or St. Ansgar, West Hancock. They won’t throw it all that much, and they want to lean on you. So we’ll have to go back in time to some old game plans to take that stuff away, but it’s a business trip up there and our kids will be ready to play.”