CEDAR FALLS - From a Week 1 battle to the Class 1A state championship game, all roads led to another showdown between Grundy Center and Dike-New Hartford at the UNI-Dome on Thursday.
Grundy Center defeated the Wolverines in the season opener. With state hardware up for grabs, the Spartans relied on their powerful defense and potent run game to maintain their grip on the Class 1A state crown.
Grundy Center (13-0) beat Dike-New Hartford, 28-7, to clinch its second-straight 1A state title and third-straight state championship. They also completed their third unbeaten season in a row.
"It means a lot," said Grundy Center senior wide receiver Jacob Hoy. "So many guys put in so much effort, the coaches put in so many hours. To have it all come to an ending that we all wanted, it's just awesome."
Grundy Center quarterback Judd Jirovsky - who entered Thursday's championship game with 15 rushing touchdowns - relied on his feet on the Spartans' opening drive. On first-and-10 at the Dike-New Hartford 33, the 6-foot, 165-pound signal caller shifted to his right for a pass attempt before breaking free as he scrambled to his left. After making defenders miss, the shifty junior zoomed away with ease from 33 yards out to hand the Spartans a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.
With about four minutes left in the opening frame, Jirovsky - who also plays defensive back - answered the call again. This time, he snagged an interception against Dike-New Hartford quarterback Colin Meester and returned it 22 yards that placed the ball at the Wolverine 13. A few plays later, Jirovsky walked in a one-yard touchdown to cap off a five-play, 13-yard drive.
"I try to pride myself on being able to lengthen plays with my legs," Jirovsky said. "There was a couple of times early where they did a good job (containing). We mentioned familiarity with each other, so they knew some of our route combinations. From there, it was just kind of scramble and try to make something work and get some yards and I was able to do that."
While the Wolverines struggled to find their footing, Grundy Center continued to lean on its defense to wreak havoc. The team limited Dike-New Hartford to 56 yards on four drives in the first half.
The Spartans held a 14-0 advantage at halftime.
"Their ability to run the ball is really impressive," said Grundy Center head coach Travis Zajac. "The (Noah) Borcherding kid is arguably the best back in the state at our level. It was just a matter of, 'We got to get that kid to the ground' ... We were able to get some scores, make them kind of uncomfortable and do things they didn't want to do."
The defensive attack by Grundy Center never wavered in the final 24 minutes of play. The Spartans forced the Wolverines to punt on their opening drive after limiting them to nine yards on seven plays.
Facing fourth-and-one at the Dike-New Hartford 13, Jirovsky powered his way for three yards to move the chains. On the next play, he broke free on a 10-yard touchdown run - his third rushing score of the game - to give the Spartans a comfortable 21-0 advantage with 5:27 left in the third quarter.
Looking to close the gap on their ensuing drive, the Wolverines attacked Grundy Center's secondary. Meester completed three deep passes in a row for 39 yards, 17 yards and 27 yards that moved the chains and positioned the ball at the Grundy Center six-yard line. But defensive stops - aided by a holding penalty that negated a potential Dike-New Hartford score - forced a turnover on downs.
The Wolverines scored a touchdown with 5:19 left in the game, but it wasn't enough to overpower the reigning 1A state champions. A 20-yard touchdown run by senior running back Brody Zinkula capped off Grundy Center's scoring. The Spartans defense forced a turnover on downs to put the finishing touches on a championship season.
Jirovsky led Grundy Center with 121 rushing yards with three touchdowns on 19 carries. He completed 8-of-14 passes for 92 yards. Hoy hauled in two receptions for 63 yards. The Spartans defense totaled seven tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception.
Dike-New Hartford finished its season with a 11-2 record.
"They clogged up the lanes up front, it was hard to run on them and then they got really good athletes on the back end, so it makes it really hard to pass," Meester said. "They were switching up their blitzes, switching up their coverage. They're just a really good defense and really well coached."
Marc Ray is the high school sports reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He can be reached at [email protected], and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn.