T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER - Grundy Center returns 11 football letterwinners from last season’s team. Front row, from left: Eli Wegmann, Judd Jirovsky, Klayton Freed, Pete Lebo and Grant Newton; back row: Elliott Vokes, Brody Zinkula, Ryker Thoren, Tiernan Vokes, Dayton Myers and Jacob Hoy.

GRUNDY CENTER — A new starting quarterback and three returning all-state seniors will usher in the next chapter of Grundy Center football.

After winning back-to-back state titles in Class A and 1A, the latest accolades in a string of five-consecutive trips to the UNI-Dome for the Spartans, Grundy Center could very well reload once again this fall.

Quarterback duties will fall on the shoulders of Judd Jirovsky, a junior who was the backup for T-R Football Player of the Year and Class 1A all-state captain Colin Gordon last season and also stepped up to make significant two-way contributions by the end of the Spartans’ undefeated run through 1A in 2023. Jirovsky was also a state champion golfer with an all-time best two-day tournament as a freshman.

“He ascended last year as a sophomore for us,” Grundy Center head coach Travis Zajac said. “With his achievements in other sports, he’s used to the pressure, used to the limelight. It’ll be different for him playing at quarterback instead of receiver, but he’s ready for it and he’s had a really good preseason.

“The conversations we’ve had with Judd is that he’s not trying to be Colin, not trying to be Logan [Knaack]. You’re gonna be your own guy. And he’s really excited for the opportunity.”

Jirovsky will have an excellent supporting cast, led by seniors Ryker Thoren, Brody Zinkula and Tiernan Vokes.

Thoren was a first-team all-state pick at offensive line as the center for Grundy Center’s explosive offense that scored 35.4 points per game. Zinkula was tabbed at linebacker on the first team with 63 1/2 tackles, including 5 1/2 for loss. Vokes, a first-teamer at wide receiver, was the Spartans’ leading receiver with 42 catches for 625 yards and 12 touchdowns.

All three of them made significant contributions on the other side of the field as well, and that will still be the expectation going forward as Zinkula slots in as the lead running back after running for 546 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Thoren and Vokes are the statistical leaders among returning players in total tackles (65) and tackles for loss (12.5), respectively.

Zajac expects Vokes to see the most change to his assignments, particularly on the offensive end, to find his best fit.

“I don’t know how many defending state champions have three first-team all-state players returning, but those kids have played a ton of football,” Zajac said. “They’ve been great players for us and now the burden of leadership is now on their shoulders. They’ve done a good job of building up those guys that maybe were letterwinners last year but didn’t have as many contributions last season, and we’ve got a good, stable nucleus coming back with that group. Now it’s just a matter of sorting those things out as we work through the preseason.”

Grundy Center has taken the biggest hit on the line of scrimmage, with several seasoned linemen graduating after last fall, including Iowa preferred walk-on Trent Cakerice. Keon VanHorn, Harry Brekunitch Kasey Seitz and Ryder Ross also leave a sizeable knowledge gap for the Spartans on the line.

“That’s a lot of snaps to try to replace,” Zajac said. “It’s a fresh start for those guys, but we’ve had a lot of good competition there, and we’re excited to watch them continue to develop.”

The target will loom large on Grundy Center’s back, with teams like South Hardin, Alburnett and Hudson returning solid cores within the Spartans’ district as well as a state semifinalist team in Waterloo Columbus that loses key components but provided some of Grundy’s most consistent challenges last fall.

The season opener on Friday with Dike-New Hartford in Grundy Center will likely be another significant clash between the two Grundy County squads, with the Wolverines returning a considerable amount of firepower and likely hungry to take aim at the Spartans’ 26-game winning streak, which included a 40-0 blowout of the Wolverines in the state quarterfinals.

“We know it’s always going to be our most physical contest of the season,” Zajac said of the game with D-NH. “When you’re breaking in a bunch of new kids, that gives you a little cause for concern, but both teams know that we’re going to give them our best, and let the chips fall where they may. It’ll be a good litmus test for us, and we’re excited to play those guys in week one, and I know Coach [Don] Betts would say the same.”

Grundy Center Football Schedule

Aug. 30 DIKE-NEW HARTFORD, 7 p.m.

Sept. 6 at Aplington-Parkersburg, 7 p.m.

Sept. 13 at Pella Christian, 7 p.m.

Sept. 20 EAST MARSHALL, 7 p.m.

Sept. 27 WATERLOO COLUMBUS, 7 p.m.

Oct. 4 at South Hardin, 7 p.m.

Oct. 11 at Alburnett, 7 p.m.

Oct. 18 HUDSON, 7 p.m.