The National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame are celebrating the Grundy Center High School football program in Iowa for its excellence in the classroom, on the field and in the community. On Wednesday, the Iowa football program was named the winner of the 2022-23 NFF Hatchell Cup, presented by “The Original” Bob’s Steak & Chop House.
According to a news release, Grundy Center was chosen from the 60 teams recognized earlier this month as the state winners of the 2022-23 NFF National High School Academic Excellence Awards from their respective divisions of play. Grundy Center and the state winners, who created the pool of finalists for the Hatchell Cup, were selected by the individual state high school coaches associations from nominations submitted by each school’s head coach. A national selection committee, assembled and overseen by the NFF, was responsible for choosing the winner of the Hatchell Cup.
Under the direction of head coach Travis Zajac, Grundy Center’s team GPA was 3.69. On the field, the Spartans won the Iowa Class A state championship after finishing runner-up in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Below is a snippet from the NFF news release:
Of the 43 players on the Grundy roster this fall, 40 made the Honor Roll with 14 members of the team boasting a perfect 4.0 and another 14 players exceeding a 3.7 GPA during the school’s first trimester this year. The team placed 22 players on the Class A, District 3 Academic First Team, and four seniors made the IFCA (Iowa Football Coaches Association) Academic All-State Team. Four members of the team were selected for the National Honor Society, and ten players took advanced placement classes.
On the field, three players were selected by the Des Moines Register as Class A First Team All-State and five were selected IFCA-IPSWA Class A First Team All-State. Seven members of the team were First Team Class A, District 3, and six made the Second Team. The 2022 championship marked the school’s first title in 34 years and fourth in school history. The team’s six seniors played in 51 games, posting an overall 46-5 record.
The team completed more than 250 hours of community service, including assisting at Kiwanis Club community breakfasts, the town festival (Felix Grundy Days), a preschool renovation project, a community garage sale, officiating at YSF flag football games and setting up the “The Wall That Heals,” a traveling Vietnam War Memorial. Numerous members of the team participated in band, choir and school musicals, while 24 of the 26 upperclassmen played at least one other sport, including several three and four sport athletes. The team featured seven sets of brothers.
National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame
“The 2022 Class A State Champion Grundy Center Football Team excelled this season, and it is a testament to the hard work, character, determination, and team spirit of this group of athletes and coaches,” said Grundy Center Secondary Principal Michael Vokes. “Head Coach Travis Zajac, the assistant coaches, and the team worked relentlessly to accomplish their goals both on and off the field; their success in both arenas happened because of their intentional efforts to do so! As their high school principal, I get to interact with both players and coaches, and it was so fun to see the growth of these young men from the beginning, through the end of the season.”
“The IFCA is excited to be involved with the NFF and the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Awards each year as an opportunity to celebrate our school’s success in the classroom,” said Paul Patterson, president of the Iowa Football Coaches Association, when submitting the team’s nomination. “As high school coaches, we stress the importance of maintaining high standards in the classroom and appreciate the recognition of a job well done. We are thankful for the partnership the IFCA and the NFF have in celebrating our coaches and players here in Iowa.”
“The NFF is proud to present the Hatchell Cup to Grundy Center,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “All of the school’s players, coaches, administrators and their families should be incredibly proud of the team’s accomplishments. We hope by inspiring teams to compete in the classroom with the same competitive spirit that it takes to win on the field, we will better prepare high school football players for success later in life.”
Related: Cypress Woods (Texas) wins 2021 NFF Academic Excellence Award
For more information on the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Award or to learn how your state high school coaches association can participate next season, please contact the NFF at [email protected].
