SHELDON, Iowa -- It didn't take long Friday night for Jordan Gacke to establish his dominance.
A senior quarterback for Central Lyon/George-Little Rock's football team, Gacke took the first snap of the game and rushed for a 72-yard touchdown, sparking the Lions' 35-0 rout over Sheldon.
"I was like, 'That's Jordan Gacke,'" CL/G-LR senior wide receiver Tyler Starr said. "That's all I need to say."
Gacke, who is being recruited by several Division I schools, including Iowa and Iowa St., took the snap and rolled to his left on an option play.
"Our fullback got stopped outside, so I cut it back up, but then I slipped and almost got tackled," Gacke said. "I put my hand down, stayed on my feet, and then I just got to the outside and that was it."
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After regaining his balance, Gacke exploded down the left sideline, outrunning Sheldon's defenders and beating them to the end zone by nearly 15 yards.
Like Starr, CL/G-LR coach Toby Lorenzen wasn't surprised -- he'd seen it before.
"He makes a lot of big plays, so it didn't surprise me," Lorenzen said, referring to Gacke. "He's got breakaway speed, and if those guys are blocking for him, he's capable of doing that a lot of times."
Gacke finished with 143 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. He also went 8-of-14 passing for 85 yards and a score.
As a linebacker -- the position he's getting recruited to play collegiately -- he recovered a fumble and played a pivotal role in helping the Lions record their second consecutive shutout.
"I've had a lot of good players, a lot of Division I kids, but he's the best," Lorenzen said. "He's the best all-around kid we've ever had."
On Friday night, the Lions put forth an incredible all-around performance en route to clinching the Class 2A, District 1 title.
Sheldon ran just one play in Lions territory, and it was set up by Gacke's lone mistake of the game.
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Facing a second-and-30 from his own 25-yard line, Gacke threw a pass that was partially tipped at the line of scrimmage. Sheldon's Taylor Zeutenhorst made the interception and returned the ball to CL/G-LR's 8-yard line.
On the ensuing play, Sheldon quarterback Nic Meendering's pass also was tipped at the line. CL/G-LR's Derek Johnson intercepted the pass in the end zone and returned the ball to Sheldon's 28-yard line, setting up a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Gacke four plays later.
The Lions forced a three-and-out on Sheldon's next possession, and Gacke orchestrated a 13-play, 72-yard scoring drive that ended on a 4-yard touchdown run by Dylan Reynolds.
The Orabs' problems continued into the second half.
Scott Eben blocked a Sheldon punt on the seventh play from scrimmage in the second half. The Orabs then went three-and-out on their next possession, but they answered by forcing CL/G-LR to punt after just three plays.
But Sheldon's Andy Goeb muffed the punt, and CL/G-LR recovered. After a 10-yard pass from Gacke to Starr, Gacke threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Johnson, who out-jumped his defender in the back of the end zone.
After again going three-and-out, Sheldon put together its longest drive of the game. In eight plays, the Orabs moved 29 yards, from their 12-yard line to their 41, in 2:59. But Starr intercepted a Meendering pass to set up another Lions scoring drive.
Reynolds converted on third-and-9 with a 10-yard run, and, one play after Gacke converted a third-and-6 with a 15-yard run, Reynolds rushed six yards for his second touchdown of the night.
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The senior running back had 42 yards on 13 carries, and Brandon Koel added 24 yards on 11 carries for the Lions.
"(Sheldon) kind of shut down our running game, but it's a win," Gacke said. "They shut it down pretty well tonight, so we have to get it going again."
Starr, who assisted on seven tackles and added two solo stops, had four catches for 34 yards. Johnson finished with three receptions for 39 yards and a score to lead the Lions (8-0, 6-0), who will host Spirit Lake in their season finale Friday.
"We treat every game like it's our biggest game," Starr said. "We prepare day-by-day, just like it's the state championship.
"We just come out ready to play -- don't take anything for granted."
Meendering went 7-of-19 passing for 43 yards, and Andy Goeb had four receptions for 40 yards to lead Sheldon (3-5, 2-4), which will face Sibley-Ocheyedan in its season finale Friday.
Zeutenhorst, who had one reception for 10 yards, had 20 yards on four carries to lead the Orabs' rushing attack.
CL/G-LR 13 8 7 7 -- 35
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Sheldon 0 0 0 0 -- 0
RV/B-H 34, S-O 0
HULL, Iowa -- Leading 14-0 at halftime, Rock Valley/Boyden-Hull scored 20 points in the third quarter for a Class 2A District 1 victory Friday.
Greg Hiemstra led the S-O (2-6, 2-4) passing attack, completing nine passes for 68 yards.
He also ran 18 times for 71 yards.
Cody Dirks led the Genearls with 75 yards on the ground on 18 carries.
Craig Hertz had three receptions, while Greg Iedema and Nick Bormann each had two grabs.
Defensively, Hertz had 13 total tackles, while Brian Block and Levi Hibma each had seven stops.
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S-O will host Sheldon Friday.
S-O 0 0 0 0 -- 0
RV/B-H 7 7 20 0 -- 34
