WACO Warriors football is on a tear, but it will not be easy to keep it going with New London coming to town for homecoming tonight. 5-0 WACO stayed ranked second in the state in 8-player football after a 54-26 win over Iowa Valley last week. Warriors running back Simeon Reichenbach continued a stellar senior season with 12 rushes for 180 yards and four touchdowns, bringing his season totals to 492 rushing yards and 12 TDs. Senior quarterback Isaac Oswald tossed another two scores to reach 11 passing touchdowns this year. His top target has been fellow senior Oleh Shtefanchuk, who has turned five of his eight receptions into TDs.

WACO’s defense is allowing only 15.5 points per game, but their strengths will be put to the test by New London. Lead by junior Colton Leichty, the Warriors have piled up 39 tackles for loss and nine sacks. That pressure has also contributed to 16 takeaways, largely made up of 10 interceptions. But the Tigers rarely go backwards or give the football away. Starting quarterback Dom Lopez hasn’t thrown a pick yet this season for New London, and a balanced rushing attack that averages almost seven yards per carry has powered the Tigers to three straight wins after an 0-2 start, with 50 more or points scored in all three of those wins.

After four straight wins in the series which involved New London scoring at least 50 points, WACO won a 7-0 slugfest last year. The Warriors hope for more points and a happy homecoming starting this evening at 7.