A trip to the dome and the final four of Iowa high school eight-man football is on the line for the WACO Warriors as they host Montezuma tonight on KCII. Second-ranked WACO is a perfect 11-0 and has won every game by at least 25 points.

The Warriors average almost 49 points per game and only give up 13-and-a-half. On offense, senior running back Simeon Reichenbach is racing towards another all-state selection and is closing in on breaking his own school single-season rushing record, putting up just under 1,200 yards and 26 touchdowns. Senior quarterback Isaac Oswald has stepped up his game as a passer with over 1,300 yards and 21 TDs, nine of which have gone to leading receiver Oleh Shtefanchuk.

On defense, the Warriors are a ferocious bunch. Junior defensive lineman Colton Leichty has been a one-man wrecking crew with 16 tackles for loss and nine sacks. His running mate, senior lineman Ty Egil, has been just as good with 14 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Senior linebacker Drew Diers was named the District 6 Defensive MVP and has piled up 82 tackles. Senior defensive back Mason Miller has a state-high eight interceptions, part of an opportunistic WACO defense that has compiled a whopping 29 takeaways.

The Warriors’ top priority will be trying to slow down Montezuma’s superstar quarterback Owen Cook. The senior has thrown for over 2,300 yards and an astonishing 46 touchdowns for the 9-2 Braves. But Cook has two pretty great targets in the passing game. Junior Garrett Watts has over 1,000 receiving yards and 21 TDs, while senior Masin Shearer leads the team with 68 catches for 834 yards and 16 scores. Up until last year, the two teams had played in the regular season for three straight years, with Montezuma winning the last two. WACO look to change their fortunes at just the right time and punch their ticket to Cedar Falls. Coverage of the 8-man quarterfinals from Wayland begins with the Washington HyVee Pregame Show at 6:30 on AM and FM KCII.