It’s been one of the finest seasons in WACO Warriors football history. But now comes the biggest test yet. Second-ranked WACO has made it to the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls and now is two wins away from the state championship as the Warriors meet number-eight Newell-Fonda in the 8-man semifinals today, a game you can hear on KCII.

WACO has reached 12-0 thanks to a complete team effort. On offense, a record-setting year from senior running back Simeon Reichenbach has led the way. Reichenbach has rushed for over 1,400 yards and 30 touchdowns, but pairing him with the improved passing game of senior quarterback Isaac Oswald has turned the Warriors into an almost unstoppable force, averaging better than 49 points per game. Oswald has thrown 21 TDs, nine of which have gone to big-play senior receiver Oleh Shtefanchuk.

The WACO defense has been just as dominant, allowing only 13 points and less than 200 yards per game. Junior defensive lineman Colton Leichty has become one of the premier pass-rushers in the state, piling up five sacks over his last two games and 20 tackles for loss and 12 sacks in total this season. Senior Ty Egil can wreck havoc as well with 16 tackles for loss and nine sacks; senior linebacker Drew Diers is ninth in all of 8-player football in total tackles; and senior Mason Miller’s nine interceptions is the most in the state, regardless of class.

WACO has faced few teams as balanced as themselves, but the Newell-Fonda Mustangs come close. Newell-Fonda is 10-1 while averaging better than 42 points per game scored and 17 a game allowed. Senior quarterback Mason Dicks has thrown for over 1,400 yards and 21 touchdowns while also leading the team with almost 800 yards and 14 TDs on the ground. Senior running back Ryan Greenfield adds nearly 1,400 total yards from scrimmage and has scored 24 times. WACO hopes to take down Newell-Fonda and book an extended stay at the Dome into next week’s championship game. Coverage of the 8-man state semifinals begins with the Washington HyVee Pregame Show at 12:30 this afternoon. Kickoff between WACO and Newell-Fonda is at 1 on AM and FM KCII and streaming on kciiradio.com.