We’re continuing our KCII Top 10 Countdown of the biggest area high school sports stories of 2022-2023. At number 8 is Columbus football starting 7-0 as part of their first winning season in over a decade.

On their way to finishing 8-2, the Wildcats won their first seven games this past fall, largely thanks to a defense that surrendered less than 14 points per game in that stretch. Behind sophomore linebacker Riley Kaalberg putting up a team-high 69 tackles in his first season with the squad and junior defensive lineman Russell Coil posting 13 tackles for loss and five sacks, Columbus ended up allowing only 18.2 points per contest for the whole season.

On offense, the Wildcats leaned on an electric option attack. Junior running back Kaden Amigon had a monster year, rushing for 1,872 yards and 26 touchdowns while averaging just under 12 yards per carry. Senior running back Triston Miller also averaged 12 yards per run and piled up nearly 900 yards and 13 TDs on the ground.

Despite suffering a one-point loss in overtime to Alburnett on October 14th to end their unbeaten season, Columbus came back one week later and defeated 17th-ranked Maquoketa Valley 62-14 in the first round of the Class A state playoffs, giving the number-18 Wildcats their first postseason victory in nearly 30 years.

The countdown of Top 10 area sports stories will continue tomorrow. Find the stories every day as they are announced at KCIIradio.com.