We’re concluding our KCII Top 10 Countdown of the biggest area high school sports stories of 2022-2023. The number 1 story is WACO football reaching the 8-man state championship game.

Coming off a 2021 season where a 10-0 team saw their dreams of postseason glory derailed by injury and a late kickoff return for a touchdown in a playoff loss to Audubon, the Warriors entered this fall rearing and ready to reach new heights. Powered by a deep senior class and the return of three all-state players, WACO dominated their opponents in the regular season, winning by an average of 34 points in a 9-0 start.

One of the most dominant defenses in Iowa 8-man football history kept humming along as the playoffs began October 21st. The Warriors limited Martensdale-Saint Marys to only 145 yards of offense in the first round of the state tournament, while senior quarterback Isaac Oswald passed for 130 yards and rushed for another 75 on his way to four total touchdowns and a 57-14 win for WACO.

One week later, the Warriors blew away Central City with 24 third-quarter points, turning a 21-6 halftime lead into complete control. All-state senior running back Simeon Reichenbach rumbled for 151 yards and three TDs, while junior defensive end Colton Leichty came up with two sacks to help WACO cruise to a 48-12 victory in the second round.

Having finally broken through into the state quarterfinals, the Warriors did not waste their opportunity. Facing one of the state’s elite passing attacks in Montezuma, WACO again blew open a close game with one big quarter, scoring 28 points in the second period to seize control.

Reichenbach again ran wild, piling up 264 yards and four scores, while Leichty corralled the Braves to the tune of four tackles for loss and three sacks. The Warriors won convincingly 52-7 and had secured a trip to the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.

The initial trip to the campus of the University of Northern Iowa proved to be WACO’s closest game of the season. Facing Newell-Fonda in the state semifinals, Reichenbach had to exit the game for an extended period because of injury. But Oswald stepped up, as the senior signal-caller laced a 28-yard touchdown toss to Mason Miller and would go on to throw for 197 yards, powering his team to an 11-7 halftime lead.

The Warriors found themselves trailing for the first time all fall when the Mustangs scored on their first possession of the second half. But Reichenbach returned and gutted out 90 yards and two second-half TDs on the ground to help WACO rally, and five-and-a-half tackles for loss and another 4.5 sacks from Leichty sealed the deal on a 29-21 victory.

Despite a 38-16 loss to perennial powerhouse Remsen-St. Mary’s in the title game, the Warriors still finished the season with a record of 13-1. Reichenbach rewrote school record books with over 1,500 yards and 33 touchdowns running the football, while Leichty finished with 27 tackles for loss and 17 sacks on his way to the all-state squad.

Miller led the state with nine interceptions, and senior linebacker Drew Diers’ 108 tackles was also near the top to round out the four players that received all-state honors. WACO finished top 10 in 8-man football in nearly every statistical category.

Congrats to head coach Chad Edeker and the entire Warrior football team on grabbing the number-one spot on our KCII Top 10. Find all the stories from the countdown at KCIIradio.com.