The Columbus Wildcats traveled to Wapello Friday night to face the rival Indians in the KCII Area Game of the Week. When the dust settled, it was the ‘Cats coming away with their first win of the 2023 season in dominating fashion, taking the Week 2 contest 49-6.

In a game heard on the KCII3 stream, it was Wapello who would strike first, however. After receiving the opening kickoff, Jackson Lanz took a screen pass from fellow-senior Carson Belzer 68 yards to the house on the team’s first offensive play. A missed extra point had the Indians up 6-0, just 18 seconds into the game. The opening possession for Columbus was short-lived after a fumble gave the ball back to Wapello in Wildcat territory.

The Columbus defense would not be burned again, forcing a turnover on downs in just four plays to give it back to their offense. It was at that point that the Wildcats began what would turn into an offensive explosion, driving 59 yards in seven plays for their opening touchdown, a 1 yard run from senior Kaden Amigon. This would be the first of three consecutive scoring plays for the Columbus offense.

A Wapello three-and-out put the ball back in the hands of the Wildcats, where it took just one touch for Amigon to race 45 yards for his second score of the night. A punt from the Indians on their next possession set up junior Riley Kaalberg for a 53-yard burst of his own and in the blink of an eye, Columbus had a 21-6 lead. Two Tyson Kaalberg interceptions helped create a short field for Amigon, who punched in two more touchdowns before the first quarter came to a close.

Amigon led the Wildcats on the ground with 164 yards on just nine rushes and five touchdowns overall. Riley Kaalberg ran for 73 yards and a score, while Tyson Kaalberg punched in the final touchdown of the night, sending Columbus into the half with a 49-6 lead and a running clock that would continue into quarters three and four. The offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage, opening up massive running lanes for an attack that also included Lamar Ceant, Alex Venzor, Cael Phillips, and Elliot Wessley. Quarterback Trevor Phillips managed the offense well in just his second start, leading the Wildcats on a nine-minute drive out of halftime to essentially put the game in hand.

Columbus finished the night with 42 offensive plays for 304 yards, while their defense held the Indians to just 10 rushing yards. Belzer finished the night 6/15 through the air for 99 yards. With the win, Columbus improves to 1-1, as they gear up for their home opener next week with Lisbon. Wapello will visit Louisa-Muscatine. Meanwhile, the KCII Area Game of the Week heads to Winfield in Week 3 for a top-10 matchup as the WACO Warriors clash with WMU.