After hosting their way to the Uni-Dome one year ago, the WACO Warriors hit the road Friday night with a similar goal in mind. Thirteenth-ranked WACO meets perennial powerhouse and eighth-ranked Don Bosco in the second round of the eight-man playoffs, and it all goes down on the new KCII3 Stream.
Since their sole loss in Week 3, the Warriors have notched five-straight wins, including last week’s 55-20 triumph over Baxter in the postseason opener. WACO’s defense stifled a pass-heavy Bolt team with five interceptions, allowing just eight second-half points. Three touchdowns apiece for Clayton Miller, Reece Oswald, and Louden Huisenga propelled them past the Bolts, who had cut the Warrior lead to just 2 early in the second quarter.
With more than 2,200 total yards, WACO is scoring 46 points per contest. In his first full season under center, Clayton Miller has a touchdown-interception ratio of 16-1 plus five rushing scores. The ground game has seen the most production from Louden Huisenga, with a team-high 676 yards and 11 touchdowns. Seniors Reece Oswald and John McLaughlin have gotten their looks as well, with 11 scores between the two. The three-headed monster of Huisenga, Joel Meyer, and Colton Leichty spearheads the defense that gives up less than 20 points a night. Each is responsible for more than 40 tackles and nine tackles for loss. Five picks for Hunter Hughes leads the Warriors, who are tied for fourth-most in eight-man with 15.
WACO senior, Chase Waterhouse, spoke with KCII this week about their opponent tonight, who, much like the Warriors, is no stranger to postseason success. “Don Bosco, like us, is a very physical team. They like to run the ball. It just comes down to who is more physical and who is well-rested during this week and that’s what we are going for. Good looks, but being rested and ready to play Friday.”
The Dons have qualified for the postseason each of the last 13 seasons, with last year being the only one in which they did not reach at least the third round. Averaging 58 points per game, their game plan has been running the ball, namely with quarterback Kaiden Knaack. He leads not only the team, but the rest of eight-man football with 31 rushing touchdowns, while passing for eight. Don Bosco has achieved 87 percent of their offensive production on the ground to complement a defense that has 22 takeaways and allows two touchdowns per game.
Listen to the Warriors vie for a trip to the eight-man quarterfinals on the KCII3 Stream, available on KCIIradio.com. Pregame coverage starts at 6:30 p.m. from Gilbertville, with kickoff at 7.