There will be no return to the Dome for WACO football in 2023, as the Warriors were outlasted by Don Bosco Friday night, 28-20.

In a game heard on KCII, the Warriors rode into Gilbertville with full intentions of playing spoiler. With the Dons knocking on the door of the redzone on the game’s opening possession, the WACO defense rose to the occasion, forcing a turnover on downs. The offense didn’t miss on their first chance with the ball, getting the scoring underway with a seven-play, 60-yard drive. Clayton Miller found Colton Leichty open to give the Warriors a quick seven-point lead.

Don Bosco would answer back with a Kaiden Knaack score to cap off an eight-play drive of their own and tie the game. As quickly as they surrendered the lead, WACO got it back with a methodical possession spanning 14 plays and 64 yards, capped off by a rushing touchdown from Reece Oswald. The tally would remain 14-7 into the break.

Starting with the ball to open the third quarter, a WACO fumble in their own territory appeared to spell disaster if not for a Joel Meyer interception on a batted pass just five plays later. Unable to capitalize on the takeaway, the Warriors punted back to the Dons, who knotted things at 14 heading into the final frame.

It was Leichty again breaking the tie on a 41-yard touchdown reception to open the fourth quarter, but after a missed extra point and long kickoff return from Knaack, one play was all Don Bosco needed to tie and subsequently take their first lead of the game. Now trailing by one, the Warriors were unable to find the offensive success they had seen up to that point, coming up empty on their final four possessions of the contest. A 41-yard touchdown throw to Ben Belew extended the Dons’ lead to eight, which would prove to be the difference.

With the victory, Don Bosco moves on to face Winfield-Mt. Union next week, with a bid for the semi-finals on the line. WACO ends their 2023 campaign with a 7-2 record, the program’s third-consecutive winning season. That success is due in large part to the seniors who close the book on their Warrior football careers: Hunter Hughes, John McLaughlin, Brian Neal, Colton Leichty, Reece Oswald, Chase Waterhouse, Traic Bird, and Jonathan Heather.