It should be a festive environment in Wayland tonight as WACO Warriors football welcomes Iowa Valley into town for the 2023 home opener. WACO is looking to extend an 18-game winning streak in regular-season games after the fourth-ranked Warriors defeated preseason-ranked Fremont Mills 26-20 in Week One.

After last year’s march to the 8-man state championship game, stars both new and old have emerged for WACO to start 2023. Senior Colton Leichty dominated on both sides of the ball in Week One. Along with the all-state defensive lineman piling up 11-and-a-half tackles and two tackles for loss, Leichty also caught five passes for 51 yards and a touchdown on offense.

Junior running back Louden Huisenga rushed for 133 yards and a TD while also catching a scoring pass. Junior quarterback Clayton Miller threw for 160 yards and only had four incompletions in his first start.

The Warriors will need to slow down an Iowa Valley team that is already off to a 2-0 start. New starting quarterback Nolan Kriegel is off to a strong start, as the freshman has rushed for 286 yards while throwing for another 216 yards and accounting for eight total touchdowns. WACO has won three straight against Iowa Valley. The Warriors kick off against the Tigers this evening at 7.