It’s a battle of the blues tonight on the KCII3 Stream, as the KCII Area Game of the Week heads to Columbus Junction for a Class A-District 5 matchup between the Columbus Wildcats and the Wapello Indians. 

Columbus will get their first taste of district play tonight after last Friday’s 42-19 loss at home against the Mediapolis Bulldogs that moved the Wildcats to an 0-1 mark on the early season. Columbus Quarterback Trevor Phillips had a 6/10 night for 130 yards and two touchdowns, while senior Running Back Riley Kaalberg had 14 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown. Tyson Kaalberg had two receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Riley Kaalberg had 10-and-a-half tackles defensively. As a team, Columbus scores 19 points-per-game and gives up 42. They’ve completed 60 percent of their passes this season for 130 yards with two touchdowns with one interception. Their 21.7 yards-per-completion are third-best in all of Class A. On the ground, they’ve tallied 19 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Columbus has notched 50 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and a sack. On special teams, their 97 kickoff return yards are fifth-best in Class A. Individually, Riley Kaalberg’s 10-and-a-half tackles are fifth-best in Class A.

Wapello is also 0-1 on the young season after a week one loss on the road at West Burlington/Notre Dame by a final score of 48-6. Wapello lost the yardage contest 522-100, giving up 492 of those yards on the ground. Quarterback Rowen Atkinson was 4/12 for 58 yards and a touchdown toss to Senior Jaxon Marshall, who finished with two catches for 30 yards along with the touchdown. Dominic Ibbotson led Wapello in rushing with a single carry for 13 yards. Junior Grant Wilson led Wapello defensively with seven-and-a-half tackles. As a team, the Indians score six points-per-game and give up 48. They are 5/13 through the air with 63 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, they have 16 carries for 37 yards. On defense, Wapello has 29 tackles. On special teams, the Indians have 154 kickoff return yards which are the best in all of Class A.

Columbus Head Coach Dave Lekwa joined us this past Saturday on the KCII Radio Coaches Corner to talk about his team’s preparations for Wapello. “I think that the mental preparation is a big thing for me this week. Doing our jobs each play, lining up where we’re supposed to be, and understanding our role. We’re not changing a whole lot on either side of the ball, so it’s not like we’ve got to learn a whole new system. It’ll be another home game for us. We’ll have to go on the road for a while after that, so we’ll enjoy another home game. District play gets started, so everything matters a little more now,” Lekwa said. 

In the Varsity Bound era, Wapello owns a 12-4 series lead over Columbus that began in 2009. However, it is Columbus that has taken the last three matchups, including last season’s 49-6 victory on September 1st.

You can hear all of the action live tonight between Columbus and Wapello streaming exclusively online at KCIIRadio.com on the KCII3 Stream beginning with the pregame show at 6:30, and kickoff at 7 p.m. from Columbus Junction.