Two of the top 8-player football teams in southeast Iowa collide when the WACO Warriors take on the eighth-ranked team in the state in Iowa Valley tonight in Marengo.

Number-nine WACO is off to a 2-0 start to the season and has been an offensive juggernaut, piling up 117 points and averaging 343 yards of offense per game.

Quarterback Clayton Miller and the passing game have had a big hand in that success. Miller threw a whopping seven touchdowns in a 66-46 victory over Coon Rapids-Bayard last week, and the senior has put up nearly 500 yards and 10 TDs through the air in two games.

Isaac Rich was his go-to receiver last week, catching five of those scoring tosses, while fellow senior Gage Samo leads the Warriors with 10 receptions for 183 yards.

Junior Louden Huisenga has done most of the heavy lifting for the ground game, running for nearly 170 yards and five touchdowns while averaging over seven yards per carry.

Huisenga has also been a force on defense, leading the team with 16 total tackles at linebacker, while senior Joel Meyer has added 14-and-a-half stops and three tackles for loss. Even special teams has been dynamic for the Warriors, as sophomore Hayden Shelman has returned a kickoff for a TD in both games.

But WACO will face their toughest test of the young season when they square off with Iowa Valley, who is also 2-0 and also piling up the points by cracking 70 in both of their wins.

Sophomore quarterback Nolan Kriegel has been a force of nature, rushing for over 400 yards and 10 scores while also throwing for better than 225 yards and three touchdowns.

The Warriors have beaten the Tigers in four straight meetings and will look to win a clash of state-ranked squads this evening, starting with kickoff at 7 o’clock.