WACO football team settles into 8-man style

BY AARON VINER

Golden Triangle News Service

WAYLAND ? With two-thirds of the season completed, the WACO football team feels like they are finally hitting their stride.

The Warriors, who made the transition to 8-man football, enter their seventh game of the season with a 3-3 record, but after winning three of their last four contests, they are riding a wave of momentum.

?We have been playing really well and our line has been pretty dominant,? WACO senior Gabe Black said. ?We have some great momentum and we are ready to take on Lone Tree and show them what we?ve got.?

Looking to halt that momentum will be the Lions, who come to town on Friday night. Lone Tree comes into the game at 5-0 on the season, and have cruised through much of their competition this year. The Warriors know their hands will be full coming into the game.

?We just have to tackle and do our job,? WACO head coach Chad Edeker said. ?Midland was undefeated when we played them and we didn?t tackle real well in the first quarter against them. We can?t let Lone Tree get out to a big lead. Lone Tree does a lot of stuff, and they have a lot of stuff they haven?t shown in games yet. They haven?t really been tested yet.?

After opening the year 0-2, the Warriors seem to have adjusted well to the 8-man football class they transitioned to in the offseason.

With less players on the field, it has allowed the Warriors to feature their athletes, such as sophomore Colton Horak, who has 16 combined rushing and receiving touchdowns, to go with a pair of return touchdowns.

Horak has accounted for nearly 1,500 all-purpose yards this year, highlighted by 822 rushing yards at 6.9 yards per carry, and he credits it to his offensive line.

?(It?s all) the offensive line? Horak said. ?We have a great offensive line this year with Hunter Liechty, Cody Crawford, Jason Sammons, Hunter Donaldson, Colton Wilson, and they do a great job of calling everything in pre-play. They do a good job.?

Black hasn?t been too bad, himself, averaging 6.6 yards per carry on the year and posting six rushing touchdowns, as the Warrior athletes are able to shine in the new class.

?Our offensive line has done a great job, and the big thing in 8-man is you get more homerun plays,? Edeker said. ?You get more plays that go to the house, instead of just 20-yard runs. Our offensive line has been led by one senior, Colton Wilson, and Cody Crawford is a junior. That?s no secret. Anyone who has seen the tape knows where we are running the ball and they do a good job.?

With the momentum pushing WACO into the contest against a No. 4 ranked Lone Tree squad, the Warriors are eyeing a possible playoff berth if they can get wins against some tough opponents.

?I think if we win two of these last three, we could make the playoffs,? Edeker said. ?Its tougher this year with two teams making it instead of four, but if we beat Lone Tree or Iowa Valley, or one of the two, and then beat Easton Valley, who we haven?t seen on tape, we have a good shot at the playoffs. That doesn?t mean we?ll make it, but we have a good shot. That?s what we are shooting for. We expect the playoffs.?

Kickoff for the Warriors and Lions is set for 7 p.m. in Wayland.