WACO football survives 1st-round dogfight

WAYLAND — It took a second-half comeback and a clutch last-minute field goal, but the seventh-ranked WACO Warriors kept their season alive on Friday night with a first-round victory in the Class 8-Player playoffs.

The Warriors withstood every punch Edgewood-Colesburg threw at them and defeated the Vikings 39-36 on a 28-yard field goal by Simeon Reichenbach.

The field goal capped off a game-winning drive that began with 1:39 left. The Warriors marched all the way down to the 11-yard line and the kick went through with nine-seconds left, sending the sideline, and the hometown fans, into a frenzy.

“The excitement is out of this world,” Reichenbach said. “I’ve never heard the fans cheer that loud before.”

Reichenbach scored all 10 WACO points in the first half, scoring once in the 30-yard touchdown run and nailing a field goal.

The Warriors found themselves in some trouble at the break, however. Edgewood-Colesburg quarterback Cael Funk was feeling it in the first two quarters. He ran for two touchdowns and threw for one as the Vikings led 14-7 after one quarter and 20-10 at the break.

We just said at halftime, 'be calm,“ said WACO head coach Chad Edeker. ”We'll get there.' We came out and played a great third quarter.“

After the WACO defense forced an Edgewood-Colesburg turnover on downs, Drew Diers sprung wide open for a 41-yard touchdown pass from Isaac Oswald, the first of three WACO scores to start the second half.

On the first play of the Vikings’ next drive, WACO’s Colton Leichty came down with an interception off a tipped ball. The Warriors took the lead on a trick play that saw Reichenbach hit Zach Schmitz with a 10-yard touchdown pass.

The Warriors got the ball back and drove down to score again. On the same play as the first touchdown of the third, Diers once again leaked in open space and Oswald found him again, this time from 25-yards out. WACO’s lead was eight points, at 29-20.

“The second time, I kind of smiled,” said Oswald. “Like, 'oh he's wide open. I better hit this.'”

Funk scored eight points on a touchdown runand two-point conversion in the waning moments of the third quarter. WACO stretched the lead back to eight, at 36-28, on a two-yard touchdown run by John Rice, but the Funk tied it up in the last two minutes with another rushing touchdown and two-point conversion.

Oswald threw for 175 yards and two touchdowns on the day, both to Diers. Diers’ two touchdown catches went for 66 yards.

Reichenbach ran for 106 yards and a score, caught five passes for 56 yards and threw for 16 yards and a touchdown.

The WACO defense came away with two turnovers. Both Diers and Schmitz had one take-away.

“We had to put in a new defense, completely different from what we have all year,” Schmitz said. “Our guys did a really good job adjusting to that.”

WACO is now 9-0. The Warriors will travel to Martensdale-St. Mary’s for their second round game this week.