WACO prevails!

CEDAR FALLS — It was an absolute battle at the UNI-Dome on Wednesday afternoon as No. 2 WACO and No. 8 Newell-Fonda opened up the 2022 state football semifinals with a thriller, and in the end it was the Warriors who moved onto the championship.

After blowing an 11-point lead, the Warriors buckled down and rallied in the second half to knock off the Mustangs 29-21.

It was a defensive battle early on, but the Warriors had the upper-hand early. WACO opened the scoring on its first drive, cashing in on a 28-yard field goal by Simeon Reichenbach. The defense played solidly in the first, and it was 3-0 after one quarter.

Newell-Fonda’s defense played to stop the run, and it was working in the first half. WACO’s usually dominant run game wasn’t getting its normal push, so quarterback Isaac Oswald had to let it fly, and let it fly he did.

With just under seven minutes left in the second quarter, Oswald let one rip down field to an open Mason Miller. Miller got behind the defense and Oswald hit him for a 28-yard touchdown pass. The 2-point conversion pass from Reichenbach to Reece Oswald was good, and WACO led 11-0.

“They stacked the box. They put seven guys out there,” said WACO head coach Chad Edeker. “They were going to say, 'Simeon is not going to beat us.' We did a nice job of completing some balls.”

Unfortunately, things started going south on the next Mustang drive. Newell-Fonda quarterback Mason Dicks broke loose for a 44-yard run to put the Mustangs inside the 30-yard line, and then dropped in a 22-yard touchdown pass to Wyatt Kleft to cut the lead to 11-7.

Not only was WACO’s advantage down to four points at the break, but the Warriors were dealing with two big injuries, a game-ender for Ty Egli and a nagging leg injury to Reichenbach.

To make matters worse, the Warroirs’ lead didn’t last for very long. Newell-Fonda had its best sustained drive of the day to start the third, going 59 yards on 10 plays to score on a 2-yard run by Ryan Greenfield. The Mustangs took a 14-11 lead, the first second-half deficit for the Warriors all season long.

On the bright side, Reichenbach was back in and feeling better, and with their backs against the wall, the Warriors stepped up to the plate.

“Our kids fought hard,” Edeker said. “I never saw any fear in their eyes.”

WACO responded with a seven-play, 65-yard scoring drive of its own. Reichenbach broke free for a 23-yard touchdown run and the Warriors had a 19-14 lead.

On the ensuing Newell-Fonda possession, the Warriors made the play of the game on special teams. After forcing a punt, Colton Leichty broke through the line and blocked the kick, giving the Warriors the ball inside the 10-yard line.

“When we played Central City, they had a weird punt, and every time they went to punt, I was right there,” Leichty said. “They were just teasing me. It feels so good to get this one.”

Reichenbach pushed the lead to eight points on a 20-yard field goal, and after three periods, the Warriors were on top, 22-14.

WACO had a shot at pushing the lead to two possessions, but a pair of long field goal attempts by Riechenbach sailed wide. The Mustangs had a few chances to tie the game, but the WACO defense seemed to get stronger as the day went on.

“The other teams usually find something wrong with our defense,” Leichty said. “We just adapt to that and overcome.”

Newell-Fonda had the ball deep in its own territory with less than five minutes left in the game when Oleh Shtefanchuk made a leaping interception to give WACO the ball back. That put the offense in great position inside the 20, and it was Reichenbach again who came through, scoring on the very next play on a 19-yard rushing touchdown.

Down 29-14, Newell-Fonda came right back, scoring on a 44-yard pass from Dicks to Greenfield to cut it to 29-21. The Mustangs then forced a WACO punt to get the ball back with 2:46 left on the clock.

Newell-Fonda took the ball to its own 36 before the WACO pass rush became too much for the Mustang offensive line. The Mustangs were pushed back to the 20, where they faced a make-or-break 4th-and-17.

“We knew they had a high offensively powered team,” Reichenbach said. “We just had to do our jobs.”

And the WACO defense certainly did that. Dicks dropped back to pass, but Chase Waterhouse got ahold of him and spun him down for a game-clinching sack.

“This is the first fourth quarter we've had to play," said Edeker. ”I thought they played great.“

WACO knelt on the ball to let the time run out and it was time to rejoice for the Warrior faithful. Newell-Fonda’s season came to an end, and WACO moved on to Thursday morning’s state championship game, where they will play No. 1 Remsen, St. Mary’s.

Isaac Oswald went 15-for-27 passing the ball, throwing for 197 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 15.

Reichenbach ended the game with 90 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, as well as 49 yards receiving. Miller led the pass-catchers with four grabs for 57 yards and a score.

Louden Huisenga and Reece Oswald each caught two passes for 30 yards. Cody Graber made two catches. Egli and Shtefanchuk each had one.

Leichty led the defense with 12.5 tackles on the day, including an incredible 5.5 tackles for loss. Drew Diers had 10.5 tackles on the day, including two tackles for loss. Shtefanchuk had nine tackles and an interception. Waterhouse ended the day with 6.5 tackles, including four for a loss.

WACO’s championship game against Remsen, St. Mary’s will kick off at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 17.

“I can't say enough about them,” Edeker said. “They played their tails off, and they're going to get to play for a championship.”