WACO pulls away from Columbus

Columbus tailback Esteban Gutierrez?s second touchdown of the night tied Friday?s game at WACO 12-12 early in the third quarter, but the host Warriors outscored the Wildcats 28-6 the rest of the way to take a 40-18 win.

WACO senior Tyler Ayers? 6-yard touchdown run put the Warriors (1-0) ahead for good, and then sophomore Tucker Janecek added three more touchdown runs.

Janecek rushed for 219 yards on just seven carries in the contest, including touchdown runs of 53, 32, 52 and 65 yards. Ayers added 147 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries for WACO, which amassed 398 yards on the ground as a team.

Gutierrez finished with 151 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 22 carries for the Wildcats (0-1). Sophomore quarterback Ethan Leyden also threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Chase Finke late in the fourth quarter.