The Highland football team is back on the field this Friday when they travel to Wapello to meet the Indians to start districts. The Huskies dropped their season and home opener to Martensdale-St. Marys last Friday 13-0. Highland was outgained 242-96 in total including 98-18 passing. The Huskies lost the turnover battle 3-1. Caleb Wheeler was three of 10 through the air for 18 yards and an interception, with Tyler Pierson, Hunter Seibel and Garrett Beeson all catching a ball. Aiden Yoder led the ground attack with nine rushes for 45 yards. Defensively, Wheeler racked up a team best 10 tackles. As a team the Huskies had seven stops for loss, two from Landon Roling and Hamilton Krotz jumped on a fumble.

Wapello is 1-0 after a season opening win at Louisa-Muscatine 34-12. The Indians exploded to win total yards 380-111, including 254-52 through the air. Wapello won the turnover battle 4-2. Individual Indians leaders included Rowen Atkinson with 328 all-purpose yards, 15 of 24 throwing for 254 yards, a score and a pick. Justyn Faulkner led the receivers with five grabs for 112 yards and a touchdown. Kinnick Richenberger also caught five balls. On the ground, Atkinson added two scores and 71 yards on 16 carries. Edgar Vazquez and Grant Wilson had a touchdown each. Defensively, Vazquez went for 10 tackles, two for loss to lead the way. He also dove on a fumble. Wyatt Marlette recovered another fumble and Atkinson and Faulkner each picked off a pass. This week, Highland head coach Cory Quail talked about what he wants to see from his team week two. “We’ll take a look at film and see what Wapello does. There will be certain things that the offense can attack and things that our defense can shut down and we’ll adjust. At the same time, the focus we need to have is on what we can control. Not necessarily what Wapello does. We’ve always talked about that, what can we control as a Highland Huskies football team. I think if we can execute those things, we’ll have success.”

Wapello has won seven of the last nine in the series, but the games in 2023 and 2024 have gone to Highland by a combined 71-0 score. Action starts at 7p.m. Friday at the McGill Athletic Complex in Wapello.