The Audubon Wheelers (9-0, 7-0) play host to the Newell-Fonda Mustangs (8-1, 6-1) in the first round of the 8-Man Football Playoffs on Friday night.  It’s a showdown of top 5 rated teams in the opening round and will draw a lot of attention from around the state.

Audubon has mostly breezed through their regular season schedule, allowing an average of just 8.8pts per game to their opponents.  Along with the stellar defense, there has also been productive offense for the Wheelers. Quarterback Tyler Reibhoff has thrown for 806 yards and 14 touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,015 yards and 24 more scores. Running back Nolan Smith has racked up 779 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns, while also catching 12 passes for 264 yards and hitting pay-dirt 3 more times.  Newell-Fonda Head Coach Brian Wilken says the balance that Audubon possesses on offense makes them tough to defend.

Newell-Fonda has done their offensive damage on the ground. Jesse Haack leads a talented backfield with 955 yards and 15 scores. Austin Gerdes has piled up 794 yards and 10 scores and is averaging 10.9 yards per carry. Coach Wilken talked about his team’s emphasis on the ground game.

Audubon Co-Head Coach Sean Birks said his team has played great defense all season long and they know that has to continue to have success in the postseason. Coach Birks thinks the Mustangs will provide a tough challenge up front.

Coach Birks hopes that their offensive balance with Tyler Reibhoff at the helm can help them gain an advantage.

The Wheelers have bowed out of the playoffs in the first round the past three seasons so they certainly want to change that script this season. The Mustangs were also knocked out of the playoffs in the first round last year with a loss to Ar-We-Va, so both teams will be hungry for a playoff win.

We’ll have coverage of the Wheelers and the Mustangs on KJAN Friday night. Chris Parks and Mike Smith will have the call from Audubon with pregame at 6:20pm and kickoff at 7:00pm. You can find the game on AM1220, FM101.1, online at kjan.com, and on the KJAN mobile app. You can also catch our final pick ’em show of the season Who’s Gonna Win? at 5:45pm to get the night started.