The Audubon Wheelers and Exira-EHK Spartans battled it out to the bitter end in Exira on Friday night. Ultimately the Wheelers will able to hang on to the lead they had for a majority of the game and get their first 8-Man Football win 38-32.

The Wheelers are transitioning this season from 11-man to 8-man football and they got a great early test from the Spartans.  Coach Sean Birks said he wasn’t sure what to expect but was proud of the way his team learned throughout the game.

The Spartans got off to an early 7-0 lead on the first possession of the game but Audubon answered back with a score on their first offensive possession.  The Wheelers took the lead for good on the first play of the second quarter as Quarterback Tyler Reibhoff scampered in on a 13-yard touchdown run to make it 12-7.  The Wheelers would lead 24-7 at half but Exira-EHK used their strong depth to push back within a score twice in the second half.  Coach Birks liked the way the Wheelers responded to adversity when the Spartans rallied back.

Exira-EHK scored the final points of the game on a 3 yard Drew Buckholdt touchdown run with 4:01 remaining that made it a 38-32 ballgame.  The Wheelers were able to churn out three first downs on their final possession to milk the clock dry and seal the win.  Wheeler Receiver Josh Lange said it was good to get a win against a strong Spartan squad.