These metro-east football players gave the best performances of Week 7
▪ Althoff senior Justin Strong had interception returns of 79 and 39 yards for touchdowns and rushed for 89 yards as the Crusaders clinched a playoff bid with a 48-21 South Seven Conference win over Carbondale. Strong added a 17-yard touchdown run for Althoff (6-1).
▪ Wood River running backs Gabe Grimes and Zach Womack combined for 241 yards and three touchdowns as the Oilers (5-2) clinched a winning season with a 33-0 win over South Fork on Thursday. Grimes rushed for 135 yards and a score while Womack added a pair of touchdowns and 106 yards on the ground.
▪ Edwardsville quarterback Kendall Abdur-Rahman ran for 200 yards on 15 carries as the Tigers roared past Belleville East 49-25 in a Southwestern Conference game Friday. Abdur-Rahman added an 81-yard touchdown run for Edwardsville which won for the fourth straight week after an 0-3 start.
▪ Althoff senior Richard Cosey rushed for 125 yards and added a 6-yard touchdown as the Crusaders defeated Carbondale.
▪ Althoff senior Devyn Nash continued to dominate on the defensive line with 12 tackles — six for negative yardage — and added three quarterback sacks during the Crusaders 48-21 win over Carbondale.
▪ Alton quarterback Taylor Price was 5-of-8 for 144 yards and three touchdowns and added 65 yards on the ground as the Redbirds pounded O’Fallon 50-20 on Friday in Alton.
▪ Althoff placekicker Stone Galloway booted two field goals for the second week in a row as Althoff throttled Carbondale 48-21. Galloway’s field goals were from 42 and 24 yards.
▪ Columbia quarterback Nic Horner was 18 of 26 yards for 226 yards and two scores as the Eagles rallied past Central 30-26 on Friday. Wide receiver Jordan Holmes caught 10 passes for 170 yards — including touchdown throws of 11 and 48 yards from Horner.
▪ Jerseyville quarterback Drew Sauerwein was 20 of 32 for 167 yards and scored the Panthers lone touchdown — a 14-yard run — in a 13-7 loss at Triad.
▪ Central wide receivers Garrett Richter and Alex Garcia combined for 14 catches for nearly 200 yards in a 30-26 loss to Columbia. Richter caught nine passes including a 13-yard touchdown toss from quarterback Trent Nunn.
▪ Triad running back Devin Towns scored on a 7-yards run in overtime as Triad (6-1) clinched a playoff berth with a 13-7 win over Jerseyville. Towns finished with 82 yards on 22 carries.
▪ Highland senior quarterback Garrett Marti continued to amaze and dominate Friday, accounting for nearly 400 yards of total offense in the Bulldogs 68-24 win over Waterloo in a Mississippi Valley Conference game. Marti was 15 of 19 for 287 yards nd three touchdowns. He also ran for 96 yards — including a 74-yard touchdown run.
▪ Highland wide receiver Sam LaPorta caught nine passes for 199 yards and three scores in the Bulldogs rout over Waterloo. LaPorta caught scoring passes of three, 54 and nine yards from quarterback Garrett Marti.
▪ Wesclin seniors KJ Corley and RJ Kattenbraker combined for 234 yards on the ground and three touchdowns as the Warriors defeated Freeburg. Kattenbraker finished with 138 yards and scored on runs of 49 and 30 yards while Corley tallied on a 4-yard run. The Warriors finished with 566 yards of total offense including 462 yards on the ground.
▪ Freeburg quarterback Cal Clossen was 7 of 13 for 121 yards and three touchdowns for Freeburg which fell to 1-6 by dropping a 61-58 decision to Wesclin.
▪ East St. Louis senior Jigg Brown scored on four short touchdown runs and caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Christian Perez as the Flyers blanked Granite City. Wide receiver Keantez Lewis had three catches for 104 yards for East St. Louis.
▪ Freeburg running back Hayden Shea rushed for 164 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Midgets 61-58 loss to Wesclin. Shea scored on runs two and 39 yards while adding an 87 yard kickoff return for a score.
▪ Alton senior Darrell Smith ran for 95 yards while scoring three touchdowns as the Redbirds moved close to a playoff bid with a win over O’Fallon.
▪ Belleville West running backs Kriston Davis and DeUndrey Johnson both rushed for over 100 yards as the Maroons moved ever so close to a playoff bid with a 47-0 thumping of Collinsville. Davis ran for 123 yards and two, 14 and 43 yards, while Johnson added a 39 yard scamper as part of his 106-yard night.
▪ Central quarterback Trent Nunn ran for 120 yards and was 17 of 28 for 230 yards and a touchdown in the Cougars 30-26 loss at Columbia. Nunn also added touchdown runs of .1, 1 and 5 yards for the Cougars who have dropped three straight games after a 4-0 start.
▪ Wearing a brace to protect his torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee, Columbia senior Colton Byrd returned to the lineup with a band as he rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns — including the game winner with just over two minutes remaining as the Eagles defeated Central 30-26 on Friday,.
▪ East St. Louis senior quarterback Christian Perez was 15 of 23 for 328 yards and two touchdowns as the Flyers clinched a spot in the posteseason with a 58-0 win over Granite City. East St. Louis moved to 5-0 in the Southwestern Conference and is now 6-1 for the season.
▪ Wesclin junior running back Gavin Bilbruck rushed for 196 yards and two touchdowns as the Warriors rallied late for an unforgettable 61-58 win over Freeburg. Bilbruck scored on runs of one and four yards for Wesclin which remained undefeated at 7-0.
▪ Highland running Brady Feldman dashed 42 yards for a touchdown and finished with 120 yards as the Bulldogs defeated Waterloo 68-24 on Friday.
▪ Mascoutah running back Ronald Clay rushed 24 times for 94 yards and a score as the Indians defeated Civic Memorial 28-0 on Friday in a Mississippi Valley Conference game. Clay also added nine tackles on the defensive side of the football.
This story was originally published October 10, 2017 at 1:59 PM with the headline "These metro-east football players gave the best performances of Week 7."