Red Bud knocks off Columbia in MVC showdown

Alex Birchler was on the receiving end of four Griffin Ziebold touchdown passes as the Red Bud Musketeers knocked off Cahokia Conference rival Columbia 41-21 Friday.

The win sets both teams at 5-3 and in position to clinch playoff spots in the regular season’s final week.

Columbia took a 7-0 lead in the second quarter when Nic Horner connected with Sam Horner on a 31-yard touchdown pass. But Red Bud tied it just 21 seconds before the end of the first half when Logan Houba recovered an Eagles fumble in the endzone.

Red Bud rallied ahead in the third quarter thanks to the Ziebold-to-Birchler connection, who paired for scores of 9, 35 and 44 yards on consecutive possessions.

Ziebold hit Seth Bass for a 15 yard pass less than a minute into the fourth quarter to put Red Bud ahead 34-7. Houba scored again, this time on a four-yard run.

Sam Horner and Shane Wilhelm scored for Columbia in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles can clinch a playoff berth with a win at Jerseyville (3-5) next Friday. Red Bud can do the same on its home turf against Sparta.

This story was originally published October 13, 2017 at 10:26 PM with the headline "Red Bud knocks off Columbia in MVC showdown."