With playoff spots on the line, these metro-east football players came up big
▪ Alton running back Darrell Smith rushed for 263 yards and five touchdowns as the Redbirds crushed Granite City 56-14 on Friday in a Southwestern Conference game. The win makes Alton (5-3) playoff eligible.
▪ Althoff running back Richard Cosey ran for 126 yards and a touchdown as Althoff clinched a tie for the South Seven Conference title with a 21-20 win over Cahokia
▪ Marquette (7-1) continued to roll as Treven Swengler ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns while Aaron Gregory ran for 105 yards and a score in a 49-6 win over South Mac.
▪ Highland defensive lineman Sam Buck had 12 tackles — nine solos — as the Bulldogs got past Mascoutah in a Mississippi Valley Conference game.
▪ Belleville East running back Freddie Waller rushed for 232 yards and two touchdowns as the Lancers held off Collinsville 44-35 on Friday. Waller scored on runs of 20 and 98 yards for the Lancers (2-6).
▪ Edwardsville freshman Justin Johnson rushed for 136 yards on 22 carried ad the Tigers walloped Belleville Wet 45-14 in a SWC game.
▪ Mascoutah quarterback Devin Ross was 16 of 27 for 210 yards and a score while running for a pair of touchdowns in a 55-22 setback to Highland.
▪ Jerseyville senior Drew Sauerwein completed 21 of 29 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns as the Panthers defeated Civic Memorial 42-0.
▪ Central quarterback Trent Nunn was 18 of 32 for 273 yards in a 34-25 loss at Wesclin. Nunn also ran for three scores for the Cougars.
▪ Belleville East quarterback Kienan Waller was 15 of 29 for 182 yards and threw a pair of touchdown passes as the Lancers downed Collinsville 44-35.
▪ Highland running back Brady Feldman ran 10 times for 99 yards and scored three touchdowns as the Bulldogs ripped past Mascoutah 55-22.
▪ East St. Louis quarterback Christian Perez was 10 of 22 for 214 yards and five touchdowns as the Flyers clinched a tie for the SWC title by beating O’Fallon.
▪ Jerseyville’s Kurt Hall rushed twice for 95 yards and scored twice while wide receiver Blake Wittman caught 10 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown in the Pamthers win over MVC rival Civic Memorial.
▪ Edwardsville junior quarterback quarterback Kendall Abdur-Rahman rushed for five touchdowns and threw for another score as the Tigers stretched their winning streak to five with a stunning 45-14 win over Belleville West. Abdur-Rahman finished with 156 yards on 16 carries.
▪ Belleville West running back DeUndrey Johnson scored on runs of two and 54 yards in a 45-14 loss to Edwardsville. Johnson finished with 128 yards on 16 carries for the Maroons (5-3).
▪ Mascoutah running back Ronald Clay rushed for 112 yards on 16 attempts in a 55-22 loss to Mississippi Valley Conference champion Highland.
▪ East St. Louis running back Cam Rodgers rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown as the Flyers romped over O’Fallon 54-7 in a Southwestern Conference game.
▪ Collinsville quarterback Chris Chi was 11 of 26 for 224 yards and three touchdowns while wide receiver Malcolm Burns caught four passes for 129 yards. Burns caught scoring passes of 66. 31 and 25 yards in a 44-35 loss to Belleville East.
▪ Freeburg running backs Hayden Shea and Jake Koerber both went over the 100 yard mark in a 41-21 loss at Salem. Shea ran for 131 yards on 25 carries, while Koerber ran for 115 yards on 10 carries and added a 33-yard scoring run.
▪ East St. Louis linebacker Eric Owens Jr. had 14 tackles — including 11 solos — as the Flyeers defeated O’Fallon 54-7.
▪ Red Bud wide receiver Alex Birchler caught eight passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns as Red Bud (5-3) defeated Columbia. Birchler caught scoring passes of eight, 35 and 44 yards from quarterback Griffin Ziebold.
▪ Granite City running back Jerry Watson rushed for 212 yards in the Warriors 45-14 loss at Alton. Watson now has 927 yards for the season.
▪ Red Bud quarterback Griffin Ziebold completed 17 of 27 for 336 yards and four touchdowns as the Musketeers moved close to clinching a playoff spot with a 41-21 win against Columbia.
▪ Mater Dei defenders Nic Seelhoeffer and Logan Johnson combined for 31 tackles i n the Knights 20-8 ;loss to St. Charles, (Mo.) West. Seelhoeffer led the Knights defense with 17 tackles.
▪ Triad defensive players Nathan Clark and Aric Crehan had 11 tackles each as the Knights improved to 7-1 with a 23-14 win at Mississippi Valley Conference foe Waterloo.
▪ Waterloo linebacker Jesse Matthews was credited with 16 tackles — including 10 solos — in the Bulldogs loss to Triad.
This story was originally published October 16, 2017 at 6:14 PM with the headline "With playoff spots on the line, these metro-east football players came up big."