It was a winning Friday night for all three local high school football squads – and in dominating fashion, no less.

The talk of the area this fall has been the Dupo Tigers, and for good reason. Head coach Zach Klaustermeier’s team improved to 6-0 with a 56-14 blasting of Red Bud on the road Friday night.

Dupo senior quarterback Deegan Prater had a sensational game, going 17-for-19 through the air for 356 yards and six touchdown passes. 

The Tigers led 21-0 after the first quarter.

Brady Portell was Prater’s favorite receiving target on this night, hauling in four catches for 162 yards. Brrayden Esterlein added five catches and 96 yards.

Tramar Bean carried the ball seven times for 101 rushing yards.

On defense, the Tigers saw impressive performances from Esterlein (two interceptions), Bean (interception), Braxton Barnett (two sacks, fumble recovery), and Shia Owensby (three sacks).

Dupo will put its unbeaten record to the test this Friday night as it plays at Chester (5-1).

For the season, Prater has thrown for 1,351 yards and 19 TDs compared to just three interceptions. He’s also rushed for 248 yards and seven TDs plus six two-point conversions.

Dupo has three players with more than 300 yards receiving already this season: Esterlein, Portell and Thinh Staggs.

Also winning big Friday night was Columbia (5-1), which obliterated Wood River on homecoming night to the tune of 62-0.

Senior running back Jase Nelson started the scoring for the Eagles with a 65-yard TD run at 9:35 of the first quarter. Sophomore quarterback Xavier Voegele followed with a 13-yard TD pass to Max Dreher at 7:50. Then, Nelson ran in another one at 5:54 – this time from 44 yards out.

Emmitt Wheatley had a short TD run, and Ricky Prater had a short TD reception to close the opening quarter with Columbia up 35-0.

Mason McTearnen scored on a five-yard TD run for the Eagles early in the second quarter. Ethan Habermehl added a short TD run with just more than five minutes left in this quarter, and Columbia took a 48-0 lead into halftime.

With a running clock due to the score, Columbia scored in the second half on TD runs by Kaden Rainbolt and Dalton Harvell.

Nelson finished his night with 129 yards rushing on just four carries. 

Voegele’s only two pass attempts in the contest were TD completions.

On defense, Harvell recovered two Wood River fumbles.

For the season, Nelson has rushed for 703 yards, and has 126 receiving yards to go along with 290 kick return yards and 145 punt return yards. In all, he’s scored nine TDs.

Voegele has thrown for 635 yards and 11 TDs compared to just two interceptions.

The Eagles play Friday at Salem in another Cahokia Conference clash.

Waterloo (4-2) displayed its powerful running game yet again in a 48-14 victory Friday night at Jerseyville. 

The Bulldogs had 420 total yards rushing on this night.

Senior quarterback Conrad Lindhorst got things started for Waterloo with a one-yard TD run at 9:13 of the first quarter. That was followed just more than four minutes later with a five-yard TD run by senior running back Derez Sayles.

Lindhorst then connected on a 72-yard TD throw to Owen Niebruegge near the end of the quarter that put Waterloo up 21-0.

In the second quarter, Sayles ripped off a 38-yard TD scamper, then recovered a fumble on defense a few minutes later and scored again.

Not to be outdone, Niebruegge dashed to the endzone for a 39-yard TD run with just more than a minute left in the first half.

Jerseyville finally got on the board with a 22-yard TD run just before halftime.

Mason West got into the action with a 25-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter.

Niebruegge rushed for 114 yards and had 101 receiving yards in the win. Niebruegge also had one of Waterloo’s four sacks on defense.

Sayles ran for 96 yards.

Lindhorst was 5-for-7 passing for 124 yards.

For the season, Sayles has rushed for 858 yards (7.5 yards per carry) and has scored 14 total TDs.

Waterloo plays this Friday night at Highland in another tough MVC battle.