The Waterloo High School football squad fell to 2-2 on the season following a 24-19 loss at Mascoutah this past Friday to open its final year of Mississippi Valley Conference play.

The Bulldogs fell behind 21-0 after the first quarter but battled back to make a game of it. 

Owen Niebruegge came through with a 41-yard TD run to put Waterloo on the board at 8:55 of the second quarter. That was followed a short time later by a Derez Sayles TD run of four yards to further cut into Mascoutah’s lead.

Mascoutah ended the first half with a 42-yard field goal to go up 24-13. 

The only scoring of the second half came via a pass from Waterloo quarterback Conrad Lindhorst to Niebruegge for 10 yards. That was as close as the Bulldogs would get on this night, however. 

Sayles ran for 156 yards on 27 carries and also had 33 yards receiving. Niebruegge rushed for 75 yards and added 25 yards receiving. 

Niebruegge led Waterloo’s defense with three tackles and eight assists.

Lindhorst was 7-for-16 passing for 105 yards and one TD pass. 

Sayles remains Waterloo’s top offensive player this season with 600 yards rushing (6.8 yards per carry) and eight TDs.

Waterloo hosts MVC foe Civic Memorial (1-3) this Friday for its homecoming game.

Civic Memorial lost 28-27 to Triad last Friday.