Eagles win thriller over Freeburg; ‘Dogs fall just short

Columbia’s Ronnie Hunsaker powers into the endzone in the final minute of the Eagles’ 38-34 win over Freeburg. For more photos from the game, click here. (Alan Dooley photo)

In an exciting night of early autumn high school football action Friday night, Columbia outlasted Freeburg in a thriller while Waterloo fell just short in its homecoming game against Jerseyville.

The Eagles remained perfect on the season at 6-0 with a 38-34 win in a game that went down to the wire. The teams were tied 14-14 at halftime and traded scores throughout the second half into the final minute.

Following a Freeburg touchdown on a fourth down play that gave the Midgets a 34-31 lead with just 3:41 left in the game, Columbia quarterback Nic Horner connected on a short pass to running back Ronnie Hunsaker, who took it in from 21 yards out to put the Eagles ahead for good with 31 seconds remaining.

Horner was 17-of-25 passing on the night for 286 yards and three TDs. He rushed for another score. Hunsaker rushed for 178 yards and added 40 receiving yards with two total TDs, including a 98-yard TD scamper in the first half.

Horner’s other TD passes were to twin brother Sam Horner in the fourth quarter and Londyn Little in the first quarter.

In Waterloo, the state runner-up 1993 football team was honored prior to the Bulldogs’ homecoming contest against Jerseyville.

The Bulldogs fed off the early energy of this special night by scoring first when linebacker Darren Carner recovered a Jerseyville fumble and ran 30 yards for a TD at 8:46 of the first quarter.

Waterloo appeared to be heading into halftime with the lead until Jerseyville scored with 1:05 remaining in the second quarter to tie the score at 7-7. On the ensuing drive, Jerseyville picked off a Waterloo pass attempt, setting up a short field. The Panthers quickly scored from five yards out to close out the half with a 14-7 lead.

Waterloo running back Dalton Viglasky scored the first of his three TDs on the night early in the third quarter on a 53-yard run to make it a 14-13 game.

Jerseyville went up 21-13, however, with five minutes left in the third quarter and then made it a 15-point lead with a short TD run.

Viglasky scored on two short TD runs in the fourth quarter, the first of which was followed by a failed two-point conversion try. The Bulldogs fell short by the score of 28-26.

Viglasky rushed for 209 yards on the night.

For photos from the Columbia-Freeburg game, click here.

For photos from the Waterloo-Jerseyville game, click here.

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Corey Saathoff

Corey is the editor of the Republic-Times. He has worked at the newspaper since 2004, and currently resides in Columbia. He is also the principal singer-songwriter and plays guitar in St. Louis area country-rock band The Trophy Mules.
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