With a driving drizzle at times turning to rain plus a brisk wind throughout, an exciting second round Class 4A football playoff game took place Saturday at Waterloo High School.

The host Bulldogs (9-2) had a talented Cahokia squad tied at 20-20 entering the fourth quarter before the Comanches eventually pulled away for a 40-20 victory.

“I thought the weather conditions favored us,” Waterloo head football coach Dan Rose told the Republic-Times. “We left it all out there, for sure.” 

Cahokia’s Omar Mims Jr. took the opening kickoff 73 yards down the field for a touchdown in a flash. The Comanches missed their two-point try, so it was a 6-0 lead for Cahokia just 12 seconds in. 

The Bulldogs forced Cahokia to punt on its next possession. The punt was mishandled and gave Waterloo’s offense the ball at Cahokia’s 18 yard line. 

A good run by Justin Manning was key to the scoring drive, which culminated in a one-yard TD run by Waterloo quarterback Conrad Lindhorst. The extra point was missed, so it was a 6-6 contest midway through the opening quarter. 

Cahokia also botched its next punt attempt, but the Bulldogs were unable to capitalize on the great field position. 

A defensive pass interference penalty aided Cahokia’s next offensive drive, which ended with a 45-yard TD run by Correyontae Midgett at the start of the second quarter for a 12-6 Comanches lead.

Waterloo then drove deep into Cahokia territory, Manning coming up with another big run, but again the Bulldogs came away empty. 

“We had some drives stall when points were needed,” Rose said.

Cahokia QB Zion Taylor lofted a long pass down the sideline to Hartles Holmes, who scored a 79-yard TD. The two-point try was successful, so the Comanches led 20-6 with five minutes left in the first half. That would be the score at halftime. 

The third quarter was all Bulldogs. 

Waterloo put together a solid offensive drive that was capped off by Lindhorst’s second one-yard rushing score at 4:13. 

Waterloo’s defense forced a fumble on the very next drive. The recovery was made by Jack Gedris. Manning made yet another tough run, and the Bulldogs got their third Lindhorst one-yard TD run just more than a minute later. It was all tied up at 20-20 heading into the fourth quarter.

But just like the third quarter was all Bulldogs, the fourth quarter was all Comanches. 

Cahokia intercepted a Lindhorst pass deep in Waterloo territory. Mims ran it in from 19 yards out for a 26-20 lead in the first minute of the fourth quarter. 

Following a fruitless Waterloo offensive drive, Taylor hooked up with Midgett for a 43-yard TD pass that put Cahokia up 32-20 with just less than four minutes remaining. 

Finally, Taylor threw a 21-yard TD pass to Mims with less than two minutes remaining, making it a 40-20 contest. 

Waterloo ended its season at 9-2. Manning was the leading rusher for the Bulldogs on Saturday with 76 yards on 13 carries. 

Wyatt Luhr had a sack for Waterloo’s defense. 

Other stars on defense for the ‘Dogs included Owen Niebruegge (three tackles, 10 assists, fumble recovery) and Patrick O’Donnell (five tackles, two assists, fumble recovery).

Cahokia (9-2) will play Normal University High next week in the third round of the Class 4A playoffs.

As for the season in review, Rose expressed pride in the outgoing seniors.

“I can’t say enough about our seniors,” Rose said. “Every single one of them contributed in some way. We had a bunch of seniors who really fit in well to a role.”

Some seniors were first-time members of the team, including 6-foot-9 hoops standout Alex Stell. 

Another success story was senior Noah Pickering, who missed his sophomore and junior seasons to ACL injuries.

“He just kept working and was a good cornerback for us,” Rose said.

In addition to these players plus Manning, Gedris, Luhr and O’Donnell, senior Bulldogs included Brock Arpin, Austin Crider, Jackson Deutch, Cole Dilley, Noah Ehlers, Drew Glowacki, Collin Groves, Steven Lopez, Chris Pete, Blaeden Sease and Aiden Sensel.

The future still looks bright for Waterloo football, however. Among the returning players for 2025 include juniors Lindhorst, Derez Sayles and Niebruegge.

Lindhorst threw for 618 yards with six TDs to three interceptions. 

Sayles led the ‘Dogs in rushing with 1,385 yards, averaging 8.7 yards per carry. He scored 23 TDs.

Niebruegge led the team in total tackles this season with 93.

“We had a great year,” Rose said. “I’m proud of my coaches, proud of our kids. Everybody bought into the program and into each other.”

For photos from Saturday’s game, click here.