All three area teams hosted games to open up the 2015 high school football season on Friday night.

Columbia easily defeated Wood River, 49-0. Last season, also in week one, the Eagles soared to a 62-0 win against the Oilers. This year, they hosted Wood River and it was much of the same.

Kenny Fields led the Eagles with two touchdowns on 85 yards rushing.

Waterloo fell at home to Herrin, 40-19. The ‘Dogs held a 19-16 lead late in the third quarter, but Herrin roared back for 24 unanswered points.

Hayden Bender scored on a 48-yard pass reception in the first quarter for the ‘Dogs. A 19-yard TD run by Max Jennings kept the Bulldogs in the game in the second quarter. Waterloo took the lead very briefly late in the third quarter on another Jennings TD run that was set up by a 33-yard reception by Mitchell Gladney, who had 100 yards receiving on the night.

But Herrin’s Gavyn Gosha answered with a 70-yard run for Herrin — one of his four TDs on the night — and the Tigers cruised to victory from there.

Waterloo lost four fumbles in the loss.

Dupo started its season off with a 45-12 loss at home to Sparta. The Tigers trailed 6-0 after the first quarter. Dupo’s Adam Nichols ran in a touchdown early in the second quarter to tie the game 6-6. That’s as close as the game would be as Sparta pulled ahead, 20-6, at halftime.

Waterloo hosts Columbia next Friday at 7 p.m. Dupo travels to Breese Central and also kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday.

For a full recap of this week’s action, pick up a copy of the Sept. 2 newspaper.

For team photos of local football and other fall sports teams that are available for purchase as prints, click here.