CENTRALIA, Ill. — First came the fast start.

Then came stiff defense when it was most needed.

And finally, a dose of complimentary football to put the game away.

Waterloo got all those attributes going Friday night to score a 45-21 win over previously unbeaten Centralia at Evers Field.

“We put last week in the past,” running back Derez Sayles said of a 27-18 rivalry loss to Columbia. “We know we’re a good team. We just played solid in every category.”

Sayles was responsible for a good chunk of the offense, especially in a 21-point first quarter. His 56-yard run on the Bulldogs’ second play led to a 1-yard sneak by quarterback Conrad Lindhorst that initiated the scoring at the 7:35 mark of the first quarter.

Sayles zipped 38 yards up the middle with 3:07 remaining in the period, cappi

See Full Page