For Columbus East, it will be a brand new opponent.
For Columbus North, the opponent will be all too familiar.
The Olympians and Bull Dogs open sectional play tonight after all Class 6A teams were off last week. East travels to Franklin Central, while North hosts 6A No. 1 Center Grove.
“We have to play the best football game that we’ve played this year, and there’s no reason that we shouldn’t,” North coach Tim Bless said. “Our fundamentals are the best they’ve been. Our mastery of scheme is the best it’s been. We just have to go out and hope it’s a battle in the fourth quarter.”
The Trojans (9-0) have been dominant this season, outscoring their opponents 368-66. Center Grove is ranked No. 17 in the country by USA Today and No. 23 by MaxPreps.
Senior Carson Steele, a four-year starter, has been a workhorse for the Trojans, carrying 167 times for 1,117 yards and 21 touchdowns. Junior Tayven Jackson has completed 72 of 122 passes for 1,131 yards and 11 scores. Senior Connor Delp has caught 28 passes for 554 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, Center Grove is led by junior end Cam Curry, who has 37 tackles, including 15 for losses, with seven sacks. Curry has multiple Division I offers, including Ohio State, while senior defensive lineman Austin Booker has committed to Minnesota.
“They’re are just simply no chinks in their armor,” Bless said. “All of their starters on their team — offense, defense, special teams — are rock solid.”
For the Bull Dogs (6-2), senior Blake Huffman has carried 148 times for 1,047 yards and 16 touchdowns. Junior Luke Hammons has completed 99 of 157 passes for 1,198 yards and 12 scores and carried 106 times for 820 yards and seven touchdowns. Junior Keegan Castetter has 38 catches for 602 yards and four scores.
North, with its two losses having been by a combined eight points, won four in a row to close the regular season.
“I love the work ethic of our kids,” Bless said. “Our kids work really hard. I think we would have just as soon kept playing. We were on a roll, but we’ll take the advantage of the extra time as best we can.”
Although he didn’t identify the player, Bless said the Bull Dogs will be missing one starter who is in quarantine because of contract tracing.
Meanwhile, East also likely will be without one of its top players tonight. Senior Mark McDonald, who ran for 1,215 yards and 24 touchdowns in the first eight games, missed the regular-season finale at Madison, and coach Bob Gaddis would not comment on his status.
Gaddis said junior Tryce Villarreal will start at running back, and senior wide receiver/cornerback Crase Bergman also could see some carries. Starting receiver Trey Neal will not play because of back injury, and Tyler Thompson, who also plays some cornerback, likely will start in his place.
The Olympians (7-2) will be playing Franklin Central (1-8) for the first time in school history.
“I think that’s one of the great things about our tournament,” Gaddis said. “We’ve never played them in football. We’ve talked with our players the last couple weeks about that. It’s a chance to go up to Marion County and play football. At this time of the year, everybody goes into it 0-0.”
Colin Badgero has completed 100 of 217 passes for 1,041 yards and four touchdowns for the Flashes. Aataevon Jordan has carried 115 times for 614 yards and two scores, and Josh Ruley has 125 carries for 508 yards and six touchdowns.
“What we’ve been impressed with watching them on tape is that they’ve only been out of one game,” Gaddis said. “They’ve played five ranked opponents, and they’ve been in every game except for Westfield. That’s just a really good football league that they’re competing in. They’re physically big, and they have quite a few talented players. Our players do a pretty good job of preparing, and Franklin Central got their attention from the first tape we watched on them. They have some pretty good athletes, and they do some pretty good things.”
East senior Malachi Parks has completed 40 of 77 passes for 812 yards and seven touchdowns and carried 125 times for 1,019 yards and 11 scores. Villarreal has run 96 times for 576 yards and six touchdowns. Bergman has caught 12 passes for 299 yards and four scores, and junior Charles Claycamp has 12 catches for 287 yards and three touchdowns.
The Olympians have won six in a row following a 1-2 start.
“I think we got better, and as everybody we can attest to, the start of the season was pretty tough,” Gaddis said. “I think we’ve done a better job of coaching during the pandemic, and our players have done a better job of playing through the pandemic. It’s been a different year, but it’s just been fun to see our guys get better as the season has gone on.”
