On a night when neither team had much fortune stopping the other, Roncalli’s defense came up with the play of the game in the final two minutes.
Senior defensive lineman Owen Volk stepped in front of a Luke Hammons pass on fourth-and-7 from the Columbus North 46, and returned it to the 28. From there, the Rebels ran out the clock to preserve a 31-27 victory.
“Obviously, we have a disappointed locker room,” North coach Tim Bless said. “Senior night, you want to come away victorious. We played a really good football team tonight. We played them tooth and nail, and back to the drawing board.”
The Bull Dogs (2-2) played without standout senior running back Blake Huffman. Huffman, who had run for more than 500 yards in the first three games, injured an ankle in last week’s win at Southport.
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Junior Dyllan Redmon started in Huffman’s place and carried 20 times for 118 yards and a touchdown.
“We were hopeful that we were going to have (Huffman),” Bless said. “He practiced some during the week, but at the end of the day, the medical staff sat him down (Thursday) night. They just didn’t feel like he had enough to go. Dyllan in particular, I’m really proud of because he rose to the occasion and played really good football, and Royce (Lofton) came in and spelled as needed.”
Roncalli (2-1) had two backs eclipse the 100-yard mark. Baron Huebler carried 28 times for 179 yards and three touchdowns, and quarterback Aidan Leffler ran 21 times for 104 yards and a score.
“Their offensive line was huge,” Bless said. “I’m on the sideline looking at my Davids going against their Goliaths. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the Old Testament result of that matchup.”
On their first possession, the Bull Dogs drove to the Rebels 15, but had to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Carter Ward. Roncalli answered by driving 62 yards in 12 plays — all on the ground — culminating in a 1-yard sneak by Leffler.
North struck right back. A 60-yard kickoff return by Tyler Blythe set up a one-play drive — a 35-yard scoring pass from Luke Hammons to Hayden McDaniel, and the Bull Dogs regained the lead at 10-7.
North added to its lead when it drove 68 yards in 14 plays, capped by a 2-yard run from Redmon, to take a 17-7 lead midway through the second quarter.
The Rebels then put together another long drive, going 80 yards in 12 plays. On first-and-goal from the 3, Baron Huebler looked to be stopped on the left side, but he spun around, reversing field and going into the end zone around the right side.
The Bull Dogs led 17-14 at halftime.
Roncalli drove for a game-tying 32-yard field goal by Luke Russell on the opening drive of the second half. North took the lead again in the final minute of the third quarter when, on third-and 10 from the 21, Hammons hit Keegan Castetter over the middle for a touchdown.
The Rebels answered with a 4-yard run by Huebler to tie the game in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. The Bull Dogs then regained the lead on a 32-yard field goal by Ward with 6:39 remaining.
Roncalli then drove for the winning touchdown, a 5-yard run by Huebler with 3:33 left, before Volk came up with the big defensive play.
“Our kids fought their tails off,” Bless said. “At the end of the day, we needed to make more stops than what we made. Credit to their offense — they made plays when they needed to make plays.”
