Columbus North’s Tyler Blythe (1) picks up a block from teammate Cooper Horn against Bloomington North’s Will Breedlove on his way to score a touchdown during a football game at Columbus North High School in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Oct. 7, 2022.
The Republic file photo
It’s an all too familar opponent for the Columbus North football team.
The Bull Dogs will hope to keep their season alive tonight when they hit the gridiron to host Class 6A No. 4 and two-time defending state champion Center Grove in the sectional final at Max Andress Field.
The Trojans have been a thorn in North’s side for 15 years. The Bull Dogs last defeated Center Grove in 2007 in the sectional round, which was the last sectional title for North.
Since then, the matchup has been nearly one-sided. The Trojans (8-2) have eliminated the Bull Dogs (5-5) in the sectional round six of the past seven years and nine of the past 11 years, dating back to 2011.
North coach Logan Haston said the team motto for this week was, “Respect everyone, but Fear No One.” Like in recent years, the Bull Dogs will be the huge underdog going in the game.
“We know who these guys are. We have a ton of respect for them and their program and coach Eric Moore and his coaching staff and what they’ve been able to do over the last few decades. They’ve been very impressive,” Haston said. “We’re not going to go into the game scared, and that’s been our message. We’ve got to play our style of football, play competitive, play aggressively and let the chips fall where they may. At the end of this game, whether it’s a win or a loss, they’re going to know that they played us and that’s the message we want to send to our guys.”
North had its highs and lows in last week’s 41-14 sectional semifinal win at Jeffersonville. A couple things that kept the game tighter than what the scoreboard indicated were penalties and turnovers.
“It’s been something that we’ve discussed. We cannot beat ourselves,” Haston said. “They’re already too good of a team that it’s going to take our best. We cannot give them any extra opportunities by turning the ball over or committing penalties. We have got to play a clean game. I don’t want to say perfect because nobody plays a perfect game, but we’ve got to play a clean game.”
Offensively for the Trojans, running back Jalen Thomeson is expected to return after missing last week’s 14-10 semifinal win against Franklin Central. Along with fellow running back Micah Coyle, the duo have combined to rush for 2,053 yards. Through the air, quarterback Tyler Cherry has thrown for 1,836 yards and 17 touchdowns. His top target, Noah Coy, has 964 yards and 10 touchdowns.
“They’re pretty creative in what they do offensively,” Haston said. “It requires a huge game plan for our defensive staff and getting our guys ready. Just like any other game, we’ve got to stop the run. Hopefully, we can make them somewhat one-dimensional.”
Luckily for the Bull Dog offense, All-American defensive lineman Caden Curry, who wreaked havoc on them the past three years, won’t be lined opposite of them, but there is still a lot of talent on the Center Grove defense.
Haston hopes to utilize all of his weapons on an offense that has been scoring nearly 30 points per game. Zac Horn has thrown for 2,268 yards and a school record-tying 25 touchdowns. Cooper Horn has school records of 65 catches, 1,200 yards and 19 touchdowns. Tyler Blythe has ran for 924 yards and nine scores.
“At the end of the day, it starts up front. We don’t any of the success we do on the perimeter without those guys up front,” Haston said. “We’ve been preaching out to those guys and what we’ve told our offensive line was that they need to feel your presence. We got to bring the intensity, bring the aggression because if those guys play well up front, then we got a chance.”
