Columbus North’s Jordan Briner looks back to catch a pass during the first official football practice of the season at Columbus North High School, Monday, July 31, 2023.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Two teams filled with players without a lot of varsity experience will face tough tests tonight to open the 2023 football season.
Several players for both Columbus East and Columbus North will be making their varsity debuts, including North sophomore quarterback Asher Ratliff and East junior quarterback Zach Foster, who figures to split time with sophomore Kyson Villarreal. But that doesn’t mean the Olympians, who visit Bloomington South, and the Bull Dogs, who host Decatur Central, hope to be any less competitive.
“We’re going over to compete and win the game,” East coach Eddie Vogel said. “That’s our mentality.”
Bloomington South is a new regular-season opponent for the Olympians, but not an unfamiliar one. The Panthers won 35-7 at East in the first round of last year’s sectional.
Nine defensive starters return from that Bloomington South team that finished 9-2 and won a sectional title.
“Bloomington South is a very talented football team,” Vogel said. “They’re very solid on defense, and they have some good guys back on offense. Their quarterback is really good. Their running back is good. They have some good receivers. Their linemen are physical. So we have our work cut out for us, but after Night 1 of practice where we put our game plan in, I think our guys understand what our game plan is and what we have to do. We just have to be able to execute.”
Columbus East’s Tyler Weller runs with the ball during the first official football practice at Columbus East High School, Monday, July 31, 2023.
Tommy Walker | For The Republic
And they’ll have to do that earlier in the game than they did in last week’s scrimmage at Martinsville.
“Our biggest thing is getting off to a fast start,” Vogel said. “The first 17 plays of our scrimmage were not very good, and we had that same issue when we scrimmaged an opponent this summer. So for us, it’s figuring out how to be able get off the bus and go compete from the time the ball is kicked off to when the whistle blows at the end of 48 minutes.”
Meanwhile, North will look to avenge a 26-12 loss to Decatur Central in last year’s opener, which was Logan Haston’s head coaching debut.
“I think when we look at the game last year, we all wish we had it back or maybe wish we had a chance to play them later in the season,” Haston said. “We were just so new, and I was new. That was a learning opportunity for us.”
The Hawks also feature a sophomore quarterback in Bo Polston, who played against the Bull Dogs as a freshman last year.
“Bo Polston is their guy, and we’re really impressed with him on film,” Haston said. “He’s a dynamic player. He can hurt you with his legs and with his arm. It’s a good first challenge for our defense, and I know they’re excited for the opportunity.”
Decatur Central went 4-7 last season, but four of their losses were by a combined total of seven points.
“We know they’re a competitive team,” Haston said. “We know they’re always going to be a team full of athletes and tough guys. So we’re excited for the Week 1 challenge.”
