Columbus North quarterback Asher Ratliff waits for the ball to be snapped against Decatur Central at Columbus North, Friday, Aug. 18, 2023.
The Republic file photo
It’s time for the inevitable battle once again for Columbus North.
The Bull Dogs will square off with perennial powerhouse and three-time defending Class 6A state champion and No. 2-ranked Center Grove in the sectional final at Max Andress Field on Friday night.
Two factors that will different from last week for North — the quality of opponent and the weather.
Temperatures were in the 70s when the Bull Dogs won against Jeffersonville 58-0 on Friday. This Friday, temperatures are going to be much cooler with daytime highs in the 50s and dropping after sunset.
It will be the coldest game that the Bull Dogs will be playing in this season, so coach Logan Haston has the team practicing outside with temperatures in the 40s all week.
“Growing up as a player, I’ve always heard if you want to play November football, the road to Lucas Oil (Stadium) is not a warm one,” Haston said. “We know that going in, if you want to play playoff football, it’s going to be a little cold outside. We’re ready to adapt and overcome.”
Haston’s motto is “to play loose and play confident and have fun.” At practice earlier in the week, players wore Halloween costumes to help lighten the mood a little bit. While it’s great to have fun, the players still know the task at hand.
“We know this is a big game on Friday. Guys are going to be nervous, going to be tense, but if we can try to have some fun at practices and still obviously focus and get done what we need to, I think that’s the key,” Haston said.
The quality of competition is much different on Friday. While North was a 36-point favorite in their semifinal win over Jeffersonville, it will be the complete opposite as the Bull Dogs (5-5) will be a 35-point underdog when they step on the field against the Trojans (9-1), according to the Jeff Sagarin rating.
In the past decade-plus, the matchup has been one-sided. Center Grove has ousted the Bull Dogs in the sectional eight of the past nine years and 10 of the past 12. The average margin of victory for the Trojans in those matchups is 30.2 points, with the closest contest being 20-14 in 2017. The last time North defeated Center Grove was in 2007, also in the sectional.
“That’s the No. 1 thing is, we want to compete. We want to be competitive. We feel like we’ve got some good schemes kind of cooked up on offense, defense and special teams. We’re going to fire away at them and give it all we’ve got,” Haston said. “Guys will be nervous, but at the same time, we know they’re a great team, but they are not invincible. We know there’s some things that we can do to take advantage of what they give us. I think we’ll be ready to go.”
Keeping the Trojans off the scoreboard will be the biggest challenge for the Bull Dogs. One of the top players that helps Center Grove’s charge offensively is senior quarterback and Duke commit Tyler Cherry, who has thrown for 2,376 yards and 27 touchdowns while completing 73% of his passes through 10 games.
“They have a lot of firepower on offense. They’re very explosive. (Cherry) can really chuck the ball. They like to hit you with chunk plays and big shot plays, so we know our defensive secondary is going to have to be ready to go,” Haston said. “On defense, it’s one of those games where they don’t show you a lot, they play base defense and make you drive the length of the field.”
While North is the major underdog, Haston will have the team prepared and ready to compete instead of walking on the field expecting to lose.
“The team morale is high. We know we have a tall task ahead of us, but the big thing we talked about (Monday) was the trajectory of our team and how we have progressed from one game to the next,” Haston said. “We feel we are hitting our stride toward the tail end of the season, and that’s where you want to be as a program — playing your best football in November, so I feel like that’s where we are.”
