Columbus North head coach Logan Haston calls out instructions to his players on the first day of football practice Aug. 4 at Columbus North High School.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Columbus North lost a deep and talented senior class that led the Bull Dogs to an 8-2 record and a Conference Indiana championship last football season.
But North still has some key pieces in place, including five players who are entering their third or fourth year as starters. They hope to bring along some other inexperienced players this season.
“It was a tough loss losing that group of seniors,” North coach Logan Haston said. “But we knew we had a lot of talent returning. We’ve had some really good senior leadership, especially from our captains, and it’s really good to see them start to gel. We’re starting to hit our stride as a team.”
Those captains are offensive tackle and four-year starter Drew Schiefer, along with three-year starters in quarterback Asher Ratliff, linebacker Anderson Horn and safety Sam Perry.
“Those guys have played a ton of football for Columbus North,” Haston said. “I think they’re going to be phenomenal leaders for us this year.”
Ratliff completed 171 of 266 passes for 1,942 yards and 22 touchdowns and ran 118 times for 425 yards and five scores last season. The running backs will be inexperienced with junior Ezekiel Scruggs starting and Perry possibly seeing some carries, along with sophomore James Scruggs, a transfer from Columbus East.
Senior Morgan Knapp caught 15 passes for 161 yards last season. He will be joined at wide receiver by Charlie Parsons, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in last year’s Blue-White scrimmage; junior Cohen Long and senior Jacob Rice.
Senior Parker Elmore, who played quarterback at Jennings County as a freshman and the first three games of his sophomore year before a season-ending ACL injury, sat out last season after transferring to North. The Indiana University commit will play tight end, along with senior Jerry Likens.
Schiefer returns at tackle, and senior three-year starter Nehemiah Scruggs moves from guard to tackle to replace senior Braeden Farrell, who sustained a season-ending injury this summer. Senior Brayden Cid and junior Alex Ramirez take over at guard, and junior Jobey Lovins steps in at center.
“It all starts with our quarterback,” Haston said. “Asher knows our offense and how to distribute the ball. We feel pretty confident about the weapons around him to make plays and be a pretty dynamic offense this year.”
The Bull Dogs lost all three defensive linemen and three of their four linebackers to graduation. Seniors Myles Buckner and Koleton Sinnock take over at end, and junior Sebastian Jackson steps in at nose tackle.
Horn, who led North with 96 tackles, returns at inside linebacker, where he will be joined by sophomore Keaton Russell. Seniors Cole Finney, Jaiden Newland and Elmore will play outside linebacker.
Senior Macario Mendez, who tied for the team lead with three interceptions, and junior Davontae DeGraffenried return at cornerback. Perry is back at safety where he will team with seniors Joey Stockey and Kaleb Urquidi.
“We have a lot of veteran experience in the back end,” Haston said. “We have veteran leadership from Sam Perry and Anderson Horn, and we think our corners can go up against any receivers in the state.”
Junior Cole Stevens figures to assume most of the kicking and punting duties. Parsons also could do some kicking.
Haston had a chance to see his team in action Friday when it scrimmaged at defending Class 4A state champion New Palestine, which is ranked No. 1 in the preseason 5A coaches poll.
“I was really pleased with the scrimmage,” Haston said. “We knew going up there that they were a really good football team. That’s why we scheduled them. I was impressed with how the guys handled it. We didn’t necessarily scheme for it like we would a regular opponent. But I was very impressed with our attitude and effort.”
The Bull Dogs open the season Friday at home against Whiteland. North also visit East, Roncalli and Carmel for non-conference games. Bloomington North, Terre Haute North and Terre Haute South will be playing their final year in Conference Indiana before moving on to other conferences.
“We’d love to repeat as conference champs,” Haston said. “There’s some uncertainty with Conference Indiana, so we want to make sure we take care of business. Getting through our sectional is always one of our team goals, and it’s not an easy task. But we have some pretty good pieces in place. We tried to beef up our schedule this year in hopes of seeing some good competition and hopefully preparing us for that task.”
