Columbus East’s Kyson Villarreal, center, attempts to avoid being tackled by Columbus North’s Cole Finney, left, and Keaton Russell during a football game in Bob Gaddis Stadium at Columbus East High School in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Aug. 29, 2025.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Columbus North and Columbus East both will look for momentum as high school football enters the regular-season finale.
The Olympians ended a two-game losing skid to earn a victory over Jeffersonville, while the Bull Dogs have lost four of their past five after starting the season 3-0.
North squares off at home with Conference Indiana foe Terre Haute South, while East battles visiting Bedford North Lawrence in a Hoosier Hills Conference match. Both games have a 7 p.m. kickoff.
It is a much better Stars team than the one that finished 2-9 last year with a brand new coaching staff aboard. They’re currently 6-2 and have proven they are one of the better teams in the HHC with only one loss via Class 5A No. 8 Floyd Central.
“They got a new coach (Brayden Tidd) and they also have a lot of experience back,” East coach Eddie Vogel said. “Coach Tidd is doing things that fit them, fit their personnel, and they were have some good skill players and a good quarterback (Dayson Kirby) that can throw it around all over the place. They’re physical up front on both sides of the ball. It’s going to come down to which team can execute the best over 48 minutes. That’s going to be the difference in the game.”
The Bull Dogs (4-4, 2-2) won’t have a long bus ride Friday after four of the past five games were on the road. North has had recent success against the Braves, winning eight of the past nine years. It is a much tougher Terre Haute South team than in years’ past. Like BNL, the Braves also are 6-2 and have only one conference loss.
Should the Bull Dogs win on Friday, it will be in a three-way tie for second place with Bloomington North and Terre Haute South. The Braves defeated the Cougars 23-0 in Week 3, and Columbus North lost to Bloomington North 31-28 Friday.
According to the Jeff Sagarin Rating, the Bull Dogs are a seven-point underdog in the matchup with the Braves.
“They’re definitely not the Terre Haute South team that we’re familiar with. They made a lot of improvements with some players transferring, and coach (Greg) Barrett is doing a really good job in his first-year there as the head coach,” North coach Logan Haston said. “We know we have our hands full against them, and they are coming to our place, thankfully, and it’s our senior night. I do believe our players will be highly motivated to play, but we understand that they’re a very good football team, and we’ve got to be ready to go.”
With second place in the conference still in sight, North still has a lot to play for Friday. It’s a different week than normal due to North and East having Fall Break this week.
“It’s definitely a unique week this week where we have to put the previous loss behind us, but also not look too far ahead to the tournament,” Haston said. “We have to be present in this moment and focus on getting the win this Friday. Being able to get some confidence going into the tournament is going to be paramount to our success.”
With the Olympians (4-4, 3-1) and Stars only having one conference loss, there is a very slim chance the game could be for a share of the HHC title if New Albany can pull off an upset over the Highlanders Friday.
According to Sagarin, East is a nine-point underdog against BNL.
“We know we are going to have to score some points. We’re not going to shut out Bedford. They’ve got some big-play capabilities. The keys for us are going to be limiting those big plays and making them work and drive the ball down the field. Also, offensively, we’re going to have to try to be able to control the clock and put points on the board. If we get drives down the red zone, we’re going to have to finish with points,” Vogel said.
“It’s a big game for our guys with it being senior night and playing for second place in the conference,” he added. “Also, you want to be playing your best football at the end of the year going into the tournament. We’ve got a lot to play for, and we’re starting to get a few guys back, maybe, so I’m excited for our team Friday night.”
