Columbus North posted its third consecutive win in the series against Columbus East Friday night, but it may not have come without a price.
Star quarterback Trenton Kelley did not play in the Bull Dogs’ final three offensive series after leading them on the game-winning touchdown drive. Reports indicated a sprained AC joint, and his status for Friday’s Conference Indiana opener at Southport is uncertain.
If Kelley can’t play, coach Tim Bless will turn to either senior Dylan England or sophomore Cody Ruble. Both played in the fourth quarter in Friday’s 17-16 victory, but neither threw a pass.
But whichever quarterback plays for North the next couple weeks might not matter if the Bull Dogs can continue playing defense like they did on Friday. North limited the Olympians to three first downs and 115 total yards, including just 21 yards on 18 rushing attempts.
The only score the Bull Dogs defense gave up came when it was facing a short field. After East’s Dalton Back returned a punt from the North 45 to the 32, a personal foul on the Bull Dogs moved the ball to the 17. Three plays later, Back caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Cole Gilley, and the Olympians led 14-10 at halftime.
That might have been a shock to many fans in Columbus who may have been expecting a lopsided North win. The Bull Dogs had blown out Franklin in their opener, while East had been upset by Whiteland.
But as Bob Gaddis-coached teams have proven time and again over the years, the Olympians don’t simply roll over for anyone. They were decided underdogs two years ago for a first-round sectional game at New Palestine and won 35-7. Last year, they were heavy underdogs for a semistate game against Cathedral and won 42-13.
Unlike in previous years, East doesn’t get much of a break heading into Week 3 against Seymour. The Owls, which were beaten at home by the Olympians 44-6 and 63-0 last year, are 2-0 for the first time since 2001.
Seymour running back Nathan O’Mara, a 5-foot-8, 180-pound senior, broke school rushing records with 41 carries and 345 yards in Friday’s 31-29 win against Jeffersonville. O’Mara is a shade bigger than North’s 5-7, 170-pound Blake Huffman, who ran for 101 yards against East.
North’s next game will be no cakewalk, either. The Bull Dogs, who have rolled against Bloomington North the past few years in Week 3, now will play Southport, a team that Columbus North has faced in the final game of the regular season.
The Cardinals are off to a 2-0 start and have played the Bull Dogs tough in recent years. Seven of the past 10 meetings between the two schools have been decided by eight points or fewer.
So as exciting as Friday’s win was for North and as painful as it was for East, both teams will need to put that behind them as they prepare for what figure to be challenging conference openers.
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The Columbus North vs. Columbus East freshman and junior varsity football games were rained out Saturday and rescheduled for Monday.
The freshman game will begin at 6 p.m. at East. The JV will follow at around 7:30 p.m.
Because those games will be played at East on Monday, Central Middle School’s football game against Bloomington Batchelor has been moved to North. That game will start at 6 p.m.
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