Parker Elmore
Columbus North was stunned Friday night in its matchup with Roncalli.
The Class 6A No. 8 Bull Dogs couldn’t get anything going offensively, defensively and on special teams for much of the game as the Class 4A No. 11 Royals pulled off the upset 41-20.
But the loss is secondary to what is more concerning with North, which is the health of junior defensive back Davonte Degraffenreid. With 2:30 left in the first quarter, Degraffenreid was injured during a tackle and laid on the ground for more than 25 minutes. He was put into an ambulance and taken to a hospital.
On the opening kickoff, Roncalli (2-2) had a big return to put them in North territory. A few plays later on fourth down, Royals quarterback Collin Ash found Alex Toth for a 27-yard touchdown to lead 7-0 a couple minutes into the game.
Asher Ratliff
After a Bull Dogs punt, Roncalli drove down the field once again, ending with an Ash 32-yard run for a touchdown to increase the lead to 14-0. North (3-1) got one back on the ensuing possession when Parker Elmore made a one-handed catch for a 19-yard touchdown pass from Asher Ratliff to cut the deficit to 14-6 after a 2-point conversion try was no good.
The Royals had another big kickoff return to put the ball near midfield. They drove down to the 3-yard line for a first-and-goal situation. The next play was when the Degraffenreid injury occurred. After the long delay, both teams had 10 extra minutes to warm up. On the first play after resumption, Ash ran it into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown to make it 21-6 with 1:46 left in the first quarter. That score held following a scoreless second quarter.
On the second half kickoff, Roncalli caught North by surprise with an onside kick that the Royals recovered to take the opening possession away. After a Bull Dogs penalty during the play that put the Royals at the 19-yard line, Zach Dozier needed one play to reach the end zone to increase the lead to 28-6.
A couple of Bull Dog possessions later, Ratliff was hit as he threw the ball, and Luke Baker intercepted the pass and ran it back 80 yards for the score to make it 34-6. On the next Royals possession, Ash had a 43-yard run for a touchdown that made it 41-6 and triggered a running clock with 5:54 left in the third.
North scored a couple of touchdowns late following the running clock. Ezekiel Scruggs had a 2-yard touchdown run. Then after the Bull Dogs recovered a fumble on the kickoff, Elmore scored his second touchdown of the game with a short pass from Ratliff.
North had nearly twice as many total yards as Roncalli, outgaining the Royals 361-182. Ratliff completed 27 of 43 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns, with Elmore catching a career-high 12 passes for 167 yards and the two scores.
The schedule doesn’t lighten up for the Bull Dogs the next month. They will travel to 6A No. 3 Carmel Friday. Following a game at Terre Haute North Sept. 26, they will have an Oct. 3 showdown with 5A No. 2 Bloomington South that likely will decide the Conference Indiana title.
Roncalli 41, Columbus North 20
Columbus North;6;0;7;7;—;20
Roncalli;21;0;20;0;—;41
R—Alex Toth 27 pass from Collin Ash (Gavin Louthain kick).
R—Ash 32 run (Louthain kick)
CN—Parker Elmore 18 pass from Asher Ratliff (run failed).
R—Ash 3 run (Louthain kick).
R—Zach Dozier 19 run (Louthain kick).
R—Luke Baker 80 interception return (kick failed).
R—Ash 43 run (Louthain kick).
CN—Ezekiel Scruggs 5 run (Cole Stevens kick).
CN—Elmore 4 pass from Ratliff (Stevens kick).
Individual statistics
RUSHING — Columbus North: E. Scruggs 15-47, Elmore 2-10, James Scruggs 1-6, Ratliff 10-(-2) . Roncalli: Ash 3-78, Dozier 9-75, Turner Douglas 3-4.
PASSING — Columbus North: Ratliff 27 for 43, 304 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions. Roncalli: Ash 2-5-25-1-0.
RECEIVING — Columbus North: Elmore 12-167, Morgan Knapp 6-73, Cohen Long 5-28, Jacob Rice 3-26, E. Scruggs 1-6. Roncalli: Toth 1-27, Dozier 1-(-2).
