Columbus North High School

August 19, 2023 - Coach Logan Haston’s young varsity football squad had Decatur Central on the ropes with eight minutes left in the game, up 14-3 and feeling confident. However, the last eight minutes belonged to the Hawks and a touchdown with six seconds left in the game capped off a 15-point fourth quarter and secured an 18-14 victory, dropping the Bull Dogs to 0-1 to begin the season. Haston’s defense had a solid night against a very talented young quarterback and speedy receivers, holding the Hawks to just 86 yards passing on 8-of-23 through the air. They also recorded three sacks for the game, two of which were recorded by Keller Despain. Sophomore safety Sam Perry led the Bull Dogs’ defense with eight first-hit tackles and one assisted tackle, three pass breakups, and an interception. Tyrrice Degraffenreid tallied four pass breakups. The Bull Dogs had a balanced offensive attack with 108 yards coming through the air (12-for-25) and 109 on the ground (on 30 carries). Gino Prescott led the rushing attack with 89 yards on five carries. When the Dogs tried to run the ball in the second half to chew up the game clock, however, the Hawks brought more and more players to the line of scrimmage and plugged up the running lanes. North could manage only 15 yards rushing in the game-deciding second half. North won the time of possession battle by over seven minutes and had seven fewer penalties than the Hawks, both of which will prove valuable throughout the season. However, 3-for-13 on 3rd down will certainly be an area that Haston’s squad looks to improve in upcoming weeks. Decatur Central’s only turnover came on Perry’s interception in the first quarter. The Bull Dogs fumbled the ball on the final play of the game to record their only turnover. In sub-varsity action Saturday morning, the 9th grade lost to Decatur Central 32-14. JV lost at Decatur Central 28-14. Next up for the Dogs will be the cross-town rivalry game against Columbus East at East on Friday, August 25. Photo: Sophomore quarterback Asher Ratliff was 12-for-25 for 108 yards passing, and rushed for an additional 23 yards on 11 carries as the Bull Dogs lost a heart-breaker to Decatur Central 18-14.