Columbus North High School

August 27, 2023 - Columbus North scored in almost every way possible on Friday night and rolled to a 41-0 victory, the largest margin of victory in the series history. The Bull Dogs scored on offense both on the ground and through the air, on defense with an interception return and a safety, and on special teams with a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown to claim a 28-25 lead in the series between the two schools. The Dogs have won six of the last seven matchups with the Olympians, including the last three. The Bull Dogs took a 19-0 lead into the halftime break and then blew the game open with a 22-point third quarter to lead 41-0 heading into the fourth period. The margin forced a running clock the remainder of the contest as Columbus North had the reserves in throughout the last stanza. The Dogs (1-1) outgained the Olympians 242-154 with 160 yards coming on the ground and 82 through the air. Gino Prescott led the Bull Dog rushing attack with 121 yards on just nine carries, thanks in large part to a run of nearly 70 yards in the second half. Braylon Thoman caught a pair of passes for 49 yards, including a 38 yard touchdown, while Jordan Briner caught four balls for 32 yards. Asher Ratliff was 7-for-15 for 87 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, Luke Russell and Garrett Long each tallied nine defensive points for the Dogs, while Tyrrice Degraffenreid had the touchdown on the blocked field goal, and Jackson Haston recorded an interception return for a touchdown. Dumo Kak, who along with Degraffenreid totaled eight defensive points, was credited with a sack that caused the defensive safety for the Dogs. In sub-varsity action on Saturday morning at Columbus North, the freshman team (0-2) was blanked 14-0 by the visiting Olympians, while the JV shut out the O’s 20-0 to improve to 1-1 for the season. The Bull Dogs will open Conference Indiana play this week as they host the Southport Cardinals. The Dogs will recognize the Columbus area youth and middle school teams as part of the Friday night festivities.