Columbus North High School

September 8, 2023 - Riding a two game winning streak, the Bull Dogs football team traveled to Class 4A eighth-ranked Roncalli on Friday night (September 8) and found a team that was ready to play. Roncalli controlled the game from the start and cruised to a 38-10 victory over Columbus North (2-2). The Royals wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in the first quarter. Roncalli had a nice kickoff return to open the game, and five plays later would score to go up 7-0. Much of the next quarter and a half would go much the same way for the Bull Dogs. Unable to get stops when they needed them, and unable to move the chains consistently, the Dogs fell behind 21-0 midway through the second quarter. However, the Dogs found new life on both sides of the ball and rallied to score ten points in the final 3:10 of the second quarter, drawing to within 21-10 at the half. The Bull Dogs got the ball to start the second half and had momentum coming out of the halftime locker room, but it quickly faded as they had a three-and-out on their first drive of the second half, followed by a quick touchdown for Roncalli, putting them up 28-10 early in the third quarter. The Royals tacked on another touchdown and late field goal to put make the final score 38-10. Asher Ratliff was 13-for-25 passing for just 51 yards and two interceptions. Gino Prescott rushed six times for 42 yards to lead the Bull Dogs’ rushing attack, which finished with 87 yards. A sloppy game from both teams from a penalty point of view saw the Bull Dogs get penalized nine times for 84 yards, while Roncalli was flagged 17 times for 142 yards. Roncalli won the time-of-possession battle, controlling the ball for 30 minutes, compared to just 18 for North. The Bull Dogs’ defense allowed 341 yards of total offense (210 rushing, 131 passing) in the loss. The road does not get any easier for the Bull Dogs as they will face Class 3A top-ranked Bishop Chatard at home next Friday (September 15).