Columbus North High School

September 30, 2023 - Class 5A third-ranked Bloomington South did their part to spoil Columbus North’s Homecoming, handing the Bull Dogs a 49-14 loss on Friday night. The game appeared to be a competitive matchup as the Bull Dogs scored to cut the Panther lead to 14-7 with eight minutes left in the second quarter. However, the Panther roared back to score 28 points in the last seven minutes of the half to take a 42-7 lead at the half and rolled through a running clock in the second half to a lopsided Conference Indiana victory. The Panthers dominated statistically as well as on the scoreboard. Bloomington South tallied 427 yards of total offense, with 328 coming through the air (20-of-24 passing), and 99 on the ground (on 25 carries). The Panthers were 7-for-10 on third-down conversions for the contest, compared to 6-for-13 for the Bull Dogs. Columbus North (3-4, 2-1) recorded only 223 yards total offense, with 141 rushing yards on 26 carries, and 82 yards passing on 9-of-24 passing by Asher Ratliff. Ratliff was also North’s leading rusher with 83 yards, while Braylon Thoman and Morgan Knapp each had 25 yards receiving on two catches apiece. The road does not get easier for the Dogs as they will travel to Class 5A top-ranked Bloomington North on Friday, October 6. A victory by Columbus North will put them in a three-way tie atop Conference Indiana at 3-1 (with Bloomington North and Bloomington South) with one game to play. The freshman and JV teams will play a doubleheader at Columbus North on Saturday morning, beginning at 10:00 am.