Columbus North High School

October 28, 2023 - Jeffersonville won the pregame coin toss in the semifinals of the IHSAA Sectional 8 football semifinals on Friday night and elected to receive. They ran seven plays and took nearly five minutes off the clock before surrendering the ball on downs. Columbus North then was unable to convert on fourth down and turned the ball back over to the Red Devils, who ran another eight plays and three-and-a-half minutes off of the clock before punting. In those two drives, Jeffersonville gained 45 yards. That’s when the Bull Dogs took over. The Dogs then scored on every possession the rest of the night and threw in two defensive scores to roll to a 58-0 lopsided victory and advance to next week’s Sectional championship game against Center Grove. The Bull Dog defense held Jeffersonville to just 52 total yards the rest of the game (97 total yards), 71 rushing on 32 carries, and 26 passing on 3-of-11 completions. Two of those incompletions were Bull Dog interceptions returned for touchdowns, one by junior safety Jackson Haston in the first quarter, and another by sophomore safety Sam Perry in the second quarter. The Dogs took a 41-0 advantage into the halftime locker room, forcing a running clock for the entire second half, and allowing younger players to get a taste of varsity playoff action throughout much of the second half. Bull Dog quarterback Asher Ratliff completed 5-of-10 passes for the game before handing the offense over to freshman Max Wilson in the second half. All five of Ratliff’s completions went for touchdowns, tying a school record for touchdown passes in a game. His five touchdowns were thrown to five different Bull Dog receivers, namely Braylon Thoman, Garrett Long, Jordan Briner, Eli Smith, and Gino Prescott. Prescott also led North in rushing with 76 yards on just seven carries. The Dogs (5-5) will host Center Grove in the Sectional championship game next Friday (November 3) at 7:00 pm. The Trojans (9-1) advanced after a 40-14 victory at Franklin Central. The Trojans are the three-time defending State champions and have won nine straight games after dropping their season opener to St. Edward (OH). The Trojans have knocked the Bull Dogs out of the Sectional tournament ten of the past twelve seasons, with the Bull Dogs’ last victory over Center Grove coming back in 2007 when the Dogs went to the Final Four. Photo: Asher Ratliff (shown here against Bloomington North earlier this season) tied a school record with five touchdown passes in a 58-0 victory over Jeffersonville in the Sectional 8 semifinals. The Bull Dogs will host Center Grove on November 3 for the Sectional championship.