Columbus North High School

September 7, 2024 - The first three minutes of the game belonged to Southport. The rest was all Bull Dogs. A Bull Dogs fourth-down penalty on Southport’s first possession extended their drive and they eventually scored to take a 7-0 lead. North then lit up the scoreboard with 45 unanswered points and walked off the field with a 45-14 victory and a 3-0 record. North’s offense outgained Southport 412-145 (219 rushing and 193 passing), and the defense and special teams each accounted for a safety to add to the scoring. Quarterback Asher Ratliff was 19-for-29 through the air, including two touchdown passes (one to Braylon Thoman and one to Garrett Long). He also rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown on ten carries. Gino Prescott rushed for 86 yards on 13 carries and had a pair of touchdowns. Thoman was the leading receiver, catching eight passes for 96 yards. The Bull Dogs were 8-for-12 on third and fourth-down conversions, compared to just 2-for-12 by the Cardinals, and held a 26-11 advantage in first downs. The JV (3-0) and freshman (1-2) teams completed the sweep of Southport Saturday morning with 36-6 and 32-14 victories, respectively. Next up for North will be a challenging matchup with perennial powerhouse Roncalli at Max Andress Field next Friday night (September 13) beginning at 7:00 pm. Photo: Garrett Long catches a touchdown pass from Asher Ratliff in a 45-14 Bull Dog victory. Dogs are now 3-0 and 1-0 in Conference Indiana.