Columbus North’s Zac Horn looks to pass the ball downfield during a game against Roncalli at Max Andress Field at Columbus North High School.
The Republic file photo
Columbus East and Columbus North will be hitting the road this evening, and for the Olympians, it will be their first road trip of the season.
East has played three of its first four games at home, with the lone away game being at North. Tonight, the Olympians travel to face New Albany in a key Hoosier Hills Conference matchup.
“We have to go on an hour-and-15-minute bus trip,” East coach Eddie Vogel said. “This is the first time we’ve been out of Columbus, so how our guys respond to traveling and get off the bus and ready to play at New Albany is going to be big.”
New Albany won 42-38 at East last season in its way to winning the HHC title. New Albany went on to won sectional and regional titles before falling to eventual Class 5A state champion Cathedral in the semistate.
Columbus East quarterback Ethan Duncan drops back for a pass during a football game against Seymour at Columbus East High School in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Sept. 2, 2022.
The Republic file photo
This year, New Albany is 1-3, including 1-1 in the conference with a 27-21 win at Jennings County and a 45-21 loss to Bedford North Lawrence. East (2-2, 2-0) beat Jennings 49-0 last week.
“It was really just about executing, and I thought we did a really good job,” Vogel said. “I thought we executed on offense. Our goal defensively is to take away what other teams do best, and I thought we did a pretty good job there, and then our special teams were really solid. It’s been progress, but we’re not satisfied. We’re talking to our guys about practicing to beat everybody and not just practicing to beat somebody on Friday night. So we’ve been focusing on really just trying to stack good practices together and get better every day.”
Senior Ethan Duncan has completed 24 of 56 passes for 377 yards and four touchdowns for the Olympians. Senior Javeon Smith has carried 74 times for 354 yards and three scores, and junior Tyler Weller has 52 carries for 222 yards and one touchdown. Senior Chase Zapfe has eight catches for 97 yards.
New Albany has used a pair of quarterbacks in Dorien Weathers and Kenny Watson. Elijah Jennings has been the primary running back.
“They’re running the ball a little bit more than they did last year,” Vogel said. “They still have some good speed guys out on the perimeter that they throw to, but they’re going to run power dash and kind of run it at us. They have a mobile quarterback. They have some talented players, and we have our work cut out for us.”
Meanwhile, North will travel to Indianapolis for the third time this season, this time to face Class 3A No. 3 Bishop Chatard. The Bull Dogs are coming off a 38-17 loss to 4A No. 2 Roncalli.
“At the end of the day, we knew Friday’s game was going to be a tough game with Roncalli,” North coach Logan Haston said. “They’re a very elite program, and we hung in there with them early on and it just kind of got away from us at the end. But there were a lot of good things to take away from that game, and we’re not discouraged. I think our guys have moved on, and we have another great challenge this week.”
Senior Zac Horn has completed 77 of 114 passes for 915 yards and nine touchdowns for the Bull Dogs (2-2). Senior Tyler Blythe has 61 carries for 361 yards and three scores, and senior Cooper Horn has caught 26 passes for 501 yards and seven touchdowns.
Chatard (2-2) and Roncalli played each other two weeks ago, with the Royals winning on a last-second field goal.
“There are a lot of similarities with those two teams in the sense that they’re going to be very well coached, very disciplined,” Haston said. “They’re not going to make a lot of mistakes, and their kids play really hard. You watch (Chatard) on film, and they have 11 guys flying to the football. Size-wise, they’re not quite what Roncalli is, but they make up for it with their speed and their effort and their skill.”
The Trojans are led by quarterback Drew VanVleet, running back Riley Kinnett, tight end/linebacker Sam Feeney and two-way lineman Jakob Moore.
“They throw a little bit more this year,” Haston said. “Their quarterback is pretty talented. He has a quick release. They like to spread some guys out and get the ball on the perimeter. So I think from a passing game standpoint, it’s one of our bigger challenges of the season and we’re ready for it.”
