Columbus North’s Jackson Haston, bottom left; Luke Russell, center; and Anderson Horn tackle Jeffersonville’s Raijon Laird during a sectional football game at Columbus North High School in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Oct. 27, 2023.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Columbus North was a little sluggish out of the gate on its first offensive and defensive series Friday night.
But after knocking Jeffersonville quarterback Nik Schindler out of the game on the Red Devils’ second series, the Bull Dogs turned up the heat.
North scored six touchdowns — including two on defense — in the final 14 minutes of the first half, and Asher Ratliff tied a single-game school record with five touchdown passes in a 58-0 rout in the opening round of the football sectional. The Bull Dogs will host Class 6A No. 2 and three-time defending state champion Center Grove in the sectional final.
“From a defensive standpoint, you couldn’t have asked for more,” North coach Logan Haston said. “We just executed. The got a couple first downs in that first drive, but we were able to keep going and keep executing, and obviously, two defensive touchdowns is fantastic.”
Ratliff finished 6 of 11 for 142 yards with no interceptions. His five touchdowns went to five different receivers.
“The bye week, we kind of worked on us,” Ratliff said. “We weren’t really focused on Jeffersonville. It was a good time to just perfect our craft and get better at everything we do and get those little things that matter so much. The game plan was good and we just did what we needed to go, got everybody involved. All the receivers were catching and running good routes, the O-line was blocking and when everything works together, we’re a scary team.”
Meanwhile, the Bull Dog defense held the Red Devils (0-10) to just 77 yards of offense, 45 of which came on the first series-and-a-half before Schindler went out of the game.
“The first drive may have been a little nerves, jitters kind of deal,” Logan Haston said. “We settled into the game and obviously were able to execute really well. I think the bye week helped getting us an extra week of reps and timing with our quarterback and receivers, and obviously, the results paid dividends.”
North (5-5) got going on its second offensive possession, needing only three plays to go 70 yards. Ratliff hit Garrett Long for 28 yards for his first of four touchdown passes in the first half.
The Bull Dogs forced backup Cordell Thomas into an interception, and safety Jackson Haston returned it 38 yards for a score on the final play of the first quarter.
“Everybody gets that feeling, no matter who goes out — quarterback, tight end, anybody,” Jackson Haston said. “You have to give credit to our D-line, who was getting hits on him and put their second string in, who made it a lot easier to get interceptions and take it back.”
After forcing Jeffersonville (0-10) into a three-and-out, Ratliff hit Jordan Briner for a 10-yard touchdown. Then, following an interception by Macario Mendez, Ratliff found Braylon Thoman for a 22-yard score and a 28-0 lead.
North then came up with another pick-six, with safety Sam Perry returning an interception 34 yards for a touchdown. The Bull Dogs got it back after a short punt, and Ratliff hit Gino Prescott for a 39-yard score with 1:49 left in the first half.
That triggered a running clock for the final two quarters.
North started the second half the way they ended the first. The Bull Dogs drove for another touchdown, with Ratliff hitting tight end Elijah Smith for 37 yards for his fifth touchdown toss of the night.
Bryce Littrell, who made 7 of 8 extra points, drilled a 38-yard field goal with 8:44 left in the game. Then after a blocked punt by Evan Saevre, freshman Ezekiel Scruggs scored on a 1-yard run to complete the scoring.
From there, North’s JV defense was able to preserve the shutout.
“Our defense just played lights out,” Jackson Haston said. “We prepared all week. We played our formations right and ended up getting the job done.”
Columbus North 58, Jeffersonville 0
Jeffersonville;0;0;0;0;—;0
Columbus North;14;27;7;10;—;58
CN—Garrett Long 28 pass from Asher Ratliff (Bryce Luttrell kick), 1:56.
CN—Jackson Haston 38 interception return (Luttrell kick), :00.
CN—Jordan Briner 10 pass from Ratliff (Luttrell kick), 8:12.
CN—Braylon Thoman 22 pass from Ratliff (Lutrell kick), 4:51.
CN—Sam Perry 34 interception return (kick failed), 3:51.
CN—Gino Prescott 39 pass from Ratliff (Lutrell kick), 1:49.
CN—Elijah Smith 37 pass from Ratliff (Luttrell kick), 6:35.
CN—Luttrell 38 FG, 8:44.
CN—Ezekiel Scruggs 1 run (Luttrell kick), 3:22
Individual statistics
RUSHING — Jeffersonville: Brandon Harris 25-67, Raijon Laird 2-13, Nik Schindler 2-4, Dawson Slaughter 1-(-33). Columbus North: Prescott 6-70, Ratliff 4-33, Long 1-11, Josuan Padiilla 3-3, Owie Kibler 1-0.
PASSING — Jeffersonville: Thomas Cordell 2 for 7, 13 yards, 0 touchdowns, 3 interceptions; Schindler 1-3-13-0-0. Columbus North: Ratiff 6-11-142-5-0, Max Wilson 1-2-1-0-0.
RECEIVING — Jeffersonville: Aiden Gossett 1-13, Daelin Julian 1-13. Columbus North: Prescott 2-45, Smith 1-37, Long 1-28, Thoman 1-22, Briner 1-10, Jerry Likens 1-1.
