> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://bsquarebulletin.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Bloomington South rolls past North 44–6 in season-opening rivalry game - URL: https://bsquarebulletin.com/bloomington-south-rolls-past-north-44-6-in-season-opening-rivalry-game/ - Published: 2026-08-22T08:43:21.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-22T08:43:21.000Z - Description: Bloomington South opened the 2026 football season with a 44-6 win over crosstown rival Bloomington North. Hayden Clark rushed for three touchdowns, while TJ Wilson and Jonathan Winstead returned interceptions for scores as the Panthers built a 28-0 halftime lead. - Author: Sean McAvoy - Tags: #no-inline-feature, Sports ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2958.jpeg) Hayden Clark (17) scores one of his three touchdowns for South. (Dave Askins, Aug. 22, 2026) After months of planning and practice, the waiting ended Friday night, with Bloomington South and Bloomington North kicking off the 2026 IHSAA football season against each other. North fans packed the stands at Dennis O. Martin Memorial Field wearing black. The Cougars donned the same shade as their fans. On the field, South got the best of North. The Panthers used 245 yards on offense, led by senior running back Hayden Clark’s 90 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. South dominated most of the game, finishing the first half up 28-0 with a final tally of 44–6, to start the season in the win column. “I just like our team,” South head coach Gabe Johnson said postgame. “You want to come out at this point with all the football you’ve been playing in the summer … and you want to see more good than bad. I thought we did some things well.” While the Bloomington South offense was productive, their defense dominated Bloomington North freshman quarterback Fisher Pugh. The Panthers used an effective pass rush that left Pugh with no open receivers. Pugh finished the game 9-of-23 with 97 yards and two interceptions. Both turnovers that Pugh threw led to points put on the scoreboard for South. Senior defensive back TJ Wilson was on the receiving end for Pugh’s first interception in the second quarter. Wilson brushed past North offensive players trying to tackle him, running 45 yards into the end zone to put the Panthers up 21–0. After extending its lead, South hauled in another interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter. Defensive back Jonathan Winstead took an errant pass from Pugh 80 yards into the end zone to put his team up by 41\. The touchdown led to a running clock, the mercy rule, for the rest of the game. In the shortened contest, Bloomington North could only claw back one touchdown. In his role as a wide receiver, Winstead hauled in three receptions for 30 yards. Senior wide receiver Connor Parker led the Panthers with 52 receiving yards. Parker opened up the scoring with a 47-yard receiving touchdown as senior quarterback Duncan Combs found Parker streaking down the field. With good field position most of the game, South didn’t have to rely much on the arm of its quarterback. Combs finished the contest 7-of-14 for 97 yards. The only blip for the senior gunslinger was an interception in the red zone during the second quarter. With South on the opposing 10-yard line, Combs tried to find an open receiver, but senior linebacker Kaelan Frank got a good jump on the pass. Frank took the interception 35 yards, setting North up with good field position and momentum just before halftime. But the Cougars couldn’t take advantage of the field position. An 11-yard rush from junior running back Carter Matthews on 4th-and-11 gave North a fresh set of downs, but their offense stalled out. A turnover on downs gave South’s defense a shutout heading into halftime. North’s offense compiled a total of just 210 yards for the whole contest. For most of the game, Pugh did not find any rhythm in his passing game. To help out the freshman quarterback, North turned to its ground game to move the chains and put the Cougars in better third-down situations. But Matthews and senior running back Brayden Johnson did not find much space to run against South’s defensive line. The duo combined for 130 yards on 20 rushes. Matthews was the only North player to reach the end zone. Starting from their own 20-yard line, the Cougars marched down the field with five minutes remaining in the game. Pugh found senior wide receiver Rashon English on a back-shoulder catch for 34 yards. Matthews followed the big gain with 15 yards before Pugh and English connected again to move inside South’s 5-yard line. Matthews then finished the drive with a 3-yard rushing touchdown. For South, Clark piled on early rushing touchdowns to help build confidence for his teammates. Junior running back Myles West produced a 42-yard rush to move into North territory before Clark finished a 9-play, 90-yard drive from 10 yards out. The touchdown gave South a 14-0 advantage, with Clark scoring again before the second quarter ended. “\[Hayden Clark’s\] a hard runner, takes care of the football,” Johnson said. “It starts with him, and he’s a senior, and he’s waited a long time for this time. He seems to be kind of grabbing it by the horns right now.” This time, the Panthers didn’t have to go far on offense. A blocked punt set South’s offense up at the 7-yard line, as Combs gave the ball to Clark for a 7-yard gain into the end zone to make it a 28-point game. Clark’s final touchdown of the game came in South’s first offensive drive of the second half. After getting small chunks of yards down the field, Clark capped the drive with a 4-yard rush into the end zone before sophomore kicker. “Stuff was opening up as we went on,” Clark said. “Our offensive line didn’t quit. I gave lots of credit to them, and they’re my boys up front. They just kept on pushing to find the holes.” For that score, Sam Stolberg’s PAT attempt was blocked. For the game, Stolberg made five out of his six extra point attempts. He also drilled a 35-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring for South. Next week, Bloomington South stays on the road, traveling to Martinsville on Aug. 28 for a 7 p.m. kickoff. North heads south to play Bedford North Lawrence at the same time next Friday. “We don’t go back to the drawing table. We go back to work,” Johnson said. “We’re going to do what we do, and we’re going to keep going.” ### Photos: North vs. South Football (Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2634.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2632.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2666.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2689.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2697.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2712.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2737.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2739.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2771.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2775.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2783.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2789.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2808.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football--IMG_2825.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2829.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2838.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2870.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2953.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2963.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2966.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2975.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2987.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_2989.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_3016.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_3040.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_3069.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_3097.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_3103.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_3110.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_3115.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_3121.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_3123.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_3135.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_3154.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_3180.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_3185.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_3184.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_3233.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_3249.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_3254.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football--IMG_3275.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-21-north-south-football-IMG_3284.jpeg) North versus South home opener. (Dave Askins, Aug. 21, 2026)