Panthers and Cougars set for rematch in sectional championship showdown

Since their Sept. 12 game at Huff Field, the Bloomington High School South and North football teams have improved, entering into Friday’s matchup. The Panthers picked up a dominant 36-7 win last time, but the Cougars have not lost a game since.

Now, the two teams match up for the IHSAA Class 5A, Section 15 championship game.

Sept. 12 regular season game

The passing and rushing attacks both clicked for Bloomington South in the Week 4 regular season game. Junior quarterback Duncan Combs finished the game 15-of-20 for 315 yards and three touchdowns. Senior tight end Jalen Williams caught seven balls and finished with 136 yards plus a touchdown, while junior wide receiver Connor Parker had 133 yards and two touchdowns with four receptions.

Senior running backs Shaun Cooper and Braylen Townsend combined for 175 yards and 41 carries. Cooper had a touchdown to go along with 96 of the total yards on 21 carries. Townsend also ran it in for a score to cap off a 79-yard, 20-carry performance.

Bloomington North did not generate much offense. The Cougars have liked to throw the ball this season, but senior quarterback John Bargen finished the contest 17-of-29 for only 129 yards. Junior wide receiver Nate Walker had five receptions for 56 yards, while junior wide receiver Rashon English finished with eight yards on one catch.

Bloomington North was also shut down on the ground. Junior running back Brayden Johnson had 63 yards on 12 carries, while sophomore running back Carter Matthew could only produce one yard with his three carries. Matthew scored the only touchdown for the Cougars, as he returned the kickoff to open the second half 98 yards.

Current trends

Bloomington South enters Friday’s game with a 9-1 overall and 5-0 Conference Indiana record. The Panthers’ only blemish on their record was a 33-12 loss to Center Grove on Oct. 17. South advanced past Terre Haute South Vigo in a back-and-forth affair last Friday, 41-34. The Panthers are averaging 41.4 points scored and giving up 17.3 points per game.

Bloomington North has been a team on fire for the last six weeks. After starting 1-3, the Cougars finished the season 7-3 and 3-2 in Conference Indiana. The win streak started against Terre Haute North Vigo, as Bloomington North bulldozed the Patriots 56-0. The Cougars continued that level of play through the first round of Sectionals which was a rematch against Terre Haute North, and Bloomington North cruised to a 49-0 victory. North is averaging 32.1 points scored and giving up 13.8 points per game.

Key Players: Bloomington South

Duncan Combs: The junior quarterback has thrown for 1,917 yards in his nine games played this season. Four interceptions in the last two weeks have been a concern for Combs, but he has thrown for 17 touchdowns over the course of the season. Combs has completed 121-of-171 passes for a 70.8% completion percentage.

Shaun Cooper: The senior running back eclipsed 1,000 yards last game. Cooper is now up to 1,023 yards on the ground. He is averaging 7.2 yards per carry after 142 attempts on the ground. Cooper also has the second-most touchdowns (15) on the ground for South.

Braylen Townsend: The only player with more touchdowns (16) than Cooper is Townsend. The junior running back has 941 yards on the ground. Townsend missed South’s 54-7 stomping of Southport on Sept. 26, but he still has a team-high 157 carries.

Jalen Williams: The senior tight end has been the main passing target for the South offense. The University of South Florida commit has 797 yards with 42 receptions this season. Williams also has 12 touchdowns. Standing at 6-foot-5, Williams has been a deep threat all season.

Wes Fulford: An offense cannot perform without its offensive line executing at the line of scrimmage. The senior right tackle has performed well in his first season at the position. In total, the offensive line has helped South produce 425.1 total yards per game.

Charlie Morris: On the defensive side, the junior linebacker has a team-high 90 tackles this season. He has also produced three sacks to go along with 10 tackles for loss. Morris has had four games with double-digit tackle totals and even had an interception in a 38-27 win against Martinsville on Aug. 29.

Ross Ogden: The senior linebacker sealed the win last week for South after an interception with 1:05 left on the clock. In total, Ogden has a second-most 83 tackles this season and leads the Panthers with 13 tackles for loss. He has also been able to intercept two passes this year.

Rylan Stikeleather: The junior defensive back’s arm injury is a big loss for South. Stikeleather had a team-leading three interceptions, but he will be out for the rest of the season. Terre Haute South was able to complete deep passing plays, something that Bloomington North will also be looking to do this week.

Key Players: Bloomington North

John Bargen: The senior quarterback has been the focal point for North’s offense this season. Bargen finally eclipsed 300 passing yards in a game on Oct. 17 in a 57-0 win over Southport. The 6-foot-4 gunslinger has thrown for 1,892 yards, 21 touchdowns, and four interceptions while completing 58.5% of his attempts.

Brayden Johnson: When the North offense is not dropping back to pass, Johnson has led the effort on the ground. The junior running back has turned 117 carries into 572 yards and four touchdowns. Johnson only had eight yards last week, but he can rumble for over 100 if given the chance.

Carter Matthew: Like South, North also has a dangerous two-headed backfield. The sophomore running back has been a good second option for North. Matthew produced 432 yards and nine touchdowns on 76 carries, including a 91-yard, 16-carry performance last Friday.

Rashon English: Back to the passing attack, this junior wide receiver has a team-high 622 receiving yards this season. English has gone over 90 yards four times this season, with a 144-yard performance against Southport being his highest. He also has a team-high 36 receptions and is tied with six touchdowns.

Nate Walker: The junior wide receiver is the other pass catcher who has six touchdowns this season for North. Walker is close behind English in catches and yards, as he has turned 32 receptions into 556 yards. Covering both receivers is a tall task for many opponents.

Noah Ferree: The former running back moved to linebacker this season, and the switch has worked for Ferree. The senior has a team-high 94 tackles to go along with four sacks on defense. Offensively, he has produced four rushing touchdowns.

Luke Freel: The senior has anchored the North passing defense, producing 46 tackles and three interceptions. Freel even had to start a game at quarterback this season, going 7-of-20 for 38 yards and two interceptions against Terre Haute South Vigo on Sept. 5. Freel also finished the contest with a season-high eight-tackle performance.

Lucas Rice: The senior defensive lineman leads North with eight sacks and 25 tackles for loss. Rice has had five games with a double-digit tackle total. He produced two sacks during the contest against Terre Haute South last week.

Friday’s matchup at Bloomington South’s Huff Field will be at 7 p.m. The ultimate goal for every school in this season’s IHSAA playoffs is to play at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Nov. 28-29. The 5A state championships will take place at 7 p.m. on Nov. 28.