Panthers roar back with late rally for football sectional title over rival Cougars, 31-28

The last two weeks have shown the toughness of the Bloomington High School South football team. The Panthers defeated Terre Haute South Vigo 41-34 last Friday after a rushing touchdown by junior wide receiver Hayden Clark with just 1:25 left on the game clock.

This week Bloomington South produced its second marquee win in the playoffs. It took until zeros were showing on the scoreboard, but freshman kicker Sam Stolberg put an 18-yard field goal attempt right down the middle to cap off a 17-point fourth quarter and give the Panthers a 31-28 victory over their cross-town rivals Bloomington North.

“For two weeks in a row now, we showed a lot of resiliency,” Bloomington South head coach Gabe Johnson said. “I think it was just a testament to our program, our guys, and our coaching.”

The Cougars were in control for most of the game, as North was leading 21-7 at halftime and took a 28-21 advantage with 7:21 remaining in the contest. However, South had the toughness to grind out scoring drives to keep itself in the game.

After throwing a 45-yard pick-six on the first drive of the game, Bloomington South junior quarterback Duncan Combs responded to the mistake. He finished the contest going 18-of-27 for 183 yards and three touchdowns. Even when the ground game was not working to start the game, the Panthers kept giving senior running back Braylen Townsend the ball. Townsend produced 197 yards and a touchdown with his 42 carries.

“We got some things figured out,” Johnson said. “And we made some adjustments, and our coaches … do a great job.”

On the other side of Bloomington, Bloomington North was held to 249 total yards on offense. Senior quarterback John Bargen still had a productive night—going 16-of-25 for 188 yards and three passing touchdowns. But South snuffed out the rushing attack. The Cougars could only muster 61 yards on 18 carries, with junior running back Brayden Johnson getting 35 and sophomore running back Carter Matthew producing 32.

Senior defensive back Luke Freel had a productive night on both sides of the ball for North. He took the interception back from 45 yards out to open the scoring and give the Cougars a 7-0 lead over two minutes into the game. Freel had been played occasionally on offense this season, but found a leading role this Friday, as he hauled in four passes for 38 yards and a touchdown.

Bloomington South responded to the early deficit by driving 67 yards down the field in 10 plays on the ensuing drive. Combs connected with junior wide receiver Connor Parker (3 rec, 79 yards) for 48 yards to move into the red zone. However, the offense stalled out and Stolberg missed a 28-yard field goal.

After punts from both teams, North received the ball on its own 46-yard line. Bargen found Matthew out of the backfield for 31 yards to move into plus territory. It would take just two plays before Freel caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Bargen to give the Cougars a 14-0 lead to open the second quarter.

“It’s not a great way to start the game,” Johnson said. “We can’t have these slow starts like we’ve been having.

The passing attack for South was not clicking to start the game, so Johnson switched the game plan to rely on Townsend. The Panthers kept the ball on the ground nine consecutive times to open their next drive, with every rush going to Townsend, except an 8-yard scramble by Combs. Combs finished the drive by finding senior tight end Jalen Williams (7 rec, 60 yds, 2 TD) for a 9-yard touchdown on 4th-and-7 from the 9-yard line.

After South put itself back into the game, it only took five plays for North to regain a 14-point advantage. The Cougars started the possession with good field position after the kickoff went out of bounds. Johnson found a hole in the defense for 16 yards to move into Panther territory before sophomore wide receiver Blake Davis (4 rec, 102 yds, 1 TD) found open space for a 47-yard passing touchdown from Bargen.

North kept the 21-7 lead heading into the locker room, and the Cougars had a chance to increase their advantage after receiving the ball coming out of halftime. However, Bargen was sacked by junior linebacker Charlie Morris on a third down play.

“Our last three games, they’ve been tough situations for us,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to deal with tough situations, and we know that, and it’s a tournament, and we’re going to get good teams.”

The ensuing drive for Bloomington South was methodical, with just one play going for more than 10 yards. The Panthers’ offensive line was able to overpower North, picking up crucial yards in third-down situations. South finished the possession with a 7-yard touchdown reception by junior wide receiver Jonathan Winstead on 4th-and-4. That pulled South to within a touchdown at 21-14.

The back-and-forth battle continued into the fourth quarter. Bargen finished a 10-play, 76-yard drive with a 1-yard passing touchdown to junior wide receiver Nathan Walker (3 rec, 19 yds, 1 TD). Combs responded by finding Williams for a 9-yard score on a 12-play, 56-yard possession to make it a 28-21 game in North’s favor.

The momentum changed on the ensuing drive for South. The Bloomington North offense stalled out, leading to a punt on fourth down, however, the play was blown up as Davis was tackled in the backfield.

The big play from the special teams set South up on the opposing 30-yard line. Using the great field position, Combs found senior wide receiver Sam Giles for 11 yards to bring the Panthers inside the 5-yard line. A Townsend rush from one yard out on third down and an extra point by sophomore kicker Cohen Fischer tied the game at 28-28.

North knew they needed to drive down the field in the three minutes remaining in the contest, but its possession ended without a first down. South’s defense was able to force two incompletions and a punt by the Cougars.

South’s offense started with the ball on North’s 47-yard line, and capitalized on the good field position. A 14-yard reception by Williams, then a 13-yard catch by Parker, moved the Panthers into the red zone. Townsend ran the ball down to the 1-yard line to set up Stolberg’s field goal to win a fifth consecutive sectional championship for Bloomington South.

The Panthers will continue their pursuit for an IHSAA State Championship next Friday. South will stay at Huff Field and play Floyd Central (10-1). Floyd Central got its spot in the regional game by defeating Evansville North 15-10.

“We’re gonna get everyone’s best shot, and we have to be ready for that,” Johnson said.