Bloomington South Rallies Past Columbus North 24-7
The short version
- Bloomington South beat Columbus North 24-7 at home after trailing 7-0, its first deficit of the season.
- Duncan Combs went 9-of-11 for 159 yards and three TDs in the second half, finishing with 234 passing yards.
- Jonathan Winstead had seven catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
- South's defense allowed 102 total yards, five first downs, and forced eight punts.
- The game began a four-game closing stretch before the tournament for the No. 1 Class 5A Panthers.
Class 5A top-ranked Bloomington South trailed for the first time this season before scoring 24 unanswered points to beat Columbus North on Friday night.
Top-ranked Class 5A Bloomington South overcame its first deficit of the season on Friday night at Huff Memorial Field, answering a 7-0 third-quarter hole with 24 unanswered points to beat Columbus North 24-7.
Columbus North surprised the Panthers with unfamiliar defensive looks, an offense that worked the clock on every snap, and a front that disrupted South's inside-zone run game. The Bull Dogs held South off the scoreboard in the first half, which ended 0-0 despite strong field position for the Panthers, who missed a field goal and threw an interception in the end zone.
South's offense sputtered before halftime with 41 rushing yards on 15 carries and 76 passing yards. Coach Gabe Johnson said the break was spent adjusting the game plan rather than yelling, noting opponents often change tendencies against his team.
The Bull Dogs struck first after South muffed a kickoff, scoring on a fourth-down touchdown pass to lead 7-0 with 9:32 left in the third quarter. South answered with a field goal, then took the lead on a screen pass from Duncan Combs to Jonathan Winstead, who followed a block from Connor Parker and went all the way in from 48 yards out. The Panthers scored 10 points in 1:52.
South extended the lead on a fourth-down, 24-yard touchdown pass from Combs to Mayson Lewis to make it 17-7, and an interception by Charlie Morris at the Columbus North 40 set up a 13-yard scoring strike to Winstead with 4:10 remaining for the final margin.
Combs finished 9-of-11 for 159 yards and three touchdowns in the second half and threw for 234 yards overall. Winstead caught seven passes for 139 yards and two scores, Parker added four catches for 34 yards, and Lewis had three for 61.
The South defense carried the night, forcing eight punts, recording eight tackles for loss, and limiting Columbus North to 102 total yards, 46 rushing on 25 carries, and five first downs. Lineman Donovan Avila credited the team's composure and coordination for holding firm.
The game opened a tough four-game closing stretch for the Panthers, who entered the night averaging 53 points per game. Combs said the team wants those kinds of battles to be ready for the tournament, and Johnson added that his players can't expect every game to be a runaway at halftime.
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