After each having a week off, the Franklin Central Flashes and the Columbus North Bull Dogs will shake off the cobwebs and take on one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Franklin Central is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Indiana's top teams: Westfield, who was ranked third in their home state at the time (Franklin Central was ranked 14th). Franklin Central was beaten by Westfield 44-7 last Friday. The Flashes were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 38-0.
Meanwhile, Columbus North entered their tilt with Terre Haute South Vigo two weeks ago with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They put the hurt on the Braves with a sharp 48-24 win. The Bull Dogs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matches by 24 points or more this season.
Columbus North can attribute much of their success to Asher Ratliff, who threw for 210 yards and three touchdowns, and Gino Prescott, who gained 122 total yards and a touchdown. What's more, Ratliff also racked up 66 rushing yards, the most he's had since back in August.
Columbus North didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Luke Russell and Macario Mendez. Russell is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last seven games he's played. Jose M. Ramirez Casas was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 11 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Columbus North was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 209 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Terre Haute South Vigo only rushed for 86.
With the loss, Franklin Central broke their four-game winning streak and moved their record to 5-3. As for Columbus North, their victory bumped their record up to 8-1.
Franklin Central skirted past Columbus North 14-11 in their previous matchup back in November of 2019. The rematch might be a little tougher for Franklin Central since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
