Bloomington High School North and Bloomington High School South football teams played their first conference games of the 2025 season Friday. South played Terre Haute North Vigo High School, while North played Terre Haute South Vigo High School.
Bloomington South:
Bloomington South’s defense started the game off poorly, allowing Terre Haute North receiver Traishun Brown to snatch a touchdown grab to give North an early 7-0 lead.
The Panthers responded fast, however, rattling off a drive of their own to equalize with a rushing touchdown from senior running back Braylen Townsend.
Townsend wasn’t done there, scoring another touchdown on the next drive to give the Panthers a 14-7 lead after one quarter.
Following an interception from junior quarterback Jonathan Winstead to start the second quarter, the Panthers slammed on the gas after the subsequent stop from its defense.
After senior running back Shaun Cooper scored to double the Panther lead to 14, Townsend completely took over the game, scoring three touchdowns in the second quarter and ballooning South’s lead to 42-7 by halftime.
The second half coasted by. The referees decided to implement a running game clock for the second half to speed It up.
As Bloomington South emptied its bench onto the field, the game continued to advance. The Panthers scored another touchdown, making it 49 -straight points and a scoreline of 49-7.
Terre Haute North finally stopped the skid, but the game was well past over. Bloomington South won by a final score of 49-13, rising to a 3-0 record and claiming their first conference win of the season.
Bloomington North:
Bloomington North, by contrast, struggled to improve on its first quarter performance against Terre Haute South, as the first quarter came and went without a single point scored by either team.
That changed quickly entering the second quarter, as the Braves opened the scoring with a 19-yard rushing touchdown, followed by a missed extra point.
The Cougars’ offense continued to struggle as Terre Haute South’s defense pulled out the clamps, with North limping to a 6-0 halftime deficit.
The offensive struggles continued for Bloomington North in the second half, as they failed to generate any influential actions.
Following a Braves’ field goal, Terre Haute South scored another 19-yard rushing touchdown to increase its lead to 16-0.
Entering the fourth quarter, the life and fight of the Cougars slowly seeped away as the offense struggled to claw back.
A 74-yard rushing touchdown for the Braves was the final nail in the coffin, as Bloomington North slumped in defeat, losing 23-0.
Recap
Townsend stole the show for the Panthers, racking up five rushing touchdowns in a dominant ground game display by Bloomington South.
While the Cougars’ defense started off strong, it was impossible for them to hold on. With the offense as ineffective as it was, Terre Haute South was able to eventually wear them down with enough runs.
For the Panthers, this game gives them a tremendous boost of confidence heading into the local clash. If their run game can remain as deadly as it has been, they will have little to no problems next week against the Cougars.
For the Cougars, it’s back to the drawing board. The defense cannot be let out to dry once again. The offense needs to find its rhythm, or it’s going to be a very long final Conference Indiana season for them.
Next week, everything is on the line as Bloomington North will make the cross-town trip to visit Bloomington South, at 7 p.m. Friday. It will be their last ever clash in Conference Indiana.
