Bloomington High School South football dismantled Southport High School on Friday, romping to a score of 54-7. It places the Panthers within touching distance of what may prove to be the final regular season crown for Conference Indiana.
Bloomington South’s first play on offense signaled things to come, with junior quarterback Duncan Combs finding senior receiver Sam Giles on a wide receiver screen for 31 yards. After causing the defense to jump offside on 4th and 1, Combs found senior tight end Noah Poellnitz for a 7-yard touchdown with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
The score wouldn’t stay 7-0 for long. After Southport fumbled the handoff on its opening play, Combs threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to wide-open senior running back Blake Azcui on the next play.
After forcing a three and out on defense, the Panthers made the score 21-0 on the first play of the next drive. Combs lofted a deep ball to junior receiver Jonathan Winstead, who raced away for a 45-yard touchdown.
Southport’s offense continued to run the rock even as the score widened. The punter fumbled the snap on the resulting punt, giving himself up inside his own 10-yard line.
Senior running back Shaun Cooper ran in a 6-yard touchdown the very next play, ballooning the score to 28-0 with two minutes still left in the first quarter. The Panthers’ offense had scored three touchdowns on their last three plays.
The second quarter brought more of the same. After both teams traded three and outs, Bloomington South whittled its way down the field with bruising runs and motioning receivers. It was soon 34-0 after a 9-yard rushing touchdown from Cooper and a missed extra point.
Facing a 3rd and 11, however, Southport finally found success on offense, with senior receiver Markell Hatchett streaking downfield for an 82-yard touchdown — the Cardinals’ only points of the day.
Bloomington South responded quickly, however, kicking a field goal after a 52-yard screen from senior tight end Jalen Williams to make the score 37-7.
With Southport fumbling the subsequent kickoff, Williams soon after caught a 5-yard touchdown, not even needing to jump to catch the lofted ball from Combs.
A late field goal increased the Panthers’ lead even further, leaving the halftime scoreline reading a monstrous 47-7.
With the second half on a running clock, the game breezed past as both teams continued to run the ball with the game out of reach. Halfway through the fourth quarter, junior running back Myles West ran in for a 14-yard touchdown for the only second half score.
As the dust settled after the final whistle, the final scoreline read 54-7. It was Bloomington South’s fourth straight commanding win, previously defeating Terre Haute North Vigo High School 49-13, rival Bloomington North High School 36-7 and Terre Haute South Vigo High School 49-14.
Despite the Panthers’ main strength on offense this season being their running game, the pass game shone early Friday night.
“They’re pretty good on the run,” Bloomington South coach Gabe Johnson said. “They kept the big play at bay in the run game. And so, I think that, thankfully, we have enough good players on the perimeter and outside that we can take advantage.”
Bloomington South now sits at 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the conference with just one conference game left to play against Columbus North High School. The Panthers are also only one win away from claiming the regular season championship — possibly the last one for Conference Indiana.
“The fact that we’re playing for a conference championship is a big deal,” Johnson said. “We know they’re really good and we got to go there. So, we just have to have a great week.”
With Conference Indiana’s regular season crown on the line, Bloomington South travels to Columbus North at 7 p.m. Friday.
