Columbus North High School

November 1, 2025 - Columbus North knew that with all of the late season injuries to their starters they would be underdogs heading into the sectional semifinals at Franklin Central. However, after jumping out to a 14-0 first quarter lead, the Dogs rode momentum and held a 35-21 lead entering the fourth quarter. That’s when disaster struck. The Flashes scored three touchdowns in the final period, including the game winner with only 16 seconds remaining, to bounce the Bull Dogs from the tournament with a 42-35 loss. The Dogs held the Flashes to just 73 yards rushing, but allowed 216 yards passing, including a crucial fourth down prayer in the final stanza. The Bull Dogs were balanced on the stat sheet with 140 yards passing and 173 yards rushing, but many of those rushing yards came on quarterback scrambles by senior quarterback Asher Ratliff (shown). Ratliff had 21 rushes for 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also threw for three scores on 18-of-28 passing, tossing one touchdown each to Jacob Rice, Charlie Parsons, and Cohen Long. Third down efficiency had been a strength of the Bull Dogs all season, but the Dogs could only muster 4-of-14 on third downs on Friday night. The Dogs held the ball for nearly 29 of the 48 minutes, but the Dogs’ inability to get defensive stops consistently doomed North. The Bull Dogs finished the season 4-6 and will graduate 28 seniors in the class of 2026.