Columbus East High School

The Columbus East Olympians have had a bit of a roller-coaster season on offense. They've had moments where they moved the ball well, but there were also times when they struggled to get things going for the rest of the game. During the first three quarters of last nights game, they often faced challenges, especially when BNL's punter pinned them deep in their own territory. In the entire first half, they only managed to breach the opposing territory once and have several three and outs. On the defensive side, the Olympians put up a strong performance in the first half, stopping the Stars on several possessions. However, they did let the Stars' quarterback, Memphis Louden, score a touchdown in the 2nd quarter, ending the first half with a 7-0 deficit. Things changed in the second half. The Olympians' offense started to pick up its pace, but their defense struggled, allowing two quick touchdowns early in the 3rd quarter. Missed tackles and failing to stop Bedford North-Lawrence on several 4th down plays widened the gap to 20-0. On the bright side, the offense started to find its rhythm, largely thanks to O's QB Kyson Villareal. In the 4th quarter, he connected on three touchdown passes, making a strong comeback. These included a 66-yard TD to Jared Brooks, a 62-yard TD to Keaton Lawson, and another 15-yard TD to Keaton Lawson. This offensive surge brought the score closer at 28-21 late in the 4th quarter. The Olympians' defense pushed hard, managing to force a BNL punt, but the Olympians had to use all their timeouts. With 1:35 on the clock and no timeouts, they had a chance to drive down the field and tie the game. However, a mistake with the snap and subsequent fumble allowed the Stars to recover the ball and run out the clock, securing their 28-21 victory. Some key stats from the game: Kyson Villareal: 11-24 passing, 3 TD passes, 55 yards rushing Tyler Weller: 65 yards rushing Keaton Lawson: 6 catches for 127 yards Jared Brooks: 2 catches for 74 yards Cam Herron: 2 catches for 14 yards Jaxson Siegman: 1 catch for 5 yards Looking ahead, it's tournament time for IHSAA football. The Olympians have an opportunity to rest and fine-tune their game since they have a bye during the first week of the tournament. Their focus will then shift to their first-round opponent, the Seymour Owls, in the IHSAA 5A Sectional 15 bracket. It's a significant challenge as they aim to contain the high-powered Seymour offense, which scored 41 points against the O's during a regular season loss on September 1st. The Olympians will host the Owls at Stafford Field on Friday, October 27th, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.