Columbus East High School

The Columbus East Olympians continued their impressive turnaround Friday night, defeating New Albany 43-17 on the road. After starting the season 0-2, the Olympians have now won three straight games and sit atop the Hoosier Hills Conference with a 3-0 record. East wasted no time setting the tone. On the opening kickoff, Keaton Lawson blazed past the Bulldogs' defense, taking it 99 yards for a touchdown to give the Olympians a 7-0 lead just 14 seconds into the game. New Albany responded late in the first quarter, tying the game at 7-7, but a costly mistake by the Bulldogs early in the second quarter shifted the momentum. A bad snap rolled into their own end zone, resulting in a safety and giving East a 9-7 lead. Following the safety, the Olympians drove down the field, and Thomas Houpey powered his way into the end zone from eight yards out, extending the lead to 16-7 after a missed extra point. New Albany managed to connect on a field goal later in the second quarter, trimming the lead to 16-10. But Columbus East quickly answered. A big catch by Cam Herron set up Houpey for another touchdown, this time from 37 yards, as he found a gap in the defense and sprinted to the end zone, making it 22-10 after another missed PAT. Before halftime, the Olympians forced a New Albany punt and the Olympians capitalized with a big reception to Lawson from Kyson Villareal, followed by a Jared Brooks reception, who weaved his way inside New Albany's ten yard line. Villareal then found Kamden Shelley for a 4-yard touchdown pass right before half-time, giving Columbus East a 29-10 lead at the half. The O's defense stepped up in the second half, stopping New Albany on a crucial fourth-down play on their opening possession in the 3rd quarter. With the the momentum from the huge 4th down stand, the Olympians then put together one of their best drives on the evening that culminated with a 10-yard touchdown run by Villareal, pushing the lead to 36-10 late in the third quarter. Though the Bulldogs found the end zone early in the fourth, East responded with a clock-chewing, 8:34-minute drive that ended with JD Rotert’s rushing touchdown, making it 43-17. From there, the defense held strong, securing the victory with a score of 43-17. The Olympians (3-2, 3-0 HHC) face a critical test next Friday as they travel to Floyds Knobs to take on Floyd Central (3-1, 2-0 HHC) in a matchup that will determine control of the Hoosier Hills Conference.