Columbus East High School

The Columbus East Olympian football team secured a critical 34-14 Hoosier Hills Conference victory over Floyd Central on Saturday afternoon at Floyd Central High School. Originally scheduled for Friday night, the game was postponed due to heavy rain and wind from Hurricane Helene, but the Olympians showed no signs of slowing down in their quest for their first conference title since 2020. Columbus East (4-2, 4-0 HHC) controlled the matchup from the outset, defeating the Highlanders for the first time since 2021. This important win puts Columbus East in position to capture the Hoosier Hills Conference title, needing victories over Jeffersonville and Bedford North Lawrence to close the regular season. The Olympians are looking to recapture the Hoosier Hills Conference title after winning 14 straight conference titles from 2007-2020. Keaton Lawson led the charge with two electrifying defensive plays, returning a punt 86 yards for a touchdown and later running an interception back 102 yards for another score. On offense, quarterback Kyson Villarreal added two rushing touchdowns and completed 6 of 11 passes for 81 yards. Running back Thomas Houpey paced the ground attack, rushing for 129 yards, including the Olympians' first touchdown of the game. Columbus East, now on a four-game winning streak, will host non-conference 5A #6 Bloomington North on Friday, October 4th starting at 7 p.m. on Homecoming Night. The Olympians will then have one more home contest on October 11th when the host another HHC opponent, the Jeffersonville Red Devils, on Senior Night. The Olympians will then travel to another HHC team, the Bedford North-Lawrence Stars, on Friday, October 18th to finish out the IHSAA regular season. IHSAA Football Tourney: With the end of the regular season in sight, the Olympians will find out who they'll face in the first round of the IHSAA Sectional when the IHSAA has their annual tournament pairing show on October 13th starting at 6 p.m. ET. The Olympians, who compete in the Class 5A tournament, have 5A #7 East Central, Franklin Community, and Seymour in 5A Sectional #14. See the IHSAA pairings show here: https://www.ihsaatv.org/ Key CEHS Stats: Keaton Lawson: 86-yard punt return TD, 102-yard interception return TD Kyson Villarreal: 6-of-11 passing for 81 yards, 89 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs Thomas Houpey: 129 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD Thanks for the fan submitted photos!