By Nick Jenkinson-SCINN Sports Director
The City Battle between Bloomington South and Bloomington North will begin a new chapter tonight when the teams meet at Dennis O. Martin Memorial Field for a 7 PM Kickoff on the Northside of Bloomington to kick off the 2026 High School Football Season.
In past years these two teams do not see other until the fourth week of the season for the last 22 years going back to 2023. From 1994-96 and 2000-02 the teams meet in the fifth week of the season and from 1997-99 the teams meet in sixth week of the season.
The two teams were in the South-Central Conference and then they joined Conference Indiana when it was formed but for the first time since 1981 the two schools are not in the same conference. In February of 2025 Bloomington North announced they were joining the Mid State Conference starting in the 2026-27 School Year replacing Greenwood who moved to the brand-new Hoosier Legends Conference.
Bloomington North’s addition to Mid-State Conference gives them eight members along with Martinsville, Mooresville, Plainfield, Perry Meridian, Decatur Central Franklin and Whiteland. Losing the Cougars from Conference Indiana left a void with Terre Haute North and Terre Haute South announcing they were leaving to join the Sagamore Conference with Danville, Harrison (West Lafayette), Lebanon and McCutheon leaving Conference Indiana to just three schools Bloomington South, Columbus North and Southport.
Bloomington South will join the Hoosier Hills Conference for the 2027-28 school year joining Bedford North Lawrence, Columbus East, Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, New Albany and Seymour. This year the Panthers along with Columbus North and Southport are independents and schedules changed dramatically with teams dropping opponents and looking to find new ones along shifting dates around.
Bloomington North dropped Terre Haute North, Terre Haute South, Columbus North and Southport as a result of Conference Indiana dissolving and removed Jeffersonville and Columbus East from the schedule since they are now in the Mid-State Conference who plays a seven-game schedule. The Cougars kept Bedford North Lawrence who they normally play in the second week of the season but to keep the Panthers on the schedule going forward that game needed to be moved and so now it is the season opener and it means the off-season focus will change and these two teams not only get ready for the season but get battle each other right off the bat.
For Bloomington South they had to scramble to find replacements as they dropped Terre Haute South, Southport and Columbus East. The Panthers added three games with a home game against Muncie Central and Road Trips to Greenfield Central along with a long bus trip to Ironton in Southeast Ohio which is on the border with West Virginia. The Panthers kept Martinsville, Terre Haute North, Columbus North, Brebeuf Jesuit and Center Grove on this year’s schedule.
While it’s going to be a change in terms of when this game is played during the season does not mean it will take away from the emotion and build to the game for both sides. Even though the City Rivals are no longer in the same conference they still will face off in the regular season and could meet for a second time in the Sectional as they do most years.
Bloomington North will start this year with a brand-new coach for the third time in three seasons as Andy Harding takes over the program for Brett Cooper who left to become the head coach at Ben Davis in Indianapolis. Harding is a 2000 Graduate of Bloomington North and was the Defensive Coordinator at Tarboro High School in North Carolina for 19 Years winning Nine State Championships including the 2025 State Title and a 22-game winning streak.
The Cougars went undefeated in the 2023 regular season under longtime Head Coach Scott Bless who retired and they lost to Bloomington South in the Sectional Semifinals 44-31 at home. Bless Retired after the season and former North Quarterback Anthony Lindsey took over as Head Coach in 2024 and led the Cougars to an 8-3 record including a 27-3 win over the Panthers at home, but the Panthers avenged the regular season loss to the Cougars with a 27-3 victory in the Sectional Semifinals.
Lindsey stepped down during the summer of 2025, and Brett Cooper came in and hit the ground running as the Cougars started 2025 with a 1-3 record including a 36-7 loss to their city rivals on the Southside. The Cougars reeled off six wins in a row and lost to the Panthers 31-28 in the Sectional Championship Game on the Southside.
Harding comes back to his hometown and now faces his city rivals to start his tenure at his alma mater and it does not get any bigger than this and he knows what this game means to both schools and the city and would love nothing more than his first win to be against that team on the Southside of town.
For Bloomington South Gabe Johnson beings his 7th season in charge of the Panthers with a 51-18 record as the Panthers have won five Sectional Championships in a row along with three straight Regional Championships. The Panthers are looking for that next step to get back to the State Finals for the first time since winning it all in 1998.
The Panthers finished 11-2 last year adding another Sectional and Regional title to the trophy case and lost at New Palestine 42-0 in the Semi State. Johnson finished 4-4 in his first season at Bloomington South in 2020 but has 8 winning seasons in 9 years as head coach with an overall record of 65-28 and not only wants to keep his dominance on this city rivalry but spoil the coaching and home debut of Andy Harding to start the regular season.
The Edgewood Mustangs kickoff the season with home matchup on the Red Carpet in Ellettsville when they welcome the Springs Valley Blackhawks to the Mustang Corral for a 7 PM kick. Scott Fischer beings his fourth year in the charge of the Mustangs and looks to improve on a 5-4 season in 2025.
The Mustangs were 5-0 to start the season and lost their last four including an opening round sectional loss at Scottsburg. Fischer was 2-8 in his first two seasons at Edgewood, but the Mustangs have gotten better posting three shutout wins a year ago and looking to keep building the program as Mustangs had their first winning season since 2019.
Edgewood will have though sectional as Indian Creek, Owen Valley, Scottsburg, Sullivan, Vincennes Lincoln and Washington are all in Sectional 31 as the Mustangs have not won the Sectional since 1990 which is the only one in program history.
Springs Valley and Edgewood will meet for the first time and for the Blackhawks it will be a challenge as the Class 1A school located in French Lick which the Alma Mater and Hometown of NBA Great Larry Bird makes the trip to Ellettsville to battle the Class 3A Mustangs.
Jason Lowe beings his sixth season with the Blackhawks with a 42-12 record. Lowe was 9-2 in 2021 and then slipped to 5-5 in 2022. In 2023 the Blackhawks went 10-2 followed by 8-2 in 2024 and 10-1 in 2025. The Blackhawks are looking for their first sectional title since 1992.
Springs Valley averaged 40.7 points on offense and gave up 9.9 points on defensive with three shutouts a season ago. The Blackhawks lost at Providence in Class 1A Sectional Semifinals 35-14 as Providence has knocked Springs Valley out of the Sectional the last three years.
Every two years the IHSAA realigns the sectionals and this time Springs Valley and Providence are not in the same sectional giving the Blackhawks the opportunity to bring home that sectional title to French Lick. Springs Valley is in the Sectional 48 with Crawford County, Forest Park Henryville, North Daviess, North Knox, Tecumseh and North Daviess.