By Nick Jenkinson-SCINN Sports Director
The Class 5A Sectional 15 Football Championship Game will be contested tonight at 7 PM as the Bloomington South Panthers travel cross-town to face the Bloomington North Cougars at Dennis O. Martin Memorial Field.
The Winner of this game will face the winner of Evansville North and Castle for the Regional Championship Next Week. Bloomington North would travel South regardless of the result and Bloomington South would travel to Evansville North if both teams win tonight and they will host Castle if the Knights beat The Huskies.
Since 2021 these two teams have meet for the Sectional Championship Four times and a Sectional Semifinal in 2023 and Bloomington South has won every matchup in the postseason. Bloomington South beat Bloomington North three in a row from 2015-17 Bloomington North beat Bloomington South 24-21 on November 8, 2013, at Bloomington North in the Sectional Championship.
The Panthers won Sectional matchups in 1985, 1995, 1996, and 2002. Bloomington South is 79-41 all-time in the postseason with 20 Sectional, 14 Regional, 3 Semi State and 2 State Titles. The Panthers have won 5 straight Sectional titles and 11 of the last 12 years.
The Panthers started the season 6-0 before a 37-0 loss at Ironton, Ohio on October 3. The Panthers lost in the final week of the regular season at Center Grove 28-14. Bloomington South dominated Franklin at home 63-0 in the Sectional Semifinals last Friday..
Gabe Johnson’s squad averages 42.1 points on offense and give up 12 points on defense. Johnson is 59-20 in his 7th year and 73-30 in his 9th year overall. Johnson has won 6 Sectional Titles and 3 Regional Titles with 5 Sectional and all three Regionals on the Southside of Bloomington and won the 2011 Sectional Title at Triton Central.
Bloomington North is 5-5 and beat Seymour 40-7 on the road Last Friday Night. First year head coach Andy Harding who return home to his alma mater after spending over a decade as an assistant coach in North Carolina. The Cougars average 25.7 points on offense and give up 27.3 points on defense. Bloomington South beat Bloomington North 44-6 in the season opener on the Northside of Bloomington on August 21.
Bloomington North is 24-41 all-time in the postseason and won two Sectional Titles in 2010 and 2013 along with a regional title in 2010. Bloomington North beat Bloomington South in the 1986 Sectional. Bloomington South has dominated this series 53-16 all-time since 1972 and the Panthers expect to add another Sectional Title to the trophy case and hope for more during this run.
Bloomington North would love to end the Panthers Sectional dominance and lift the trophy for the first time in 13 years and would be huge win for Andy Harding coming back to Bloomington in his first year and knocking off that team on the other side of town but the Panthers are going to make sure that does not happen and do not look ahead to next week.