GREENWOOD — For three quarters, Bloomington South football was passing the test, tied while playing at one of the most storied Class 6A programs in the state.
But a handful of big plays undid all that as the 5A No. 2 Panthers bogged down late, watching the seventh-ranked Trojans score 28 unanswered points, including 14 in just over two minutes of the fourth quarter, to pull out a 28-14 win on Friday, Oct. 16.
"We did what we wanted to do," South coach Gabe Johnson said. "Come out and play hard and execute well. And I thought we did that on both sides of the ball.
"Then it felt like a total collapse in the second half, and really it was more like three or four plays. We can't do that. Good teams make you play good for four quarters. We didn't do anything that we didn't expect to do, we didn't do it long enough."
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The message for South (7-2), sent loud and clear as well by Ironton, Ohio two weeks ago, is it takes 48 minutes of sustained effort to beat a team with the talent and depth of Center Grove (7-2).
"It takes really hard work," South senior linebacker Charlie Morris said. "It takes discipline when you're tired. It takes focus when you're tired. Everything has to be executed at a high level when you're tired."
Johnson loved what he saw in response to the loss in Ohio last week in the rout of Brebeuf. That seemed to carry over, but proved tough to sustain against the likes of Center Grove.
"I thought we came out against Brebeuf really well," Johnson said. "And (Friday), I thought we were good for three quarters. I didn't think we were good in the fourth."
After the final horn, it started to hit South's seniors that this is it. Everything is one and done from here on out, and so the lessons absorbed must but put to use from here on out. All said and done, South felt better after this year's loss to Center Grove than the 2025 version.
"I feel good going into the playoffs," Morris said. "I think last year, we were a little beat up and we really didn't know what to expect playing them for the first time.
"But the seniors who came back this year kind knew what to expect with the physicality and the size we were going to see and the endurance of the other players. So, we gave it all, and it fell away in the second half."
Trojans turn back the clock
Overall, South was outgained just 334-310 and ran for 102 yards while senior quarterback Duncan Combs threw 43 times for 208 yards and a pick. But the defense recovered a fumble, picked off a pass and also blocked a field goal.
Center Grove mixed in some old-fashioned Wing-T to spur the running game and get back within 14-7 by halftime. The Trojans ran for only 30 of its 139 yards in the second half, but it opened up the secondary for two long touchdown passes.
South hadn't repped all that much against the Wing-T. Eight different Trojans touched the ball on offense, keeping the defense on its toes.
"It is tough," Morris said. "We didn't expect them to run as much Wing-T as they did, but I think we adjusted well, especially after halftime. We shut it down and they didn't that much more. I think we did a decent job of getting to the ball."
Center Grove comes back
The tide started turning 17 seconds into the fourth quarter. South had driven to the 1-yard line where it faced fourth down. A Panther score would have changed the complexion of the game.
The call was a tush-push of quarterback Combs that had worked earlier, just barely, on fourth-and-1 at their own 20. But that was back in the first half with the Panthers were winning up front.
Center Grove started taking over the line of scrimmage in the second half, and it was no different on this snap as Combs was stopped short.
"Going for it on fourth and 1 down there was the right call," Johnson said. "I thought he might have been in, but he wasn't. So we've got to line up and play defense."
The Trojans had to punt but forced a three-and-out on the other end.
Sam Stolberg's punt came down at the 9 and return man Brodie Tilton dropped it and had to go back to the 1 to retrieve it. He began weaving his way down the South sideline and eventually found clean air to put the Trojans on top for the first time all night, 21-14, with 7:28 to play.
South went three and out, and on third and 11, CG's backup QB, who had been starting late in the season after an injury to the starter, found Roman Youngs again, slanting over the middle for a 77-yard score to make it 28-14.
"I felt good about the way our defense was kind holding them, even thought we were giving them some yards," Johnson said. "It's just not the way we want to finish. We've got to learn from it.
"We've got to stay in it. When it got down, it seems like we lost a little bit of ourselves."
Quick start for South
Early on, South's offense was clutch, converting three times on fourth down, one of them a 19-yard scramble by holder Jonathan Winstead on a field goal try after bobbling the snap.
South scored on each of its first two drives, sandwiched around a Center Grove fumble recovered by Easton Bellini, to take a stunning 14-0 lead at 3:19 of the first quarter.
"We were not one-dimensional," Johnson said. "So I think it kept them off-balance. They had to defend the run."
But CG shut off that faucet in the second half as South gained just 32 yards on 19 carries. The Panthers gained just one of their 18 first downs in the fourth.
"We all knew that Center Grove had been in a lot of close games this year," Morris said. "Even though they were down, they were not panicking. They were going to continue to fight, and we had to match that. And we didn't match that as the game went on.
"As seniors, we have to keep leading and keep heading in the right direction."
CENTER GROVE 28, BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 14
Bloomington South (7-2) 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 — 14
Center Grove (7-2) 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 — 28
FIRST QUARTER
BS: Hayden Clark 2 run (Sam Stolberg kick), 9:04. BS, 7-0.
BS: Duncan Combs 11 run (Stolberg kick), 3:19. BS, 14-0.
SECOND QUARTER
CG: Jayden Biggertstaff 18 run (Dallas Cornpropst kick), 1:14. BS, 14-7.
THIRD QUARTER
CG: Roman Youngs 63 pass from Evan Wischmeier (Cornpropst kick), 5:52. Tied, 14-14.
FOURTH QUARTER
CG: Brodie Tilton 91 punt return (Cornpropst kick), 7:28. CG, 21-14.
CG: Youngs 77 pass from Wischmeier (Cornpropst kick), 5:15. CG, 28-14.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING
Bloomington South (36-102): Hayden Clark 24-71, Jonathan Winstead 1-19, Myles West 4-7, Duncan Combs 7-5.
Center Grove (31-139): Jayden Biggerstaff 13-66, Lange 6-40, Brodie Tilton 8-24, Evan Wischmeier 2-6, Elijah Williams 1-5, Jeramiah Guidie 1-(-2).
PASSING
Bloomington South: Combs 21-43-1-208.
Center Grove: Wischmeier 9-15-1-195.
RECEIVING
Bloomington South: Mayson Lewis 9-41, Winstead 9-107, Connor Parker 2-51, Rey Kante 2-12.
Center Grove: Roman Youngs 3-153, Guidie 2-16, Rhys Oliver 1-11, Warner Schatz 1-7, Biggerstaff 1-4.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington South football leaves job undone at Center Grove