Center Grove had to hang on for dear life to beat Columbus North in a sectional title game last season. The Trojans made sure there was no such drama in this year’s meeting with the Bull Dogs.
Carson Steele rushed for 193 yards and three first-half touchdowns as the Class 6A No. 7 Trojans imposed their will on both sides of the ball in a 42-0 sectional semifinal rout of the sixth-ranked visitors on Friday.
The Trojans (7-3) will play for their eighth consecutive sectional championship next Friday at Franklin Central.
"Everything was working," said senior defensive lineman Brian Gaffney, who had three quarterback sacks and also ran for a first-quarter touchdown on offense. "We game planned really well for that one, for sure. When we get in the playoffs, Center Grove football is just a different game, and when we come together as a team like that, it shows. Both sides of the ball, we were dominating."
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Steele got rolling right away on the Trojans’ initial drive, rushing for 39 yards and catching a pass for 15 more as part of his team’s game-opening 66-yard march. He capped that with a 4-yard scoring run.
Lucas Roehling then intercepted a Trenton Kelley pass on Columbus North’s first play from scrimmage, and Center Grove cashed in shortly thereafter on a 7-yard run by Gaffney with 4:29 left in the first quarter.
A third-down Gaffney sack early in the second forced a Bull Dog punt, which led to another Trojan touchdown. Steele had one apparent TD called back due to a penalty, then dashed up the middle 41 yards to the end zone on the following play.
Lucas Hunter then got a piece of a Columbus North punt on the ensuing series, setting up another Steele touchdown from less than a yard out with 49 seconds remaining in the half.
Steele had 208 total yards at halftime (160 rushing, 48 receiving), compared with just 72 for the Bull Dogs’ entire team.
"The war horse was here tonight," Center Grove coach Eric Moore said of Steele. "He did a great job."
Sam Hohlt, back after missing much of the regular season with an injury, hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass from Jackson Moore with 3:14 left in the third quarter, and Gavin Matheson’s 13-yard scoring run at the 10:07 mark of the fourth signaled the end of the night for the Trojan starters.
Moore had high praise for his linemen after the blowout win.
"We knew the ball game was going to depend on the line of scrimmage," he said. "I’m really proud of our defense for locking down and loading. But the offense, man, when we roll, we’re good."
