After a gritty 27-13 sectional win at Terre Haute North, a thrilling North-South battle on the Cougars’ home turf has been set up for this Friday in Round 2 of the playoffs. 

In their last game, North’s defense stifled the Patriots’ rushing attack to under 100 yards and played a great overall defensive game. New QB Luke Freel went 6 for 9 passing with 95 yards and 2 touchdowns, and added 56 rushing yards. RB Noah Feree also went for 47 yards working for the ground game.

Meanwhile, the South Panthers are coming off a dominant road win against Terre Haute South Vigo, cruising to a 42-14 victory. This Friday’s matchup marks a rematch from earlier this season, when the Cougars claimed victory over Panthers also at North, 31-14. However, BHSN is facing new challenges down to QB2, Luke Freel, as starter Dash King got injured in the final regular season game. Despite this setback, Freel is 2-0 while leading the offense so far.

Adding to the stakes, South knocked off North in Round 1 of the postseason last year, a trend the Cougars hope to end this week. The last time North beat South in the postseason rivalry was 2013, in which BHSN won narrowly 24-21. Tickets for this week’s sectional championship game will be sold at the gate as well as online at https://websites.eventlink.com/s/ihsaa/Tickets?c=Football.