FLOYDS KNOBS — Two key fourth-quarter defensive stops by the Floyd Central football team ended New Albany’s chances of scoring a second win over the Highlanders in three weeks on Friday night at Ron Weigleb Stadium.

Floyd advanced to next week’s Class 5A Sectional 8 championship by turning back the Bulldogs in the semifinal, 34-28. The Highlanders (8-3) will host Castle, a 21-6 semifinal winner over Bedford North Lawrence on Friday, in the sectional final next Friday.

For three quarters, New Albany sophomore tailback Jalin Forrest ran all over the Highlanders, amassing 225 of his 268 rushing yards during the first 36 minutes of the contest. But on a fourth-and-goal inside of the Floyd Central 2-yard line, the Highlander defense walled up en masse and stuffed Forrest behind the line of scrimmage as the Bulldogs turned it over on downs.

Had Forrest scored, the Bulldogs could have conceivably tied the game at 28 early in the fourth quarter. On a third-and-eight during New Albany’s next possession, quarterback Simon Weber hit LaRonn Davis for a screen pass. But Davis was stopped short, forcing the Bulldogs to punt.

Three plays later, Kyle Bramble scored on a 67-yard scamper to give the Highlanders a 34-21 lead with less than five minutes left in the contest. That margin, in the muck caused by Friday night’s heavy rain, was enough to close the deal against the scrappy Bulldogs.

“Obiviously, I think the weather affected them because they’re a passing team,” Floyd Central head coach Brian Glesing said. “They give us matchup problems. But we made a great stop down there (on Forrest) on fourth down, and that was a great team effort.”

The Highlanders were looking for revenge after a 17-15 loss to the Bulldogs (2-9) on Oct. 16, and the matchup was as good as advertised.

On New Albany’s first play from scrimmage, Forrest ran for a 90-yard touchdown that included several broken tackles inside the Floyd Central 20, and the extra-point kick gave the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead after just 25 seconds.

But Floyd Central answered on three consecutive first-quarter offensive possessions. Senior quarterback Max Guenther found three different receivers for touchdown passes within the next 10 minutes, including a 29-yard strike to Bramble, a 27-yard completion to 6-foot-5 tight end Jeffrey Thompson, and a 46-yard pass that landed softly in the hands of Matt Lowe after being tipped by teammate Matt Rue at the 5-yard line.

It was 21-7 at the end of the first quarter, but New Albany fought back to tie the game in the second quarter.

An 18-yard touchdown run by Forrest capped a 10-play, 71-yard drive. But Devin Ferreira’s extra-point attempt was no good.

Then, with time running down in the half, Weber hit a streaking Chris Whitehead across the middle for a 32-yard scoring strike. Weber converted the two-point conversion himself with 1:41 remaining in the half, and the score was tied at 21 at intermission.

For the Bulldogs, who struggled all season but showed late-season grit, the comeback pleased coach Kevin Roth, who shook the hands and patted the helmets of his players as they walked off the field following the game.

“The kids grew up, No. 1, and No. 2, they learned how to win,” Roth said. “What I liked is that they competed every night. I was proud of our kids.”

Guenther closed out a brief Floyd Central drive early in the third quarter with an 11-yard touchdown run and Jason VanBuren’s extra point gave the Highlanders the lead for good at the 10:03 mark.

Bramble’s touchdown gave the Highlanders a two-touchdown lead. But New Albany continued to fight, gaining a late score when Weber completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Josh Santana with 33.5 seconds left in the game.

New Albany’s onside kick bid was then recovered by Floyd Central’s Zach Miles, and the hosts were able to run out what was left on the clock.

“We made a lot of mistakes early. But they gutted it out and we were playing for the win up until the very end. I liked our effort,” Roth said.

But it was Floyd Central, which both avenged the earlier loss and will play for a sectional championship Friday night, and Glesing said he was happy for his players.

“I think our kids are going to be just fine,” he said. “We may not have a team full of killers or spectacular athletes, but we have kids who practice hard and play hard. We won’t have any problem getting up for a sectional championship, which is something we haven’t played for in a long time.”

Aaron Sparks gained 119 yards for the Highlanders on the ground, and Bramble notched 113. Guenther’s night included 110 yards passing and 72 on the ground.



NEW ALBANY 7 14 0 7—28

FLOYD CENTRAL 21 0 7 6—34

1st quarter

N — Forrest 90 run (Ferriera kick), 11:35.

F — Bramble 29 pass from Guenther (VanBuren kick), 9:10.

F — Lowe 46 pass from Guenther (VanBuren kick), 5:57.

F — Thompson 27 pass from Guenther (VanBuren kick), 1:28.

2nd quarter

N — Forrest 18 run (kick failed), 5:56.

N — Whitehead 32 pass from Weber (Weber run), 1:41.

3rd quarter

F — Guenther 11 run (VanBuren kick), 10:03.

4th quarter

F — Bramble 67 run (pass failed), 4:37.

N — Santana 17 pass from Weber (Ferriera kick), :33.5.