When it comes to the competitive nature between these two schools, there is no such thing as social distancing. The Churubusco Eagles have fielded a varsity football team every year since 1965, but this will be the first time the two teams will square off.
Prior to 2020, Busco had scheduled to play Whitko for their season opening week, while Columbia City was playing Hammond Gavit in Week 1 last season and Warsaw the season before that. Prior to the 2019 season, Columbia City’s county rivalry game came against Whitko. Now, a new era of the Whitley County football rivalry has been renewed with a Busco program that hasn’t experienced a losing season since 2004.
2019 was a very good season for Busco as they went 7-3 before losing a close one to powerhouse Southwood in sectional play 21-12. This years squad is a much younger one but with some talent and upside that can help the Eagles continue their winning ways for the long term.
This is the first time Busco has played a 4A school in football since Week 5 of the 2013 season in a 14-7 win @ Angola. However, this is the first time they’ve played a school from a variation of the NEIAC, NHC, or NE8 since Week 3 of the 1982 season when they lost 31-0 @ Bluffton.
Columbia City’s last 3 seasons have resulted in 5-5 seasons where they got off to a 4-1 start in 2017, 4-2 start in 2018, and a 4-0 start in 2019. While the Eagles have been competitive in recent seasons, they have struggled to pull away in games against the cream of the crop in the NE8.
Since the NE8 was formed in 2015
The Eagles are:
0-5 against Leo (losing by an average margin of 23.6 points)
0-5 against East Noble (losing by an average margin of 32 points)
1-6 against New Haven (losing by an average margin of 31.4 points)
However, if there are some promising news is that the Eagles are not only starting to get some legit talent on both sides of the field, but they’re starting to become more competitive against the best. Over the past 2 seasons, the Eagles have played in 12 games by 2 possessions or less (half of those being one possession games).
Columbia City should come in hyped up for a new era of the school and the football program as a whole in front of a sparkling new turf field. But, can the home team pick up the win tomorrow night? Let’s find out.
Churubusco
1. Get some confidence in the Wing-T offense. Get a couple good possessions
The Eagles are coming into this season with just 6 returning starters total on both sides of the ball. While it doesn’t take much to get Busco fired up for this matchup, this is going to be a measuring stick game to where the program is right now.
Earlier, I had mentioned Nick Nondorf as one of the juniors to watch for the Busco Eagles. Nick already has some experience playing on the defensive side of the ball with 50 tackles and forcing 3 interceptions, but he has ran the ball for 71 yards in 2019. Sophomore Wyatt Marks could be another option at running back as he ran for 57 yards as a freshman.
It’ll be interesting to see how well Ayden White does at the running back slot as a freshman. The Eagles depth and their strength in numbers will be tested against an experienced and fast defense that has made Columbia City one of the most difficult to score on when they’re at their best. In 2019, the Eagles were 5-0 when they ran for over 300 yards and had just one game where they ran under 200 in their loss to Eastside. It would also be ideal to keep the ball away from the Columbia City offense as much as possible.
2. It comes down to your front 7 to grind through the trenches
Over the years, the Eagles have been known for their exceptional play up front, especially on the defensive side where the Eagles have been a force to be reckoned with here. However, given that experience will be an issue early on in an unprecedented 2020 season, their leaders will have to come up even bigger to lead the way for the younger guys.
The first name that comes to mind when I think of this is junior Hunter Bianski who received all state recognition after recording 76 tackles and a team beat 6.5 sacks in 2019. His experience should be critical for the team.
Another one is senior Seth Abel who recorded 72 tackles in 2019. Again, on a team that doesn’t have a lot of seniors, Abel’s play on and off the field will be critical for Busco. The defense will have to play well and keep this as close as they can simply due to a large gap between the experienced Columbia City team and the inexperienced Busco team that is not as deep as their county rivals.
The Eagles will need to get after the QB and put pressure on Bolt to make a big play, which is easier said than done.
Columbia City
1. Get the best out of everyone
Week 1 of a season is the phase of showcasing first impressions. When we do season previews, we get our views of each team based on past seasons and which assets are back for the season. We evaluate based on what the coach’s expectations are and what the team’s strengths and weaknesses are.
This is where all of the work done during quarantine, during the summer months, and during the scrimmage are being put to the test. I expect the Eagles to be extra pumped about week 1 because of the new season, playing Busco, and playing in a new field (albeit with limited spectators).
They are expecting to be contending in the NE8 and in the 4A playoffs, so they surely want to get off to a good start on this season.
There is a lot of experience back on both sides of the ball especially on defense so this team should have plenty exciting moments for this season.
If the Eagles can create chaos on this Busco offensive and defensive lines, it could have a toll on Busco’s inexperience on Friday night’s.
2. Protect the football
When you’re playing a rivalry game like Busco, you know you’re going to get the best from your opponent. So I expect this game to be physical and filled with many hard working plays.
For the Columbia City Eagles, you do not want Busco to get any kind of momentum from fumbling the ball or giving the offense extra possessions in great field position.
The team that can control the flow of the game, be disciplined, and can protect the football will be the one that comes out victorious.
One player to watch
Churubusco
Max Anderson
For the 2nd straight season, Busco will be going with a speedy guy as the starting QB on the team. How does he adjust to his new role as a senior on this team? He doesn’t have a lot of varsity experience and only played in 1 game in 2019. In the best case scenario, Max can be a decent QB that can do a good job managing the Wing-T offense and make big time plays when his teammates need him. Busco does have some good talent from their underclassmen ranging from Riley Boroff to Ayden White to Gavin Huelsenbeck, but Busco will be relying heavily on their seniors and some of their juniors to lead the way.
Columbia City
Gregory Bolt
As now a 3-year starter at QB, can Bolt reach a whole new level on this team? He had a very good sophomore season, but there were still some flaws that set him back a little. However, as stated earlier, given that he has a very strong Group in front of him and a strong defense, this is now Bolt’s time to shine on the football field. So far, he has 2,102 career passing yards a career 49.3% completion 24 TD’s and 12 picks. By the time this season ends, Bolt could double his career accolades.
Bolt should have plenty of weapons around him with TJ Bedwell, Abe Barrera, Evan Love, and even Martin Smith. It’s just a matter of how well he can spread the ball across the field.
Conclusion
It is crazy that Busco and Columbia City (separated by only 12 miles) have never clashed on the football field given the unique history of this long lasting rivalry. Many probably remember this rivalry more for its clashes on the basketball court, but starting tomorrow, the rivalry will be taken to a whole new level that these two have never experienced before.
It’s a new season of high school football. It’s a new era of Columbia City and Busco football. It’s the latest chapter of the long-standing Whitley County rivalry. However, the expectations remain the same, and if those expectations don’t include playing hard and winning football games, then you’re at the wrong place.
Around the NorthEast Corner 