By E. Shawn Aylsworth

Managing Editor

COLUMBUS – Kickoff at 7 p.m. local time of the Nov. 21 Class 4A southern semistate showdown between fifth-ranked Indianapolis Cathedral and top-ranked Columbus East? Heatless.

Trading touchdowns in the first four minutes of perhaps the state’s most highly anticipated Final Four clash? Breathless.

Committing six second-half turnovers of a 10-all game with a chance at a state finals berth hanging in the balance? Reckless.

But that’s how it went down for unbeaten host Columbus East in an absolutely frigid Friday night football affair. After opening the second half with an 11-play drive that resulted in a missed 36-yard field goal attempt, the Olympians’ next seven possessions went – beyond shockingly, in all honesty – like this:

Interception. Interception returned for touchdown. Fifteen-yard punt that led to touchdown. Interception that led to field goal. Fumble that led to touchdown. Fumble that led to touchdown. Interception.

Yipes. I repeat, YIPES.

“You just can’t make those kinds of mistakes against a good team like that,” said Columbus East eighth-year coach Bob Gaddis. “We really moved the ball well in the first half but just couldn’t get anything going in the second half.”

Nooooooooo foolin’. Not surprisingly, a team with nearly unparalleled postseason history such as Cathedral (the Irish own six state titles) took full advantage. And for the most part, it was one of Indiana’s finest quarterbacks that the Irish torched en route to the rout.

Columbus East QB Dusty Kiel entered this fray with a very famous surname and the sparkling credentials – 145 of 218 for 2,954 yards and 34 touchdowns with only four interceptions – to live up to it. And the evening certainly began brightly enough when the 6’3” senior connected on his first three passes in going 5 of 6 for 77 yards on an initial drive that culminated with a nine-yard TD toss to sophomore Shane Henderson that evened the game at 7.

(Cathedral junior QB Kofi Hughes had opened the scoring with a 51-yard option keeper to the right on the game’s fifth play, breaking a tackle just past the line of scrimmage and scooting down the Cathedral sideline for the score.)

But in the second half of this bitterly cold and bitterly contested battle, Cathedral’s halftime adjustments fully stymied the Olympian leader. After once again starting a half off on fire – Kiel hit four of his first five passes for 53 yards in moving East to the Cathedral 17 prior to senior Matt Wilson’s field goal try that was pulled right – an absolute nightmare ensued for the strong-armed Indiana University recruit.

On 2^nd and 10 from the East 42, Kiel’s deep pass down the left sideline floated and was picked off by Cathedral senior defensive back Ryan Foley, who returned it nearly 30 yards to the Olympians’ 47. Although the O “D” swelled up and forced a punt, the subsequent kick by junior Scott Miller was downed inside the East 10 for the second time on the night, setting the Os up on their own 6-yard line.

Ruh-roh. Three plays later, Kiel’s pass over the middle was slightly behind his receiver but right on target for Irish DB Jake Zupancic. The 5’11” junior snagged the errant throw at the East 35 and weaved his way to the end zone, breaking the tie and putting Cathedral up 17-10 following Miller’s extra point with 1:45 left in the third quarter.

Trailing for the first time since 8:00 showed on the clock in the game’s opening period, East stumbled through a three-and-out response that only got worse when Henderson shanked a 15-yard punt to the right. Cathedral (11-2) needed only 1:19 to go 42 yards in six plays, with junior running back Nick Najem scoring from one yard out off right tackle to give the Irish a two-TD lead at 10:58 of the final stanza.

Taking over at his own 35 following the kickoff, Kiel threw a 10-yard pass that was picked off by senior linebacker Ollie Ware and returned seven yards to the Olympians’ 38. The East defense tightened once again, but Miller’s 35-yard field goal made it a three-possession lead with only 7:23 remaining in the game.

Any faint hopes that were left for the orange-clad faithful following pass plays of seven and 18 yards were dashed when senior RB Joumeel McLaurine fumbled on a draw play, with Cathedral senior LB Matt Falvey recovering at the East 42.

At this point it simply became too difficult to justify observing, ironically, a meltdown of a team with such promise in weather that might very well cost me my toes. Suffice to say that Hughes scored on a nine-yard run, Columbus East (13-1) turned the ball over once more, Hughes punctuated the second-half onslaught with a 10-yard run, and the Olympians squeezed in one final turnover before the clock mercifully expired.

Cathedral will face another unbeaten and higher-ranked opponent Nov. 29 in the 4A state finals. That would be either second-ranked Lowell or No. 3 Fort Wayne Dwenger, who are playing in this weekend’s only Saturday semistate.

STAY TUNED FOR STATS AND MAYBE SOME OTHER STUFF … IF I CAN GET FEELING BACK IN MY HANDS.