Bulldogs retain bell in thriller
Rich Fowler
Batesville’s Ethan Schneider (right) thwarts a pass attempt to Milan’s Micah Norman (left) in the closing moments of last Friday night’s Ripley County Bell Game.
Four of the last five Ripley County Bell Game meetings between Batesville and Milan had been decided by nine points or less and the latest installment of the rivalry series last Friday night was no different as the Bulldogs outlasted the Class A No. 9 Indians 27-20 at “The Dog Pound.”
It was the first win of the season for Batesville who has now had possession of the bell since 2020.
Early on it appeared as if Batesville was all set to run away with the game as the blue and white scored 14 unanswered points in the first half but a late first half touchdown by the Indians gave them some momentum that carried into the second half. Milan tied the game after a near nine-minute drive to open the third quarter and what ensued was a back-and-forth affair that came down to the final minutes.
Batesville running back Zadiin Small went on to score the go-ahead touchdown with 3:41 remaining in the game and Brady Wonnell’s extra point was the exclamation mark on the eventual 27-20 final score. Milan had a chance to tie or take the lead from there but were unable to come up with a score. The Indians had the ball on the Bulldog 20-yard line with 19 seconds left but could not convert on third and fourth down chances.
Small’s touchdown run was one of three from the Batesville backfield as the junior racked up 100 yards on 17 carries. Classmate Dylan Shane at the quarterback spot was 6-of-10 passing for 140 yards and a score that was thrown to senior Trenton Jordan. Jordan 91 yards and a touchdown on three catches. Rylan Yeager added two catches for 40 yards.
Freshman Beckett Langferman and Brady Alcorn each had a touchdown run for Milan. Langferman had 72 yards on 14 carries while Alcorn totaled 48 yards on nine carries. Kamden Miller rushed for 72 yards on five touches. Quarterback Wyatt Marsh rushed for 80 yards and was 10-of-21 passing for 82 yards and a touchdown pass to Micah Norman. Norman had three catches for 40 yards and Grant Langferman totaled 47 yards on five catches.
Grant Langferman led the Milan defense with nine tackles and a sack and both Brison Hornberger and Kolton Harris had seven tackles. Max Meyer led Batesville with 13 tackles, followed by Brycin Hoegeman’s 12 tackles, Kaden Vogelsang’s 11 tackles and 10 tackles from Sebastian Hall. Jaxon Brittle had a fumble recovery and a half-sack each was recorded by Vogelsang and Camden Kaiser.
Batesville (1-1) visits Class 3A No. 14 South Dearborn (2-0) on Friday night in a battle of Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference foes. Milan (1-1) visits Class A No. 2 North Decatur (2-0) the same evening, a Mid-Indiana Football Conference game which serves as a rematch of last year’s Class A Sectional Championship.
