Seymour quarterback Bret Perry looks downfield to fire off a pass during the Friday night home game against New Albany.
Greg Jones | Aim Media Indiana
Mikey Wright, left, closes in for the tackle during the Friday night home game against New Albany.
Greg Jones | Aim Media Indiana
Jack Pennington runs through the hole during the Friday night home game against New Albany.
Greg Jones | Aim Media Indiana
Cam Wheeler takes the opportunity to gain some yardage during the Friday night home game against New Albany.
Greg Jones | Aim Media Indiana
It was a chilly Friday evening at Bulleit Stadium with the New Albany Bull Dogs coming into town to face the Owls on the football field.
The Owls allowed New Albany to have the ball, to get it back and go right down the field and score. Seymour QB Bret Perry threw a 32 yard bomb to Jaylan Johnson to take the early 7-0 lead.
The Owls started fast, leading to a dominant victory over the New Albany, 53 to 14.
Owls Head Coach Tyson Moore spoke about the dominant win.
“We talked about some miscues early in the game, and fixed our mistakes as we progressed throughout the game,” Moore said.
“I thought we had a very balanced offense with running and throwing the football against New Albany. I’m thrilled for these guys tonight, we needed that to finish our conference schedule.”
Chase Loesch then led the Bull Dogs down the field, eventually finding the end zone with his legs. Loesch ran for a 12 yard rushing touchdown for New Albany to tie the game. The Owls were then forced to a 2nd and 14 with 5 minutes to go in the first quarter, striking for a huge 20 yard completion from Perry to Jack Pennington.
Nicholas Wheeler then took Seymour deep into Bull Dogs territory with two huge runs, setting the boys up inside the five. Perry then followed his lineman into the end zone with a four-yard rushing touchdown to regain the lead.
The second quarter started with the Bull Dogs inside the ten. New Albany incompleted a pass on 4th down, giving the ball back to the Owls.
Seymour took over at their own 9, driving down the field. Perry then hit Johnson who was wide open, tip-toeing down the sideline for the score. Kyle Hileman threw a huge block that allowed Johnson to walk in. The Owls took a commanding 19-7 lead with 9 minutes left in the first half.
New Albany didn’t flinch as Loesch led the team down the field again, bulldozing into the end zone with another rushing touchdown.
The Bull Dogs made it a 19 to 14 game, but Seymour came right back and scored. Perry found Hileman for a 47 yard touchdown pass, igniting the crowd with cheers. New Albany would then turn the ball over on downs, allowing Seymour one final chance before halftime. Perry would hit Jaylan Johnson again down the sideline for a 44 yard gain, putting the Owls at the 17 yard line.
Seymour was then forced to a 4th and 5, not getting the first down, turning the ball back to New Albany. The Bull Dogs kneeled to end the half, with the Owls starting with the pigskin to start the second half.
The wind picked up some serious speed to start the second half with Seymour gaining possession. Perry then dialed up Hileman for a huge 37 yard gain, the big play eventually led to a 4th and 3, which the Owls converted. Perry hit Logan Shelly for a quick six yard gain to keep the chains moving.
Seymour added two scores in the third quarter. Sam Rockey scored the first touchdown, with Nicholas Wheeler getting in the endzone for the second touchdown. Seymour took the commanding 40-14 lead over New Albany.
Moore spoke about the second half.
“We responded very well after halftime on both sides of the ball,” Moore said. “Our defense had some mistakes early on, but bounced back in the second half to allow no points.”
The final quarter started with another Seymour score, Perry finding Pennington for a 7 yard touchdown pass. The Owls took a 46-14 lead, before Aaron Holt would pick off Loesch the following drive. Perry then found Hileman for a 39 yard passing touchdown, extending the lead to 53-14.
Seymour would then force New Albany to turn the ball over, and they would run out the clock, securing the fifth win for the Owls. Perry threw for over 350 yards and 5 touchdowns, breaking the single-season passing yards record for a Seymour QB. Perry also broke the record for single-season touchdown passes with 34 at the moment. Seymour shut down New Albany in the second half, allowing no points in their final half of Hoosier Hills Conference play in 2023. The Owls will now prepare for Bloomington South in week 9.
High School Football
Owls; 53, Bull Dogs; 14.
New Albany (2-6);7;7;0;0;—;14
Seymour (5-3);13;13;14;13;—;53
First Quarter:
S: Bret Perry 32 yard passing touchdown to Jaylan Johnson. (Pennington Kick) 7:36
NA: Chase Loesch 12 yard rushing touchdown. (PAT good) 6:25
S: Bret Perry 4 yard rushing touchdown. (PAT Missed) 3:38
Second Quarter:
S: Bret Perry 38 yard passing touchdown to Jaylan Johnson (2pt failed) 9:18
NA: Chase Loesch 3 yard rushing touchdown. (Pat good) 5:42
S: Bret Perry 47 yard passing touchdown to Kyle Hileman (Pennington Kick) 2:46
Third Quarter:
S:Sam Rockney 6 yard rushing touchdown (Pennington Kick) 4:42
S: Nicholas Wheeler 1 yard rushing touchdown. (Pennington Kick) 2:45
Fourth Quarter:
S: Bret Perry 7 yard passing touchdown to Jack Pennington. (Pat Missed) 11:54
S: Bret Perry 39 yard passing touchdown to Kyle Hileman. (Pennington Kick) 11:00
Individual Statistics
Rushing: N. Wheeler 8-74, C. Wheeler 8-38, Perry 4-14, Sam Rockey 3-7, Johnson, 1-11.
Passing: Perry 21 for 30, 358 yards, 5 touchdowns.
Receiving: Hileman 6-143, Johnson 5-143, Pennington 4-40, Shelly 3-28, N. Wheeler, 1-27. C. Wheeler, 1-16.