Seymour’s Evan Smith breaks up a pass during an early season road game against Bedford North Lawrence.
Greg Jones | For the Tribune
Seymour football usually has a 24-hour rule after every game, win or lose.
You have 24 hours to celebrate a win or be disappointed by a loss before moving on and focusing on the week ahead.
Last Friday, when the Owls defeated New Albany 49-7 to earn a share of their first Hoosier Hills Conference title since 2001, head coach Tyson Moore admitted they let the team soak just a little bit longer.
“It’s not something that happens all the time,” Moore said. “We understood as soon as Monday came around, we handed out the players, helmet stickers, everything, but we told them, ‘OK guys, you accomplished a goal. Now you have to move on to reach our next goal.”
That goal is to win a sectional championship, and there’s no better way to prepare for the sectional than what Seymour faces this Friday to close out the regular season.
The Owls welcome Bloomington South, ranked No. 4 in the AP media poll and No. 5 in the coaches poll. The Panthers are 6-1 this season and on the other side of the bracket in the Seymour Sectional.
“The hardest part was trying to refocus for this week,” Moore said. “It’s another important game and it’s a preview of what our sectional will be like.”
Bloomington South and Seymour have played just four times, and the Panthers lead the series 3-1. The two programs have not met since October 7, 1994. Bloomington South won that game 49-7.
“We’re going to see the most explosive offense we’ve seen all year,” Moore said. “Offensively, they have a lot of pieces in their puzzle. Defensively, they should be the most disciplined team we play.”
Along with the always well-coached and disciplined Columbus East, Moore said the Panthers might be the most disciplined team Seymour has fielded this season.
Moore hopes the Owls come out like they did last Friday against New Albany. He wasn’t afraid to admit that he didn’t expect his team to run down the Bulldogs like they did. Not that he didn’t think they could, but that hasn’t been Seymour’s forte this season.
Prior to this game, four of Seymour’s five wins came on field goals in the final 2 minutes. The week before New Albany, Seymour underestimated a Jennings County team that nearly upset the Owls.
Moore feels this game played a role in preparing Seymour for his big moment last week.
“I wasn’t prepared to just go out and open the floodgates,” he said. “I think what happened the week before against Jennings County really shifted our guys’ focus and I noticed it was the best week of practice all year. Our guys were focused and ready to go from the start.”
The Owls now turn their attention to their toughest test of the season on Friday night at Bulleit Stadium. If Seymour can beat Bloomington North in the Oct. 28 sectional, there is a good chance the Owls will see Bloomington South in the Nov. 4 sectional game. South will play Columbus East in the first sectional game.
Win or lose this Friday, it will be a good measuring stick to see where the Owls stand in terms of their postseason aspirations.
“Not only the HHC championship on Friday, but the Seymour football team playing on Friday is very capable of winning a sectional championship,” Moore said.
