Caston suffers first football loss to visiting #2 (1A) Pioneer

Caston wanted to put an early exclamation point on the football program’s best start in years.

But Pioneer wasn’t ready to hand over the stranglehold it's had on the series with the Comets.

Pioneer led just 14-7 after one quarter but then scored seven more in each of the final quarters while shutting out the Comets over the same stretch for a 35-7 win.

It was the 37^th straight win for Pioneer in the series.

Pioneer is ranked second in the 1A poll and appeared in the 1A state championship last season, a 55-29 loss to South Putnam.

Comets senior Ashton Bowyer rushed for 55 yards and the Caston score. Overall, the Comets were held to 72 rushing yards.

Quarterback Logan Mollenkopf was contained by the Pioneer defense. He was 3-of-7 passing for just 46 yards and held to minus-20 yards rushing.

Bowyer’s nine tackles led the Comets.

For Pioneer, quarterback Colton Popejoy was 8-of-14 passing for 215 yards and four touchdowns.

Junior Colten Long accounted for the Pioneer rushing touchdown. He also topped the team with 15 tackles.

Pioneer is 4-0 overall, 2-0 in the Hoosier North. The Panthers are tied with North Judson (4-0, 2-0) as the only unbeaten teams in the conference.

Caston (3-1, 1-1) suffered its first loss. The Copomets will be heavily favored at home on Friday when they host winless South Central. The Satellites, off to an 0-4 start after a winless 0-10 season in 2025, are mired in a 15-game losing streak.