New Palestine High School

Fresh off beating a defending Illinois state champion, the New Palestine football team plays another big game this week as the Dragons welcome 4A No. 1 East Central in the first-ever 1 vs. 1 game in NPHS history. 4A 1/3 EAST CENTRAL TROJANS (1-0) at 5A 1/1 NEW PALESTINE DRAGONS (1-0) Time: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28 Location: Kelso Stadium, New Palestine Tickets: $7, at gate or https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=198194 Audio: NewPalRadio.com Video: IHSAAtv.org ($) SETTING THE SCENE The Dragons continue their strong out-of-conference slate as they face 4A No. 1 East Central in a matchup of top-ranked teams. While the teams have faced off twice in the postseason - with the winner going on to win the state championship each time - this is their first-ever regular season meeting. The two schools have combined for four state championships in the last four seasons. NP brings a state-best 29-game winning streak into this contest. A victory would tie the school record of 30 consecutive wins, set between 2018-20. While the Dragons have played a number of big games in recent years, this is the first time they’ve played a No. 1 vs. No. 1 matchup. The Dragons are ranked atop the poll for the 22nd consecutive week. DRAGONS NOTES The Dragons opened their season with a matchup of state champions, and their first-ever game against an out-of-state school ended with a 28-17 victory over Wheaton (Ill.) St. Francis, ranked No. 2 in Illinois Class 5A. The Dragons took control in the fourth quarter. The Red Rage held St. Francis to 55 total yards on its first seven second-half possessions, forcing two turnovers. After the second, an interception by Andrew Davis, junior QB Rhys Ragan broke free for an 84-yard touchdown run to put the Dragons up 21-17. Ragan then helped put the game away. Two possessions later, he hit Ryder Gardner for a 58-yard touchdown to give the Dragons a two-score advantage with 1:32 left. Gardner had a massive game, with 259 all-purpose yards. His 62-yard catch set up Kade Stephens’ 4-yard TD run on the game’s first drive. He then responded to a long TD run by St. Francis with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown before halftime. Gardner had three catches for 126 yards and also had 133 kick return yards. Linebacker Evan Walker had a big game defensively, posting 15 tackles and six tackles for loss. He also had a fumble recovery. DB Braydon Newsom and LB Waynee Estes each had eight tackles. TE/LB Mason Oglesby is 85 yards away from becoming the 12th 1,000-yard receiver in school history. On defense, Sam Hirschy was the team’s third-leading tackler a year ago with 63 stops, 8.5 sacks and 20.5 TFL. Walker (59 tackles) and Davis (47 tackles, 4 INT) were fourth and fifth in tackles. Dragons head coach Kyle Ralph is one of three coaches in IHSAA history to coach five unbeaten state championship teams, joining Hall of Famers Dick Dullaghan and Bud Wright. Ralph is the fastest coach to 100 (109 games) and 150 (164 games) wins in IHSAA history. SCOUTING THE TROJANS East Central is reloading after a solid 9-3 5A sectional championship season. EC has won five sectional titles and two state titles the last five years, the last two in 5A. The Trojans have received a big boost in senior RB Ryan Minges returning from an injury suffered last season. A 1,500-yard rusher as a sophomore, Minges ran for 85 yards last week in a 21-0 victory over Lawrenceburg. RB Colton Bellman tallied 61 yards and a touchdown, helping lead a 198-yard rushing attack. The Trojans cashed in on two big touchdown plays by Noah Long - a 74-yard touchdown reception and a 96-yard kickoff return. EC held Lawrenceburg to 230 yards of total offense, led by senior Jared Cox (8 tackles, 1 sack). FOLLOW US All New Palestine games are broadcast free-to-listen at NewPalRadio.com. NPHS Athletics are on Facebook and Instagram (@NewPalestineDragons), Twitter (@NPHSDragons) and online (NewPalestineAthletics.com). Photo credit: Landyn Muffler Graphic design: Payton Dye