New Palestine High School

The tone was set on the first play. Greenfield-Central gave the ball to a fullback and Michael Thacker bullied through the line and dropped it for a four-yard loss. The next play yielded another loss. The next was a sack. Then, the Dragons methodically marched down the field and finished the drive on a 1-yard run by Kyler Kropp. That was just the start, as the 4A No. 3 Dragons dominated in the trenches on both sides of the line of scrimmage in a 35-0 victory over No. 4 Greenfield-Central. Kropp ran for 124 yards and three scores, while Thomas ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns. The Dragons scored on their first three drives, then scored two quick touchdowns in the third quarter to trigger the running clock. The Dragons (9-2) advance to face Mt. Vernon (7-4) next week in the Sectional 22 championship game, which will be played at MV. The Red Rage posted its second consecutive shutout and held a team below 200 yards for the fifth consecutive game. The Dragons played smashmouth football early, beating G-C at its own game. The first drive was an 11-play, 54-yard march in which no play went for more than nine yards, but the combo of Thomas, Kropp and Gavin Neal methodically pushed the ball downfield before Kropp finished the drive with a score. After forcing a second straight three-and-out, the Dragons went back to the ground. A 22-yard screen pass to Kropp brought the Dragons into the red zone. Neal carried for 12 yards on the next play, setting Kropp up for a 5-yard TD in the final minute of the first quarter. It gave the Dragons a 14-0 lead after two long, run-heavy drives and a defense that had not allowed a first down. G-C abandoned its bread-and-butter, the running game, and had success with short passes on its next possession. But Alex Guhl stepped in front of an inside pass and intercepted the ball at the Dragons' 20, setting up a 13-play, 80-yard march that put the Dragons up 21-0 on Thomas' 7-yard run. The Dragons were behind the chains frequently on the drive. On 2nd-and-15, Thomas took a draw play 25 yards to the NP 40. Later, the Dragons faced third-and-19, and Thomas carried for 18 yards, setting up a manageable 4th-and-1, which Kropp converted. A 16-yard run by Neal put the Dragons in the red zone, setting up a score by Thomas two plays later. The Dragons carried the 21-0 lead into halftime - with Caden Jacobia punctuating it with an interception on the half's final play. The Dragons came out dominant in the second half with explosive plays. On the first drive, Thomas broke a 32-yard run, followed by a 25-yard run by Kropp. Thomas finished the four-play, 62-second drive on the next play with a 7-yard scamper to make it a 28-0 game. After forcing another punt, the Dragons needed just two plays to trigger the running clock. Neal took a keeper 33 yards on the first play. On the next, out of a wildcat formation, Kropp took the snap and swept around left end for a 31-yard TD. Meanwhile, the Red Rage didn't allow much, holding G-C to 139 total yards, including just 31 in the second half. The Cougars were held to 37 total rushing yards on 20 carries. The Dragons amassed 391 total yards, with all but 29 on the ground. The Dragons ran the ball on 50 of their 53 snaps and had two 100-yard rushers for the first time since Sept. 24, 2021. New Palestine 35, Greenfield-Central 0 Friday, Oct. 27, 2023 at Kelso Stadium, New Palestine Greenfield-Central (9-2). 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0 New Palestine (9-2). 14 - 7 - 14 - 0 -- 35 Scoring summary NP-Kropp 1 run (Wells kick), 5:22 NP-Kropp 5 run (Wells kick), :46 NP-Thomas 7 run (Wells kick), 5:14 NP-Thomas 4 run (Wells kick), 10:58 NP-Kropp 31 run (Wells kick), 3:45 Team stats First downs: G-C 9, NP 19 Rushes-yards: G-C 20-37, NP 49-363 Passing C-A-I: G-C 13-22-2, NP 2-3-0 Passing yards: G-C 103, NP 29 Total plays-yards: G-C 42-140, NP 52-392 Fumbles-lost: G-C 0-0, NP 1-0 Penalties-yards: G-C 3-20, NP 2-15 Punts-avg: G-C 4-35.3, NP 2-32.0 Time of possession: G-C 21:46, NP 26:14 Individual stats Greenfield-Central Rushing: Benavente 9-28, C.Hinton 3-6, J.Hinton 3-6, Foley 1-3, Freeman 4-(-6) Passing: Freeman 13-22-2-103 Receiving: Knecht 5-41, Wadle 3-36, J.Hinton 2-14, Willard 2-5, Ford 1-7 New Palestine Rushing: Thomas 21-145, Kropp 13-124, Neal 8-45, Haines 5-39, Armstrong 2-10 Passing: Neal 2-3-0-29 Receiving: Kropp 2-29 Photo credit: Aaron Smith