New Palestine High School

The New Palestine football team begins its state title defense Friday with a trip to Pendleton Heights. The Dragons are looking to win their 14th consecutive sectional game dating to 2021. They have won five consecutive sectional championships, but will have to do so against a Top 5 team. PH is the ninth consecutive ranked team the Dragons will have faced in the tournament, and the seventh ranked opponent this season. (5A 2/2) NEW PALESTINE DRAGONS (6-3) at (5A 7/5) PENDLETON HEIGHTS ARABIANS (8-1) Time: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30 Location: John Broughton Field, Pendleton Tickets: $8, at gate or https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=213891 Audio: NewPalRadio.com Video: IHSAAtv.org (not produced by NPHS) SETTING THE SCENE The two-time defending state champion Dragons enter sectional play with another Top 5 matchup, as they face Pendleton Heights. This will be Dragons’ seventh game this season against a ranked team. This is a rematch of a Week 5 game, which the Dragons won 38-21 at John Broughton Field. Under coach Kyle Ralph, the Dragons have played a rematch of a regular season game 11 times in the tournament. NP has swept all 11 series. In the Week 5 game, Logan Parks ran for a career-high 285 yards and four touchdowns. Rhys Ragan threw for 130 yards as the Dragons scored 38 consecutive points to take control of the game. NP leads the series with PH 28-13, having won 16 straight meetings dating to 2013. NP has won 26 of the last 28 dating to 2003. The Dragons are 46-8 all-time in tourney play in Ralph’s 13 seasons, and 27-3 in sectional play. They have won five straight sectional titles and 10 in the last 13 years. The Dragons have won 13 straight sectional games. DRAGONS NOTES The Dragons are coming off a dominant 63-7 victory over Delta, in which they set a season high for points scored. They tallied 466 yards - 243 on the ground and 223 through the air. Ragan set season highs with 16 completions and 223 passing yards, doing so on 22 attempts. He threw a season-high four touchdown passes, one each to each starting wideout. Landon Maddox had 78 yards on four catches. Mason Oglesby had five catches for 62 yards, Ryder Gardner four for 49, and Cael Butler three for 34. The Delta game marked the first time four different Dragons caught touchdown passes in the same game since Oct. 17, 2025, also against Delta. Oglesby moved up to second place on the NPHS all-time receptions list with 108, passing Duke Blackwell. He is seventh on the receiving yards list (1,287). He needs 41 yards to catch sixth-place Blake Austin. Kade Stephens ran for a season-high 131 yards and four TDs against Delta. He tallied the Dragons’ first four scores as they built a 28-0 lead. DB Brayden Newsom had two interceptions against Delta. He joins Carson Forsyth - who had two picks at Yorktown - as players with multiple takeaways in the same game. The Dragons had a season-high four takeaways, as Waynee Estes and Deakin Gibson each recovered fumbles. Sophomore Cohn Wuethrich led the Red Rage with nine tackles. Evan Walker had eight stops and 1.5 TFL. The Dragons held Delta to 41 rushing and 140 total yards. SCOUTING THE ARABIANS PH enters sectional play with an 8-1 record for the second straight season. The Arabians are seeking their first sectional title since 2011 and third overall. QB Brandt Gray is completing 69% of his passes for 1,457 yards and 19 touchdowns. He has spread the ball around - five receivers have at least 10 catches and 140 yards. Camden Saxon (28-438) is PH’s leading receiver. RB Joel Weaver has broken the 1,000-yard mark and has 1,233 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. The Arabians beat Southport 56-0 in the season finale. Weaver ran for 160 yards. Gray ran for 80 and threw for 98 - 55 to Saxon and 30 to Byron Vores. LOOKING AHEAD The winner of this game will face either Cathedral or Mt. Vernon in next week’s sectional championship game. The Dragons would travel to Cathedral but host MV. 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).