New Palestine High School

The New Palestine football team takes on another heavyweight Friday night, as the Class 4A No. 2/1 Dragons host Class 5A No. 2/2 Decatur Central in the schools' third all-time meeting. Game info 5A #2/2 Decatur Central (1-0) at 4A #2/1 New Palestine (1-0) Time: 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26 Site: Kelso Stadium, New Palestine Tickets: $6, available at door or online at https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=17728 Broadcast audio: NewPalRadio.com (pregame coverage begins at 6 p.m.) Broadcast video: IHSAAtv.org/NewPalestine/ (PPV). NineStar Channel 9 will also produce a tape-delayed broadcast that will air Saturday afternoon. SETTING THE SCENE For the second straight week, the Dragons face a highly-rated opponent in a larger enrollment class, as 5A No. 2 Decatur Central visits. This is the third meeting between the squads. The Dragons won the first, a 28-14 decision, in the 2018 Class 5A State Finals. DC won last year’s meeting 31-29 despite 132 rushing yards from Grayson Thomas. The Dragons move up to No. 1 in the AP poll, jumping two spots after last week’s win over Westfield. It is their first time being ranked No. 1 since the 2020 preseason polNew Palestine remains No. 2 in the IFCA poll. DC started the year No. 2 in both 5A polls and remained there this week. This is the Dragons’ sixth consecutive non-conference game against a ranked team, dating back to the 2019 season. The Dragons will have faced Center Grove, Brebeuf (twice), Decatur Central (twice) and Westfield in that span. DRAGONS NOTES Senior WR Isaiah Thacker eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for his career last week against Westfield, catching four passes for 79 yards, his fourth-highest career single-game output. He now has 1,064 total receiving yards in three varsity seasons. Junior RB Grayson Thomas ran for 187 yards last week - the fourth-highest total of his career and his 13th career 100-yard game. The only back to rush for 1,000 yards in each his freshman and sophomore years at NPHS, Thomas has 2,576 career yards and needs 343 yards to move into the program’s top five career rushers. The Dragons amassed 299 yards on the ground and 449 total yards last week against Westfield. They scored on their last five possessions and tallied touchdowns on six of their eight drives. The offense was balanced, as four different backs ran for at least 30 yards each, while QB Danny Tippit threw for 150 yards, including 44-yard passes to Thacker and Blaine Nunnally. Tippit and Thacker’s long completion went for a TD. The Dragons were no stranger to mammoth drives last week against Westfield. Their first drive was a 16-play, 80-yard march that took 5:32 off the clock. In the third quarter, they cashed in on a 15-play, 80-yard drive that took 8:02. On defense, the top three tacklers - LB Eli Hook (87 tackles), DB Blaine Nunnally (80 tackles) and DL Michael Thacker (78 tackles) - all return. Thacker also led the Dragons with 5.5 sacks, while Hook had five. Nunnally had three sacks and two interceptions. Nunnally had 12 tackles, while Hook had 11 stops, a fumble recovery and two passes defended. Thacker had seven tackles and a sack. Senior WR/DB Isaiah Thacker was an IFCA Junior All-State selection for the second consecutive season last year. OL Ian Moore, Thomas, Hook, Nunnally and K Brendan Tanksley were all named to the All-Hoosier Heritage Conference squad. Two Dragon seniors - Isaiah Thacker (Ball State) and Luke Burgess (Louisville) - have committed to play collegiately next season. SCOUTING THE HAWKS Decatur Central opened the season with a 26-12 victory over Columbus North last week. Freshman QB Bo Polston threw for 144 yards, including an 86-yard TD to K.C. Berry. A junior, Berry also had 66 of the Hawks’ 161 rushing yards and a 35-yard interception return for a score on defense. Senior Aycen Stevens is a two-way threat. As a linebacker, he is one of the top recruits in the state and has committed to Virginia Tech. He scored two touchdowns last week. LOOKING AHEAD The Dragons begin conference play next week at Yorktown, a contest that will commence a three-game road swing. FOLLOW US All New Palestine games are broadcast free-to-listen at NewPalRadio.com. All home games are also video streamed at IHSAAtv.org on a pay-per-view basis. NPHS Athletics is on Facebook (NewPalestineDragons), Twitter (@NPHSDragons) and online (NewPalestineAthletics.com).