New Palestine High School

The New Palestine football team opens the 2024 season Friday at Kelso Stadium against the Kokomo Wildkats. The Dragons are coming off an 11-3 season in which they advanced to the Class 4A semistate, and open 2024 ranked No. 1 in both polls. 4A #1/1 New Palestine Dragons (2023: 11-3) vs. 5A RV/RV Kokomo Wildkats (2023: 9-3) Time: 7 p.m. Friday Location: Kelso Stadium Tickets; $6, cash at gate or online at https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=86150 Audio: NewPalRadio.com (coverage begins at 6 p.m.) Video: IHSAAtv.org (PPV) SETTING THE SCENE The Dragons open their 57th season of varsity football tonight with a marquee matchup against the Kokomo Wildkats. Both programs have experienced recent tournament success. The Dragons have won three state titles in the last decade and were a semistate team last season. The Wildkats were a semistate team in 2022. New Palestine and Kokomo have played twice. The Dragons won a 77-0 decision at Kelso Stadium in 2018 and beat the Wildkats 63-13 the next year at Kokomo. The Dragons went on to win the state title in both of those seasons. The Dragons are No. 1 in the polls for the first time since the end of 2022. The Dragons are 15-0 all-time against the North Central Conference. DRAGONS NOTES The Dragons’ Red Rage defense returns starters at nine positions, including the entire linebacking corps, as it begins a new season. In 2023, the Dragons held teams to 243 yards and 17.7 points per game. Eleven of the Dragons’ top 14 tacklers from last year return, including junior linebackers Garrett Ranes (113 tackles) and Josh Ranes (88 tackles). Alex Guhl and Desmond Palmer both had interceptions in last week’s scrimmage against Scecina, in which the Dragons’ varsity defense held the Crusaders to 34 total yards in 27 plays. Senior Michael Thacker returns after posting 60 tackles, seven sacks and 19 tackles for loss in eight games last season. He has 252 career tackles, including 75 for loss, in three years as a starter. Offensively, the Dragons have four-fifths of the offensive line returning - only graduating Ian Moore, now an Ohio State Buckeye. Brock Brownfield, Landon Seib, Abe Walling and Colin Whetsel return as starters from a unit that tallied 359.7 yards (254.8 rushing) and 36.1 points per game last year. Sophomore William Glesing will be the new starter up front. Elsewhere, the Dragons are replacing a lot of key players, as junior wideout Cameron Rollyson is the lone returning starter among the running backs and receivers. Rollyson had seven catches for 99 yards last season. Sophomore Mason Oglesby (3-32) is the only other returning Dragon with a pass reception. Rollyson had a 10-yard TD reception in last week’s scrimmage. The running back room is also new, with No. 2 career rushing leader Grayson Thomas having taken his talents to the University of Dayton. Caden Jacobia tallied 32 yards on three carries in last week’s scrimmage, while Max Wiegand had 25 yards on four carries. T.J. Hammons had a 17-yard carry in the varsity segment, then three carries for 65 yards and a TD in the JV segment. Junior QB Jacob Davis completed 7-of-10 for 84 yards and a touchdown in last week’s scrimmage, spreading the ball around to six receivers. Davis played 10 games last season for Springboro (Ohio). SCOUTING THE WILDKATS Kokomo is coming off a 9-3 season under Austin Colby, who enters his fifth year at his alma mater. Colby’s father, Brett, led the Wildkats to the 2017 5A title game, and Austin’s team came within a point of returning to Lucas Oil Stadium in 2022. The Wildkats run a ground-oriented double-wing offense that gained 230 yards per game rushing last season. They graduated their top three rushers. The top returnee is junior Keemarion Pollard (283 yards, 4 TDs). The Wildkats return all-state tight end Andrew Barker (23 catches, 324 yards, 4 TDs). Defensively, the Wildkats held teams to less than 200 yards per game last season. Junior Khari Floyd (55 tackles) is the top returning tackler. LOOKING AHEAD The Dragons return to Kelso Stadium next week to face Decatur Central, which was last year’s Class 5A runner-up. Both of the Dragons’ non-conference foes are 5As.. 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 and Instagram (@NewPalestineDragons), Twitter (@NPHSDragons) and online (NewPalestineAthletics.com).