New Palestine High School

The Class 4A No. 1 New Palestine football team opens sectional play this week as it travels to Mt. Vernon for a 7 p.m. kickoff. It's the two schools' first sectional meeting since 2013 and seventh overall. Game info 4A #1/1 New Palestine Dragons (9-0, 7-0 HHC) at 4A RV/RV Mt. Vernon Marauders (6-3, 6-1 HHC) Time: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21 (gates open 6 p.m.) Site: Mt. Vernon Stadium, Fortville (directions: https://goo.gl/maps/LGMpwieNNcc44N8s8) Tickets: $7, available at the gate and at https://gofan.co/app/events/738843?schoolId=IN1588 Broadcast audio: NewPalRadio.com (pregame coverage begins at 6 p.m.) Broadcast video: WNDY-23, ihsaatv.org (broadcasts produced by other parties) Note: New Palestine fans will be asked to enter the RIGHT side of the ticket gate. Mt. Vernon will have barricades up in the stadium to send fans to their respective sides. SETTING THE SCENE The Dragons open sectional play with a trip to Mt. Vernon, the 62nd meeting between the schools in 55 years. Both teams won sectional titles last season. The Dragons have won 12 sectional championships in their history, including six in the last nine seasons. The Dragons won the first meeting 42-6 in Week 4. Grayson Thomas ran for 186 yards and two scores, while Danny Tippit threw for 220 yards and three TDs. Isaiah Thacker and Kyler Kropp each had 86 receiving yards and a TD. New Palestine leads the all-time series 36-24-1, including 4-2 in the postseason. The Dragons are 9-2 in meetings vs. MV under Coach Kyle Ralph. This is the first time since 2014 the Dragons have faced a team twice in a season. The Dragons swept New Castle in 2014 and swept Mt. Vernon and Pendleton Heights the year before. The Dragons return to Class 4A for the first time since 2014, when they won their first state title. They were in 5A from 2015-21, winning four titles, three regional and semistate titles and the 2018 and 2019 state championships in that seven-year span. DRAGONS NOTES The Dragons closed out the 12th unbeaten regular season in school history and their eighth in 10 years under coach Kyle Ralph last week. The program also won its 22nd conference championship, including their 12th since joining the HHC. The Dragons have not allowed a point in the first quarter this season, outscoring teams 125-0 in the opening 12 minutes. The Dragons also have not trailed this season. The Red Rage defense held Delta to 99 yards, the second time this season the Dragons have held an oppoent below 100 yards total offense. Delta’s rushing total of 39 yards last week was the fewest allowed by the Red Rage this season. Junior RB Grayson Thomas set a career high last week, scoring five rushing touchdowns - the first five-TD game since Charlie Spegal in 2019. Thomas moved into second place behind Spegal on the NPHS career scoring list, as he now has 57 career touchdowns. Earlier this season, he became the first back in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in three different years. He has 1,305 yards this season and 3,694 for his career, ranking third on the Dragons’ career rushing list. Senior WR Blaine Nunnally had a career game last week, with nine catches for 135 yards and a touchdown. It was the Dragons’ third 100-yard receiving game this season, as Isaiah Thacker had 115 yards against New Castle and 147 against Pendleton Heights. Nunnally has also been solid defensively, with a pick-6 against New Castle. . The Dragons have forced a running clock in eight consecutive games. Isaiah Thacker’s 1,371 receiving yards as a Dragon have moved him into fourth place on the school’s career receiving list. Sophomore DL Michael Thacker has eight sacks and 25.5 tackles for loss. Senior QB Danny Tippit now has 1,856 passing yards, the seventh-highest single-season total in NPHS history. He threw for 214 yards and two scores last week. The Dragons are plus-17 in turnover ratio, with 21 takeaways and four giveaways. They were plus-1 last week, as Keagan Harrison had a second-half interception. Daniel Thacker has four interceptions and a fumble recovery to lead the team. SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS MV enters the sectional having won five consecutive games since a 42-6 Week 4 loss to the Dragons, averaging 49.8 ppg in that span. Freshman QB Luke Ertel has thrown for 1,159 yards and 10 TDs. Purdue commit George Burhenn (30-534 receiving, 5 TDs) and Xavier baseball commit Eli Bridenthal (26-409 receiving, 4 TDs) are his top receiving targets. LOOKING AHEAD The winner of this game will face either Pendleton Heights or Greenfield-Central in the semifinal. If the Dragons win, they would host G-C but travel to PH. 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).