New Palestine High School

The New Palestine football team puts its No. 1 ranking on the line this week against Bishop Chatard. 4A #1/1 New Palestine Dragons (11-0) at 4A #3/4 Bishop Chatard Trojans (9-2) Time: 7 p.m. Friday Location: Bishop Chatard HS (directions: https://maps.app.goo.gl/fQZLH6RvAz4cjvrD6) Tickets: $10, cash at gate or https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=102333&p=157789 Audio: NewPalRadio.com Video: https://www.ihsaatv.org/?B=1583724 (produced by outside entity) SETTING THE SCENE The Dragons travel to Bishop Chatard for a regional clash between top 5 teams and two of the state’s powerhouse programs. This is the sixth all-time meeting between the Dragons and Chatard. All but one have come in the state tourney. The teams have three wins each. The last meeting came in the 2013 regional, which the Dragons won 27-14. The Dragons are seeking the seeking the ninth regional title in school history. They are 8-6 all-time in regional games, and 6-2 under coach Kyle Ralph. The Dragons are 77-38 all-time in IHSAA tournament games, including 61-27 in the sectional. NP has won 15 sectional titles, including nine in the last 12 seasons. Under coach Ralph, the Dragons are 38-8 in tournament games. DRAGONS NOTES The Dragons enter the regional after their fourth consecutive sectional championship, beating Pendleton Heights by a 41-7 score. Caden Jacobia tallied two rushing TDs, while Jacob Davis, Josh Ranes and Max Wiegand each ran for one. Austin McMahan reeled in a 40-yard TD pass from Davis. Caden Jacobia had back-to-back big plays on both sides of the ball last week. In the second quarter, he picked off a pass in plus territory, and on the next offensive snap, carried 43 yards for a TD. Jacobia and Aalijah Lissade both have interceptions in each of the last two games. The Red Rage defense has forced six turnovers in the last two wins, and is plus-20 in turnover ratio. The Dragons have scored on their first possession in five consecutive games and have done so eight times this season. The Dragons have opened each of the last two games with a big kickoff return to set up a score. In the sectional semifinal, Caden Jacobia had a 79-yard return that led to an 8-yard drive. Last week, Wiegand had a 50-yard return to the PH 40, which set up a five-play TD drive, which Davis capped with a 28-yard run. Ranes ran for 134 yards on eight carries last week, his 10th 100-yard game of the season. Wiegand added a career-high 117 yards, marking the second time this season two Dragons rushed for 100 yards in the same game. Josh Ranes’ 89-yard TD last week was the Dragons’ longest rushing TD since a 90-yard run by DuRon Ford Sept. 16, 2016 at Pendleton Heights. Brock Brownfield had a sack last week, giving him 6.5 for the year. Michael Thacker leads the team with nine. Davis crossed the 2,500 yard passing mark for his career last week. He now has 2,578 career yards, including 1,613 this season. The latter places him eighth on the NPHS single-season passing list. RB Josh Ranes has 1,841 rushing yards. seventh on the Dragons’ season rushing list. He needs 179 yards to catch Nick Roudebush in sixth place. DL John Ranes led the Red Rage last week with eight tackles. The Dragons are allowing 3.6 yards per play - 2.2 per rush - and 164.8 yards per game. SCOUTING THE TROJANS Chatard is the defending two-time Class 3A champion and has an IHSAA-record 17 state titles in its history. Coach Rob Doyle has led the Trojans to four state titles. Chatard won a back-and-forth 28-24 game over Roncalli last week. QB Jack Harrington threw two touchdown passes - including a 79-yard pass to Julio Graves - and ran for another. LB Declan Hostettler also had an interception return for a score. Chatard is averaging 29.3 ppg and allowing 15.5 ppg. LOOKING AHEAD The winner of tonight’s game will meet either Martinsville or Evansville Reitz in the semistate. If the Dragons win, they will play the semistate at Kelso Stadium. 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).