New Palestine High School

The New Palestine boys soccer team took command midway through the first half Monday and rolled to a 5-1 victory over Shelbyville. Paxton Holmes had a hat trick for the Dragons in the victory. He got the Dragons on the board in the 12th minute, sending a cross in that deflected into the net. Shelbyville answered in the 16th minute, but the tie game was short-lived. In the 21st minute, Ethan Kihiu stepped into a loose ball above the box and ripped a shot into the top corner to put the Dragons back on top. The Dragons quickly made it 3-1. Holmes banged a shot off the bottom of the crossbar. Cole Christopher followed as the ball bounced straight down, and then redirected the ball into the net. After halftime, the lead stayed two until the 64th minute, when Christopher played a ball ahead to Holmes in traffic. Holmes then punched it home to extend the lead. A minute later, the Dragons earned a corner. Holmes headed in Hudson Hughes' service to extend the lead to 5-1. The Dragons are now 8-6 on the season and 3-3 in conference play. They next play Tuesday at Franklin. The Dragons JV won 6-0.