New Palestine High School

One look at the scoreline shows another comfortable New Palestine football victory, as the Dragons beat Shelbyville 65-3 Friday night at Kelso Stadium. But the Dragons had to deal with a little bit of early adversity, as Shelbyville made two red zone trips in the opening quarter sandwiched around an NP turnover, and the Dragons held a slim 6-3 lead after 12 minutes. The Dragons then exploded for 36 points in the second quarter to take a 42-3 halftime lead and trigger a running clock for the sixth time this season. The Dragons improved to 7-0 (5-0 HHC) after their 17th straight Homecoming victory, and their state-record-tying 21st straight overall win. It didn’t look like the adversity would hit early, as quarterback Jacob Davis appeared to be stopped at the line on the game’s first play, but reversed course and broke a 66-yard touchdown run - marking the seventh straight game the Dragons have scored on the opening possession. But Shelbyville’s Grantland Fitzgerald returned the ensuing kickoff to the Dragons’ 17, and a penalty gave the Golden Bears a first down on the 2, but NP was able to force a turnover on downs. However, a fumble on NP’s ensuing possession led to a long Shelbyville drive that featured four first downs before again stalling in the red zone, leading to a field goal. After that, the Golden Bears did not gain a first down for the remainder of the game. NP’s offensive line immediately set the tone. Josh Ranes went for 18 yards on the first play - his first carry since Week 3. A 21-yard pass to Cael Butler put the Dragons inside the 10, where Mason Oglesby took a forward pitch 8 yards for a TD. Ranes’ two-point conversion made it 14-3. Caden Jacobia capped a 7-play, 48-yard drive on the next possession to extend the lead. The Dragons scored three times in the final four minutes to break the game open - Davis broke a 37-yard TD to make it a 28-3 game. After a three-and-out, a bad snap led Shelbyville’s punter to pick the ball up in the end zone. As he attempted to kick it, Desmond Palmer blocked it, and Garrett Ranes scooped it up in the end zone for a score. It was Ranes’ second return TD this season - he also had an interception return against Mt. Vernon in Week 4. After another three-and-out, Davis then hit Cael Butler for a 31-yard score in the two-minute drill to put NP up 42-3 at halftime and trigger a running clock in the second half. Davis had a big day rushing, with a career-high 161 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries. He also threw for 119 yards and two scores, completing 9-of-12. NP outgained Shelbyville 480-17, holding the Golden Bears to 25 rushing yards in the opening half, and minus-36 for the game. The Dragons added 23 second-half points - Josh Ranes began the half with a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown. A safety on an errant punt snap added two more points, followed by a 20-yard TD run by Ryder Gardner. Waynee Estes capped the game with his first career touchdown. The safety was the Dragons' first since 2021. The Dragons scored on offense, defense and special teams for the second straight week. The Dragons are home again next week for Senior Night against New Castle. Week 7: New Palestine 65, Shelbyville 3 Friday, Oct. 3 at Kelso Stadium Shelbyville (3-4, 1-4) 3 - 0 - 0 - 0 -- 3 New Palestine (7-0, 5-0) 6 - 36 - 16 - 7 -- 65 Scoring Summary NP-J.Davis 66 run (kick failed), 11:41 S-Saucedo 29 field goal, 1:30 NP–Oglesby 8 pass from J.Davis (J.Ranes run), 11:56 NP–Ca.Jacobia 4 run (Eakin kick), 7:43 NP–J.Davis 37 run (Eakin kick), 3:52 NP–G.Ranes fumble recovery in end zone (Eakin kick), 2:08 NP–Butler 31 pass from Davis (Eakin kick), :42 NP–J.Ranes 37 interception return (Eakin kick), 8:54 NP–Safety, Shelbyville snap went out of end zone, 5:00 NP–Gardner 20 run (Eakin kick), :40 NP–Estes 2 run (Eakin kick), 3:17 Team stats First downs: S 5, NP 18 Rushes-yards: S 24-(-36), NP 24-334 Passing C-A-I: S 7-18-1, NP 12-15-0 Passing yards: S 53, NP 146 Total plays-yards: S 42-17, NP 39-480 Fumbles-lost: S 3-1, NP 2-1 Penalties-yards: S 1-5, NP 6-44 Punts-avg: S 5-27.6, NP 0-0 Time of possession: S 29:07, NP 18:03 Individual stats Shelbyville Rushing: G.Fitzgerald 17-25, Hook 5-(-7), Schultz 1-(-15), team 2-(-39) Passing: L.Fitzgerald 4-13-0-32, Schultz 3-5-1-21 Receiving: Coffey 3-21, Reed 2-17, Ca.Thoman 1-10, G.Fitzgerald 1-5 New Palestine Rushing: J.Davis 8-158, Ca.Jacobia 4-56, Stephens 3-35, J.Ranes 2-25, Estes 4-21, Gardner 2-21, Parks 1-18 Passing: J.Davis 10-13-0-138, Gardner 2-2-0-8 Receiving: Maddox 3-38, Butler 2-52, Oglesby 3-12, J.Ranes 1-19, Ca.Jacobia 1-17, Lantz 1-5, Pardue 1-3 Photo: Molly Dunn