New Palestine High School

The Dragons football team returns to Kelso Stadium for Senior Night against New Castle. NEW CASTLE TROJANS (2-5, 1-4 HHC) at (5A 1/1) NEW PALESTINE DRAGONS (7-0, 5-0 HHC) Time: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10 Location: Kelso Stadium, New Palestine Tickets: $7, cash at gate or https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=147323 Audio broadcast: NewPalRadio.com Video broadcast: IHSAAtv.org/NewPalestine SETTING THE SCENE It’s Senior Night for the Dragons as they host the New Castle Trojans in the final regular season home game at Kelso Stadium. The Dragons are honoring 21 senior players tonight. The Class of 2026 is 44-4 during its four years, including 24-0 at home, with three conference and three sectional titles, as well as two regional titles and the 2024 semistate and state titles. The Dragons lead the all-time series with New Castle 13-0. It has been played annually since 2013. This will be the final game in the series, as New Castle is leaving the Hoosier Heritage Conference after this season. The Dragons won last year’s meeting 44-6, as Josh Ranes ran for 137 yards and and three scores, while Jacob Davis threw for 138 yards and two TDs. The Dragons enter the week with a 31-game conference winning streak. They are 86-2 in HHC games under Kyle Ralph’s tutelage. NP’s 21-game winning streak is tied for the longest active streak in the state. A win would clinch at least a share of the Dragons’ fourth straight Hoosier Heritage Conference title and 25th overall conference title - including the 15th in the HHC. DRAGONS NOTES The Dragons posted another dominant three-phase performance last week, beating Shelbyville 65-3. A 36-point second quarter helped break the game open. Again, the Dragons spread the ball around. QB Jacob Davis ran for 158 yards and two scores - including a 66-yard run on the game’s first play - and threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns - one to Cael Butler and one to Mason Oglesby. The Dragons again scored in all three phases last week. In addition to seven offensive touchdowns, Josh Ranes had a 38-yard pick-six, while Garrett Ranes recovered a bad punt snap in the end zone. It was Garrett’s second return touchdown of the season, as he also had a pick-six against Mt. Vernon. The Dragons held Shelbyville to 17 yards - a season-best for the Red Rage. The Golden Bears had minus-36 rushing yards. NP has held three of the last four opponents to below 65 yards of total offense. Garrett and Josh Ranes scored in the same game for the second time in their careers. They also did so in 2024 against Shelbyville - both were offensive touchdowns in that game. Last week, both were defensive scores. Because the special teams touchdown was a fumble recovery, last week became the first time the Dragons have had two defensive touchdowns in the same game since Sept. 4, 2020, when Hunter Burks and Aidan Ewers had pick-sixes at Yorktown. Sam Hirschy led the Dragons with eight tackles, including 2.5 TFL, last week. The Dragons have won 25 straight home games, the second-longest streak in school history. Senior QB Jacob Davis has 1,042 passing yards this season and 3,956 his career. Davis has completed 34-of-40 passes for 544 yards and seven touchdowns over the last three games. He also has 5,192 yards of total offense in his career. SCOUTING THE TROJANS The Trojans are 2-5 after a 57-28 victory over Mt. Vernon last week. QB Carson Bell threw for 146 yards. Tylin Thrine had 127 rush and 41 receiving yards, while Luke Sherrell ran for 101 yards. Bell is throwing for 138 yards per game this season. Sherrell is tallying 72 yards per game on the ground, while Thrine tallies 66 yards from scrimmage per game. LOOKING AHEAD The Dragons travel to Delta for the regular season finale. 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).