New Palestine High School

The New Palestine football team had a two-touchdown lead before it ever snapped the ball Friday. Kade Stephens ran the opening kickoff back 99 yards for a touchdown to get the Dragons off and running at Delta. On the Eagles' next possession, Caden Jacobia blocked a punt, scooped up the loose ball and ran it in for another score, setting the stage for a 56-7 victory to close the regular season. The Dragons finished their 14th unbeaten regular season in school history - and second consecutive - with the win. Eight of the nine wins featured a running clock, as did this one. NP led 42-7 at the half and cruised to the victory. With the win, NP clinched its 25th overall conference championship, and the 11th outright Hoosier Heritage Conference title in 13 years. The Dragons again used balance and explosiveness. Jacob Davis threw for 162 yards and three touchdowns, and also ran for 67 yards and a score. Josh Ranes had 102 rushing yards - a season-best - while Caden Jacobia ran for 65 yards and a touchdown. The Dragons amassed 433 yards of total offense, and held Delta to 105 yards. Spotted a 14-0 lead, the Dragons' offense was efficient when it finally got the football. Davis completed the first drive - which covered 67 yards in five plays - with a 17-yard touchdown to Cael Butler to extend the lead to 21-0. After a three-and-out, Davis' 31-yards scramble and a 23-yard run by Ranes set up Davis for a 5-yard TD run to extend the lead. After another three-and-out, Davis hit Garrett Ranes for a 34-yard touchdown on the final play of the first quarter to put NP up 35-0. It marked the third consecutive week the Dragons have scored at least 35 points in a quarter. The Dragons extended the lead to 42-0 on a short 31-yard second-quarter drive, which Caden Jacobia finished with a 20-yard run. Delta answered with a 67-yard touchdown - the first touchdown allowed by the first-unit defense since Week 2 - but that was the extent of the Eagles' offense. They would gain one more first down the remainder of the game. A 68-yard run by Ranes set the Dragons up in the red zone, but two penalties stalled the drive and led to a missed field goal. In the second half, Davis hit Mason Oglesby for an 11-yard TD, and Ryder Gardner found Brady Lantz for a 9-yard TD. Not only did the Dragons finish the regular season 9-0, they also allowed 32 total points, breaking the school record of 42 points allowed in a regular season, set by the 2014 state championship team. The Dragons finish conference play with their 33rd straight HHC victory and fourth consecutive conference title. The victory also marked 150 career wins for Dragons head coach Kyle Ralph. He did so in 164 total games, the fastest coach to 150 wins in state history. The Dragons have a bye week next week, then open sectional play Oct. 31 at Plainfield. Week 9: Dragons 56, Delta 7 Friday, Oct. 17, 2025 at Delta High School New Palestine (9-0, 7-0) 35 - 7 - 7 - 7 -- 56 Delta (3-6, 3-4) 0 - 7 - 0 - 0 -- 7 Scoring summary NP-Stephens 99 kickoff return (Eakin kick), 11:47 NP-Jacobia 33 blocked punt return (Eakin kick), 9:28 NP-Butler 17 pass from J.Davis (Eakin kick), 6:16 D-Morey 67 pass from Blevins (Hammond kick), 3:03 NP-J.Davis 5 run (Eakin kick), 2:45 NP-G.Ranes 34 pass from J.Davis (Eakin kick), :00 NP-Ca.Jacobia 20 run (Eakin kick), 6:51 D-Morey 67 pass from Blevins (Huffman kick), 3:03 NP-Oglesby 11 pass from J.Davis (Eakin kick), 3:17 NP-Lantz 9 pass from Gardner (Eakin kick), 4:31 Team stats First downs: NP 16, D 5 Rushes-yards: NP 23-262, D 26-(-11) Passing C-A-I: NP 11-16-0, D 6-13-0 Passing yards: NP 171, D 116 Total plays-yards: NP 39-433, D 39-105 Fumbles-lost: NP 0-0, D 0-0 Penalties-yards: NP 6-54, D 3-15 Punts-avg: NP 0-0, D 8-25.3 Time of possession: NP 19:11, D 28:49 Individual stats New Palestine Rushing: J.Ranes 4-102, J.Davis 6-67, Ca.Jacobia 6-65, Stephens 4-11, Hubbard 2-10, Gardner 1-7 Passing: J.Davis 9-14-0-162, Gardner 2-2-0-9 Receiving: Oglesby 4-60, Butler 2-61, G.Ranes 1-34, Lantz 1-9, Maddox 1-7, A.Davis 1-0, Caldwell 1-0 Delta Rushing: Thomas 10-4, Mieth 1-6, Clawson 2-3, Wagner 3-1, Backus 1-0, Mann 1-(-1), Wright-Hill 2-(-3), Stoots 2-(-3), Blevins 1-(-4), Lynch 3-(-14) Passing: Blevins 4-9-0-93, Lynch 2-4-0-23 Receiving: Wright-Hill 3-22, Morey 2-84, Phillips 1-10 Photo credit: Molly Dunn