New Palestine High School

The No. 1 New Palestine football team aced its first test in its return to Class 5A Friday, hitting the road and dominating the No. 10 Plainfield Quakers 42-7. The Dragons (10-0) advance to the Nov. 7 sectional championship game at Kelso Stadium against No. 2 Cathedral, a 68-0 victor over Anderson in the other Sectional 13 semifinal game. The Dragons seized command from the opening two drives, and did so by dominating in the trenches. The Dragons averaged 10.7 yards per carry in the opening half and scored on every possession en route to building a 42-0 halftime advantage. Quarterback Jacob Davis ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. Caden Jacobia added 62 yards and a score on seven carries, while Josh Ranes had eight carries for 40 yards and two touchdowns, as the Dragons featured the running game. Davis didn't throw often, but was 6-of-8 for 65 yards. It started right from the opening kickoff. After two runs by Jacobia netted a first down, Davis broke free down the left sideline on a quarterback sweep and carried 58 yards for a touchdown - the Dragons 11th scrimmage touchdown from beyond midfield this season. The Red Rage also flexed its muscle and set an early tone. Waynee Estes forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, although the Quakers recovered. But the Dragons stuffed Luke Starnes - Plainfield's all-time rushing leader - for two rushes that netted zero yards, setting up a Sam Hirschy sack on third down and a punt. The Dragons' offense went right back to work. A 19-yard run by Davis highlighted an eight-play, 51-yard drive that made it 14-0. Davis finished it with his second TD of the night, a 12-yard scamper. Plainfield built momentum on the next drive. On third-and-long, quarterback Bryce Sebanc scrambled and threw a 41-yard dime to Zander Nattam to move into Dragons' territory. Two runs by Starnes brought the Quakers to the NP 25, but the defense bowed up. Brock Brownfield stuffed Sebanc on a fourth-down scramble at the Dragons' 21, ending the possession and Plainfield's best threat of the night. The Dragons responded quickly. On the first play, Davis found Mason Oglesby open for a 30-yard pass. A roughing the passer call added 15 yards to the play, moving the Dragons to the Plainfield 34. They went into the red zone after. 25-yard run by Davis. Three runs by Ranes later, it was a 21-0 game. After another three-and-out punctuated by a Hirschy third-down sack, the Dragons methodically worked downfield for a TD drive, which was finished by Jacobia's 27-yard touchdown run. But the Red Rage followed with another scoreboard-flipping moment. On Plainfield's next play, Sebanc threw a bubble screen. Cameron Rollyson read the play, jumped the route, picked off the pass and ran it in for a 9-yard TD, pushing the lead to 35-0. It was the 13th return touchdown - and sixth defensive score - by the Dragons this season. After another three-and-out, the Dragons had a short field to run the two-minute drill. After three runs by Ranes netted 19 yards, Davis hit Oglesby on a forward pitch for 26 yards to the 1, setting up another Ranes touchdown run and a 42-0 halftime lead. The Dragons played most of their starting units for one possession each in the second half. Plainfield went on a long drive against the second-unit defense, finished by Starnes' 1-yard run midway through the fourth quarter. The Dragons will play in a sectional final for the 25th time in school history, seeking their 16th sectional title. During the Kyle Ralph era - since 2013 - they are 9-2 in sectional title games. They will be seeking their fifth straight sectional championship next week. While it will be the fifth all-time meeting in the tourney between the Dragons and Irish - the two schools have split the previous four - it will be the first that does not happen in the regional round. Sectional semifinal: Dragons 42, Plainfield 7 Friday, Oct. 31 at Red Pride Stadium, Plainfield New Palestine (10-0) 14 - 28 - 0 - 0 -- 42 Plainfield (7-3) 0 - 0 - 0 - 7 -- 7 Scoring summary NP-J.Davis 58 run (Walker kick), 10:42 NP-J.Davis 3 run (Walker kick), 4:38 NP-J.Ranes 3 run (Walker kick), 10:57 NP-Ca.Jacobia 27 run (Walker kick), 5:17 NP-Rollyson 9 interception return (Walker kick), 5:05 NP-J.Ranes 2 run (Walker kick), :25 P-Starnes 1 run (Edwards kick), 5:01 Team stats First downs: NP 19, P 9 Rushes-yards: NP 33-290, P 23-58 Passing C-A-I: NP 6-8-0, P 6-14-1 Passing yards: NP 66, P 64 Total plays-yards: NP 41-356, P 37-122 Fumbles-lost: NP 2-0, P 4-0 Penalties-yards: NP 10-74, P 7-70 Punts-avg: NP 1-31.0, P 4-38.0 Time of possession: NP 22:39, P 25:31 Individual stats New Palestine Rushing: J.Davis 8-145, Ca.Jacobia 7-62, J.Ranes 8-40. Gardner 2-23, Stephens 4-13, Hubbard 3-8, team 1-(-1) Passing: J.Davis 6-8-0-66 Receiving: Oglesby 3-50, Maddog 2-15, Butler 1-1 Plainfield Rushing: Starnes 16-46, Mieux 1-10, McGill 1-5, Sebanc 5-(-3) Passing: Sebanc 6-14-1-64 Receiving: Nattam 2-43, Starnes 2-3, Ward 1-18, D'Amato 1-0