Football Preview: New Palestine Dragons vs. Greenfield-Central Cougars
New Palestine has been away from home for three games now, but on Friday they'll finally make their return. They will host the Greenfield-Central Cougars at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
If New Palestine beats Greenfield-Central with 56 points on Friday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. New Palestine breezed by Pendleton Heights on the road to the tune of 56-17 on Friday. Given the Dragons' advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana football rankings (they are ranked 24th, while the Arabians are ranked 101st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Josh Ranes was his usual excellent self, rushing for 268 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 11.7 yards per carry. His longest rush was for an incredible 75 yards. Gavin Neal was another key player, rushing for 108 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries.
New Palestine's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Connor Jacobia and Caden Jacobia. Michael Thacker was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making seven total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, New Palestine was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 473 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Greenfield-Central put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Shelbyville 49-6 on the road. That 43 point margin sets a new team best for the Cougars this season.
Dallas Freeman continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, throwing for 283 yards and four touchdowns while completing 73.9% of his passes, and also rushing for 35 yards and two touchdowns.
New Palestine pushed their record up to 4-0-1 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. As for Greenfield-Central, their victory bumped their record up to 5-0.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. New Palestine has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 226.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Greenfield-Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 223.2. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for New Palestine against Greenfield-Central in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 35-0 win. Does New Palestine have another victory up their sleeve, or will Greenfield-Central turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
