After each having a week off, the New Palestine Dragons and the Plainfield Quakers will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. New Palestine is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
Last Friday, New Palestine was fully in charge, breezing past Delta 56-7. Fans of the Dragons have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 20+ points.
Jacob Davis produced another solid effort throwing for 162 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 passes, while also rushing for 67 yards and one score on only six carries. Caden Jacobia also deserves a mention for his punt return touchdown.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something New Palestine proved: they limited Delta to a paltry -0.3 yards per carry. The team can thank Sam Hirschy for the heroic effort on defense: he. The dominant display was nothing new: New Palestine has now limited their opponent to fewer and fewer yards per carry in four consecutive games.
Special teams also played a big role in the game for New Palestine, adding 20 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Kade Stephens, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown. Another bright spot was a punt return touchdown from Jacobia.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Plainfield, who bounced back after a loss on the road on October 10th. They came out on top against Martinsville by a score of 14-7 last Friday. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Quakers' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Indiana football rankings (they are ranked 31st, while the Artesians are ranked 86th).
New Palestine better focus on containing Luke Starnes and Zander Nattam as the pair were huge in Plainfield's win. Starnes rushed for 179 yards, while Nattam picked up 99 receiving yards and a pair of TDs. Starnes is becoming a predictor of Plainfield's success: when he posts at least 100 rushing yards the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when he doesn't).
Plainfield didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Ty White and Tashawn Calahan. Mason Mantooth was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making seven total tackles (2.0 for loss).
New Palestine's record is now 9-0. As for Plainfield, their record now sits at 7-2.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. New Palestine has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 265.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Plainfield struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 183.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other football content.
